In this volume, examples of Post-Impressionism from one of the world's premier art museums provide an overview of innovations ushered in by the popular movement. Representing a pivotal moment in the history of European art, the Post-Impressionists created some of the most recognizable and stylistically inventive paintings of the modern era. Published to accompany a major exhibition, this book presents over one hundred celebrated paintings from the unparalleled collection of Paris's Musee d'Orsay. Focusing on the decades around 1900, this publication presents late Impressionist landmarks by Monet and Renoir; early modern masterpieces by Cezanne, Gauguin, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Van Gogh; and avant-garde canvases by the Nabis painters Denis, Bonnard, and Vuillard. The volume also provides a unique look at the Musee d'Orsay's outstanding collection of Pointillism, including works by artists such as Seurat and Signac. Together these works offer a fresh assessment of seismic transitions in the European art world at the turn of the twentieth century that ushered in the birth of modern painting and produced lasting treasures of its own.

One of the great innovations of the Impressionists was their radical use of colour: their application of strokes of complementary or contrasting hues captured the shifting effects of light and foregrounded the nature of vision. Using colour as the lens through which to magnify the movement’s intricacies, this catalogue sweeps us from Manet’s rich blacks, through green and blue landscapes of Monet and Cézanne, to the sensuous pinks of Renoir. Along this journey, scientific discoveries and emerging definitions of modernity are explored, illuminating the profound innovations of the Impressionists and the shifting preconceptions of their art.

Defining an artistic era or movement is often a difficult task, as one tries to group individualistic expressions and artwork under one broad brush. Such is the case with impressionism, which culls together the art of a multitude of painters in the mid-19th century, including Monet, Cézanne, Renoir, Degas, and van Gogh. Basically, impressionism involved the shedding of traditional painting methods. The subjects of art were taken from everyday life, as opposed to the pages of mythology and history. In addition, each artist painted to express feelings of the moment instead of hewing to time-honoured standards. This description of impressionism, obviously, is quite broad and can apply to a wide array of styles. Nonetheless, it remains a very important school in the annals of art. Any current or budding art aficionado should become familiar with the impressionist movement and its impact on the art world. This book presents a sweeping study of this artistic period, from its origins to its manifestations in the works of some of art history's most revered painters. Following this overview is a substantial and selective bibliography, featuring access through author, title, and subject indexes.

Step into the revolutionary lives of the impressionists with Art + Paris, the most comprehensive guidebook to impressionism for the armchair traveler, lovers of Paris, and educators alike. Illustrated with hundreds of beautiful full-color photos and maps, this unique guide combines an introduction to late 19th-century art history with reproductions of famous impressionist masterpieces, walking tours, and detailed listings of the city's art-related sites. It provides a complete background course on impressionism, with comprehensive biographies and engaging essays about the movement; listings for 150 must-see impressionist paintings in Paris with the stories behind the art; easy-to-follow tours of where the artists lived and found inspiration; and an extended-travel journey through the French countryside, exploring Normandy and the quaint Paris suburbs.

On August 21, 1911, Leonardo da Vinci’s most celebrated painting vanished from the Louvre. The prime suspects were as shocking as the crime: Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire, young provocateurs of a new art. The sensational disappearing act captured the world’s imagination. Crowds stood in line to view the empty space on the museum wall. Thousands more waited, as concerned as if Mona Lisa were a missing person, for news of the lost painting. Almost a century later, questions still linger: Who really pinched Mona Lisa, and why? Part love story, part mystery, Vanished Smile reopens the puzzling case that transformed a Renaissance portrait into the most enduring icon of all time.