Impressionism And Post Impressionism

Post-Impressionism to World War II is an exciting anthology of the best art history writings of the Post-Impressionist period. Several key essays by critics including Benjamin, Greenberg and Bürger knit together primary sources and classic, “canonical” criticism.

Hard on the heels of the Impressionists came artists with a different agenda. Dissatisfied with the essentially short-term effects Impressionism had mastered, they strove in their different ways for an art of a more permanent, structured and expressive kind. By refining and codifying, dismantling and reassembling the procedures of Impressionism, artists such as Seurat, Cezanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh rewrote the rules for representational painting at the turn of the twentieth century.

This award-winning series, Private Life of a Masterpiece, reveals the full and fascinating stories behind famous works of art, not just how they came to be created, but also how they influenced others and came to have a life of their own in the modern world. The works of art featured here are both instantly familiar and profoundly mysterious. Revolutionary in their conception, and iconic years after their execution, they each have their own compelling stories. For behind the beautiful canvases and sculptures are tales of political revolution, wartime escapes, massive ego clashes, social scandal, financial wrangling and shocking violence. In this fascinating series key works of art are investigated and the intricate details of their lives revealed - the history, contemporary reactions, and legacies of each are illustrated.