Un recorregut essencial per l’art català.

Si et fas un embolic entre el Renaixement i la Renaixença o entre el Modernisme i l’Impressionisme, aquest petit llibre, molt pràctic i accessible, et portarà de la mà a través de les diferents corrents i èpoques artístiques de la història. Entén d’una vegada les diferències bàsiques entre el Romànic i el Gòtic, i gaudeix de les millors obres artístiques de la història de Catalunya alhora que aprens a situar-les en el seu context històric i etapa artística. Descobreix com l’evolució de la història de l’art a Catalunya ha esculpit la nostra sensibilitat com a …

Un recorrido esencial por el mundo de la historia del arte.

Si te haces un lío entre el Rococó y el Manierismo o entre el Modernismo y el Impresionismo, este pequeño libro, muy práctico y accesible, te llevará de la mano a través de las distintas corrientes y épocas artísticas de la historia. Entiende de una vez la diferencia entre los órdenes arquitectónicos clásicos (dórico, jónico y corintio), y disfruta de las mejores obras artísticas de la historia de la humanidad a la vez que aprendes a situarlas en su contexto histórico y etapa artística. Descubre cómo la evolución de la …

Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) Bonheur was the oldest of four artistic children born to the French landscape painter Raymond Bonheur. Rosa began sketching and sculpting animals at an early age and used her interest in animals to help her learn to read and write. She would sketch an animal for each letter of the alphabet and perfected her form by visiting butcher shops and cattle markets in Paris to achieve anatomically correct likenesses. Her 1853 masterpiece, The Horse Fair, brought her worldwide recognition, and she was the first female artist to be awarded the cross of the Legion of Honour in …

Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806) punctuates the eighteenth century with a burst of fireworks, closing the arc opened by Watteau with his enchanting poems of love and melancholy. While Watteau was ethereal and profound, Fragonard was delightfully light. He captivates us even as he amuses himself, his emotional distance ever apparent. Specialising in “fêtes galantes” executed in the Rococo style, Fragonard was a pupil of François Boucher and also studied under Chardin. Heeding Boucher’s advice, he portrayed romantic gardens replete with fountains, grottos, temples, and terraces—settings that also reveal the influence of Tiepolo. With King Louis XV as his patron, Fragonard shifted …

Antoine Watteau (1684-1721) epitomises the grace, intelligence, and poetry of the eighteenth century, a period when French tastes reigned supreme throughout Europe. He is renowned as a pivotal figure in Rococo art. Watteau excels in depicting scenes of daily life and theatrical costumes. His work, while highly stylised, reveals an undercurrent of melancholy beneath its apparent frivolity. It captures profound emotions, hinting at love that transcends mere physical attraction and showcasing the enigmatic ambience present in his landscapes and the wistful gaze in lovers’ eyes. Watteau’s exceptional sense of colour imparts feelings of softness and mystery, akin to a pervasive …

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) is widely regarded as one of the most significant artists of the Northern Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg, Germany, Dürer became renowned for his mastery of various mediums, including painting, printmaking, and wood-cutting. Throughout his life, Dürer produced a vast array of works that demonstrated his technical skill and innovative vision. His art often incorporated religious and classical themes, and his use of perspective and realism helped to establish new standards in European art. Beyond his artistic achievements, Dürer was also a prolific writer and thinker. His treatises on geometry, human proportion, and the theory of perspective remain …

In the 5th century, the Champa kingdom held sway over a large area of today’s Vietnam. Several magnificent structures still testify to their former presence in the Nha Trang region. Cham sculpture was worked in a variety of materials, principally sandstone, but also gold, silver and bronze. It was primarily used to illustrate themes from Indian mythology. The kingdom was gradually eroded during the 15th century by the inexorable descent of the people towards the south (“Nam Tiên”) from their original base in the Red River region. The author explores, describes, and comments on the various styles of Cham sculpture, …

El arquitecto y diseñador español Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) es una importante e influyente figura en la historia del arte contemporáneo de España. El uso del color, la utilización de diferentes materiales y la introducción de movimiento en sus construcciones fueron toda una innovación en el terreno de la arquitectura. En su diario, Gaudí expresó sus propios sentimientos sobre el arte: “los colores usados en arquitectura tienen que ser intensos, lógicos y fértiles”. El autor, Jeremy Roe, utiliza una amplia gama de detalles fotográficos y arquitectónicos que le permiten revelar el contexto del arte de Barcelona mientras nos introduce en el …

El Renacimiento se inició a finales del siglo catorce en Italia y ya estaba extendido por toda Europa en la segunda mitad del siglo dieciséis. El redescubrimiento del esplendor de la antigua Grecia y Roma supuso el comienzo del renacimiento de las artes como consecuencia de la descomposición de la certeza dogmática de la Edad Media. Surgió una generación de artistas que comenzaron a innovar dentro del ámbito de la pintura, así como de la escultura y arquitectura. Representando lo ideal y lo actual, lo sacro y lo profano, este período supuso un marco de referencia que ejercería su influencia …

“Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” This quote alone from William Morris could summarise the ideology of the Arts & Crafts movement, which triggered a veritable reform in the applied arts in England. Founded by John Ruskin, then put into practice by William Morris, the Arts & Crafts movement promoted revolutionary ideas in Victorian England. In the middle of the “soulless” Industrial Era, when objects were standardised, the Arts & Crafts movement proposed a return to the aesthetic at the core of production. The work of artisans and …