Pater's graceful essays discuss the achievements of Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and other artists. included is his celebrated discussion of the Mona Lisa in a study of Da Vinci. This book concludes with an uncompromising advocacy of hedonism, urging readers to experience life as fully as possible. His cry of "art for art's sake" became the manifesto of the Aesthetic Movement, and his assessments of Renaissance art have influenced generations...

"Most people outside of the art world view art as something that is foreign to their experiences and everyday lives. A People's Art History of the United States places art history squarely in the rough-and-tumble of politics, social struggles, and the fight for justice from the colonial era through the present day. Author and radical artist Nicolas Lampert combines historical sweep with detailed examinations of individual artists and works in a politically...

From the author of "Celestial Sleuth" (2014), yet more mysteries in art, history, and literature are solved by calculating phases of the Moon, determining the positions of the planets and stars, and identifying celestial objects in paintings. In addition to helping to crack difficult cases, these studies spark our imagination and provide a better understanding of the skies. Weather archives, vintage maps, tides, historical letters and diaries, military...

Have you ever found art museums intimidating and art history a baffling mix of periods, names, and styles? Annie Labatt's Art History 101 without the Exams: Looking Closely at Objects from the History of Art aims to remove this inaccessibility issue in the art world by breaking the history of art down into twenty accessible lessons, each built around a single, canonical piece considered a masterpiece from its era. Beginning with prehistoric cave...

Walter Pater (1839-1894) attained a B.A. degree in Classics from Queen's College, Oxford, followed soon after by a M.A. degree from Brasenose College, Oxford, where he was made a Fellow in 1865. That same year Pater toured Italy, where he discovered what would become a lifelong passion for masters of the Italian Renaissance like Leonardo da Vinci, Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, among many others. In 1877 he published "The Renaissance: Studies in...

A visionary of eighteen-century English art, William Blake was largely unknown during his own lifetime and often rejected as a madman for claims of hearing voices and later having visions. Since his death, Blake has, achieved enduring fame for his innovative and extraordinary work and is widely, viewed as one of the most important of all English artists. Created between 1790 and 1793, "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" is, considered by many to be...

A guide to 400 miles of adventure and history along the north-south leg of the Empire State Trail. This guidebook is an essential resource for bicycle tourists planning a trip through the state or casual riders seeking new stretches of trail to enjoy with family and friends. Those traveling by foot or by car will also find helpful information. Over 40 full-color maps direct users to the amenities and unique attractions available along the Hudson River...

Irreverent, bizarre, whimsical, and mocking, Kley's pen-and-ink drawings rank among the most imaginative satirical cartoons of all time. This compilation draws upon his Skizzenbuch I and II (1909-10) to present 200 fantastic images that blend savage humor with brilliant draughtsmanship in sketches of humans, animals, and curious combinations of the two.

One of Blake's most inspired creations, "The Tyger" mingles the lyric and mystical in an exquisite union. Now you can experience the beauty of this and other poems the way Blake intended them - with his own hand-colored illustrations giving them visual form. This facsimile edition of one of Blake's celebrated "Illuminated Books" reproduces a collection of calligraphed poems, each enclosed in a masterful full-color illustration. Twenty-six plates reprinted...

The most celebrated work of a 16th-century woodcut master, these 41 illustrations are a stark reminder of a dramatic motif: "Remember, you will die." A meticulous reprint of the unabridged 1538 edition, this book includes a prefatory letter by Jean de Vauzèle plus various quotations, depictions, and meditations on death.