Andrew Graham-Dixon

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio lived the darkest and most dangerous life of any of the great painters. The worlds of Milan, Rome and Naples through which Caravaggio moved and which Andrew Graham-Dixon describes brilliantly in this book, are those of cardinals and whores, prayer and violence. On the streets surrounding the churches and palaces, brawls and swordfights were regular occurrences. In one such fight Caravaggio killed Ranuccio Tomassoni, a pimp, and fled to Naples and then Malta, home to the Knights of St John, where he escaped from prison following his conviction for another vicious assault. Shortly afterwards he died while returning to Rome to seek a papal pardon for his crimes. He was thirty-eight years old.In the course of this desperate life Caravaggio created the most dramatic paintings of his age, using ordinary men and women - often prostitutes and the very poor - to model for his depictions of classic religious scenes. Andrew Graham-Dixon's exceptionally illuminating readings of Caravaggio'spictures, which are the heart of the book, show very clearly how he created their drama, immediacy and humanity, and how completely he departed from the conventions of his time.

A Life Sacred and Profane

Caravaggio

A British art critic and historian describes the painter's artistic achievements and volatile life during the Counter-Reformation in Italy which included public brawls, murder, sexual escapades and imprisonment in Malta. Reprint. 13,000 first printing.

Die visuelle Geschichte.Über 2500 Kunstwerke von der Frühzeit bis zur Gegenwart

A fascinating new history of art, this gloriously illustrated book reveals how materials, techniques, and ideas have evolved over the centuries, inspiring artists and giving them the means to create their most celebrated works. Covering a comprehensive array of topics, from the first pigments and frescos to linear perspective in Renaissance paintings, the influence of photography, Impressionism, and the birth of modern art, The Story of Painting follows each step in the evolution of painting over the last 25,000 years, from the first cave paintings to the abstract works of the last 150 years. Packed with lavish colour reproductions of paintings and photographs of artists at work and the materials they used, it also focuses on key paintings from each period to analyse the techniques and secrets of the great masters in detail. Immerse yourself in the pages of this beautiful book and find yourself dazzled by new colours; marvel at the magic of perspective; wonder at glowing depictions of fabric and flesh; understand cubism; and embrace abstraction. It will transform your understanding and enjoyment of paintings forever.

The How Art Was Made

Story of Painting

Sarah Howgate

Sandy Nairne

Jo Higgins

With over 150 illustrations from fifty artists, 21st Century Portraits explores n ew developments in the representation of the human form and face as well as the continuing appeal of commissioned portraiture. The selection of portraits features cutting - edge new work from the international art community, and reflects an increasing inter est in identity worldwide. Organised thematically, the book examines seven key strands of portraiture: Observational Portraits; Self - Portraits; Commissioned and Celebrity Portraits; Social Portraits; Geopolitics and National Identity; The Body; Re - invented Portraits. With a foreword by Andrew Graham - Dixon and an essay by Sandy Nairne (Director of the National Portrait Gallery) and Sarah Howgate (Curator of Contemporary Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery) that locates contemporary portraiture withi n a historic tradition, 21st Century Portraits examines current trends, showcasing the wide range of media used by todays artists. The book also includes an extensive list of suggested further reading.

21st Century Portraits

“This book resees its subject with rare clarity and power as a painter for the 21st century.”—Hilary Spurling, New York Times Book Review In a bravura performance, Andrew Graham-Dixon explores Caravaggio’s staggering artistic achievements, delving into the original Italian sources to create a masterful profile of the mercurial painter. This New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of the Year features more than eighty full-color reproductions of the artist’s best paintings.

Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane

Andrew Graham-Dixon's weekly column In the Picture in the Sunday Telegraph is one of the most regularly and widely read pieces of art criticism in Britain. This book takes 52 of the best of these articles, arranged through the seasons, festivals and anniversaries of the calendar, the provide a pictorial commentary on the year. Some of the pictures are well known: Fourteen Sunflowers in a Vase by Vincent Van Gogh, Flag by Jasper Johns; Graham-Dixon helps us to see them freshly. But many are not: Fish and Sandwich by Patrick Caulfield, The Beach at Trouville - The Empress Eugenie by Eugene Boudin and Atom Piece by Henry Moore. The essays provided offer a short introduction to each.

The Year in Art

In the Picture

an Art Fund commission : a skyspace for Yorkshire Sculpture Park

James Turrell Deer Shelter

James Turrell

Michael Hue-Williams

Louise T. Blouin Institute

A Life in Light

Over 125 color illustrations highlight a comprehensive history of Renaissance art from a renowned art critic, placing the time in its historical and political context and arguing that the Renaissance grew out of the achievements of the medieval period.

Renaissance

über 2500 Kunstwerke von der Frühzeit bis zur Gegenwart

Kunst

Andrew Graham-Dixon unveils the long-kept secret of Britain's rich and vital visual culture.

A History of British Art

You cannot stand underneath the masterwork that is the Sistine Chapel without considering the genius and painstaking work that went into its creation. Michelangelo Buonarroti never wanted to paint the Sistine Chapel, though. Appointed by the temperamental Julius II, Michelangelo believed the suspiciously large-scale project to be a plot for failure conspired by his rivals and the "Warrior Pope." After all, Michelangelo was not a painter—he was a sculptor. The noble artist reluctantly took on the daunting task that would damage his neck, back, and eyes (if you have ever strained to admire the real thing, you know). Andrew Graham-Dixon tells the story behind the famous painted ceiling over which the great artist painfully toiled for four long years. Linking Michelangelo's personal life to his work on the Sistine Chapel, Graham-Dixon describes Michelangelo's unique depiction of the Book of Genesis, tackles ambiguities in the work, and details the painstaking work that went into Michelangelo's magnificent creation. Complete with rich, full-color illustrations and Graham-Dixon's articulate narrative, Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel is an indispensable and significant piece of art criticism. It humanizes this heavenly masterpiece in a way that every art enthusiast, student, and professional can understand and appreciate.

Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel

Truly comprehensive in scope, Artshows you masterpieces from over 700 artists, including Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and Van Gogh. An invaluable reference book for any art lover, it showcases the works; everything from Italian baroque painting and African art to contemporary art history. Discover key facts about the most prominent artistic movements, including their origins and influences, and follow a timeline of the most famous works. Be inspired by the detail of each subject matter and methods each artist used to create their masterpieces, and explore centuries, cultures, and countries on the ultimate artistic journey across time. Created in collaboration with Bridgeman, the biggest art library in the world,Art- The Definitive Visual Guideis a must-have for your bookshelf.

Andrew Graham-Dixon

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