While Impressionism marked the first steps toward modern painting by revolutionising an artistic medium stifled by academic conventions, Post-Impressionism, even more revolutionary, completely liberated colour and opened it to new, unknown horizons. Anchored in his epoch, relying on the new chromatic studies of Michel Eugène Chevreul, Georges Seurat transcribed the chemist's theory of colours into tiny points that created an entire image. With his heavy strokes, Van Gogh illustrated the midday sun, while Cézanne renounced perspective. Rich in its variety and in the singularity of its artists, Post-Impressionism was a passage taken by all the well-known figures of 20th-century painting …

Max Beckmann, Otto Dix, George Grosz, Emil Nolde, E.L. Kirchner, Paul Klee, Franz Marc as well as the Austrians Oskar Kokoschka and Egon Schiele were among the generation of highly individual artists who contributed to the vivid and often controversial new movement in early 20th-century Germany and Austria: Expressionism. This publication introduces these artists and their work. The author, art historian Ashley Bassie, explains how Expressionist art led the way to a new, intense, evocative treatment of psychological, emotional and social themes of the early 20th-century. The book examines the developments of Expressionism and its key works, highlighting the often …

The Art Deco movement emerged from the remnants of a world that had been torn apart after World War I. This aesthetic movement came to embody dreams of industry and prosperity. In the whirl of the Jazz Age and frenzy of the "Roaring Twenties", the streamlined silhouette of the flapper girl was reflected in the architectural aesthetic of Art Deco the rounded curve was conquered by the androgynous straight line. Architecture, painting, furniture, and sculpture evolved into oeuvres enhanced with sharp lines and broken angles. Although short-lived, this movement still influences contemporary design today.

At the beginning of the XXth century, there was an unprecedented explosion of creativity in all artistic fields. Overwhelming both Europe and North America, the Russian Ballet revolutionized theatrical design with their stage sets and their costumes that were ablaze with colour yet refind in effect, bearing much of the mystic of the Orient yet also visually influenced by the work of the Persian miniaturists. Together with Diaghilev, Léon Bakst showed himself to be the most talented of the theatre group designers of his time. The costumes he devised with exclusive art seemed to shimmer with a thousand colours. Dazzled …

Among the best-known ancient cities in our time, the capital of Greece contains much that is fascinating, including many archaeological treasures like the Acropolis and its temples. Athens remains a city both picturesque and dynamic. One third of the Greek population lives here, while its port, Piraeus, holds half of Greece's industry. So, once you have visited the city's temples, why not go round the flea markets or walk to the centre of the old town with its traders and traditional festivities? The return of the Olympic Games to their origins constitutes a major event for the town, providing the …

India, with its extensive and colourful history, has produced an artistic tradition in many forms. Architecture, painting, sculpture, calligraphy, mosaics, and artisan products all display the country's cultural, religious, and philosophical richness. From Hinduism, with its pantheon of imagery of gods, goddesses, animals, and many other figures, to Islam, with its astounding architecture and intricate calligraphy; the many facets of India have given rise to a fascinating and beautiful collection of artworks. Featuring incredible images and a text written by a renowned scholar on the subject, this work offers an in-depth look at the masterpieces of India, showcasing this fascinating …

Franz Marc (1880-1916) was a key figure in the German Expressionist movement of the early 20th century. Marc was a founding member of the expressionist group Der Blaue Reiter along with other great artists of the time: Wassily Kandinsky, August Macke, and Alexej von Jawlensky. A brilliant use of colour along with stark futurist and cubist styles create the distinct qualities that make Marc a master of modern art. Symbolising masculinity, femininity, and violence among his calm and bucolic animal subjects, Marc's unique and creative use of colour and meaning will forever have a firm place in art history.

Saigon is the city known for the unexplainable languidness that possessed the “French and American” Europeans that lived in Vietnam. At night, in front of a drink, the memories of flowery young girls in their traditional costumes surrounded by the thick smells of the ngoc man, the feverish sounds of the city's motion piercing through the humid heat of the Asian nights hauntingly reappear. A city of contrasts, Saigon has lived through dramatic changes: the turbulence of the South for which it was renowned was replaced by the terrible coldness of the North and the joyfulness of the city was …