Van Gogh

The History and Techniques of the Great Masters

by William Hardy

Book by Hardy, William

Genres: Art

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Gauri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This large, thin book focuses on 10 significant paintings from Van Gogh's career. A summary is presented of Van Gogh's years during which the painting was created with every painting. On the adjoining page of the summary, the painting is printed. Following that, the author discusses three to four important aspects of the painting, providing cropped images of the painting, sometimes actual size details. Some of the aspects he most stresses is Van Gogh's use of different tones and colors rather than black and white scales like earlier painters, as well as his expressive style of using thin and thick paint where appropriate to give dimension to different objects in the scene.

Overall, a pleasant read, and I learned a great deal about what makes fine art so impressive.