Basic Art

A key figure in the Northern RenaissanceA key figure in the Northern Renaissance, Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/8–1543) is most remembered for his religious commissions and the portraits he created during his later years in London, such as The French Ambassadors and the many paintings and drawings made of Henry VIII and his wives. His unfailing eye, vivid use of colors, and acute sense of psychological observation gave his paintings an uncommon depth and made him one of the most important German artists of his era.About the series:Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Urban loneliness: One of the greatest realists of American artEdward Hopper (1882–1967) is considered as one of the first important American painters in 20th century art. After decades of patient work

Supreme FeelingKazimir Malevich, pioneer of abstractionAfter flirtations with Realism, Impressionism, and Symbolism, Kiev-born Kazimir Malevich (1878–1935) found his métier in dissolving literal, representational figures and landscapes into pure emotionally-charged abstraction. In 1915, he created what is widely lauded as the first and ultimate abstract artwork: Black Square, a black rectangle on a white background, hailed as the “zero point of painting,” a seminal moment for modern and abstract practice.In this book, we follow Malevich’s key innovations and ideas and place his groundbreaking achievements within the context of both the Russian and global avant-garde. Through rich illustrations of his work, we explore the artist’s theory of Suprematism, based on severe geometric abstraction and “the supremacy of pure feeling in creative art”; his leading role in the development of Constructivism; as well as his interests in philosophy, literature, Russian folk art, and the fourth dimens

Painting with scissorsHow Matisse bowed out in a riot of colorful shapes and patternsHenri Matisse (1869–1954) was a fighting spirit. Despite a cancer diagnosis in 1941, increasing frailty and the con

La belle vie: Impressionism’s most joyful paintingsPierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) is universally acclaimed and celebrated: museums pride themselves on his paintings, crowds flock to his retrospecti