{"title":"Books by Norbert Wolf","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9783836560719","title":"Friedrich","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe beauty of nature and man’s loneliness are dominant themes in the work of \u003cstrong\u003eCaspar David Friedrich\u003c\/strong\u003e (1774-1840). The artist often places a small human figure in a broad landscape, as in his famous paintings \u003cem\u003eMonk by the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Wanderer above the Sea of Fog\u003c\/em\u003e. For a long time the importance and influence of this great Romantic painter were underestimated. When he died, Friedrich had already been forgotten by his contemporaries and was only rediscovered in the early 20th century. Today he is considered to be the \u003cstrong\u003emost important German painter of his generation\u003c\/strong\u003e and a precursor of Expressionism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Once Friedrich gave the following advice to an artist-colleague of his who was constricted by academic rules: “Shut your physical eye so that you first see your painting with your spiritual eye. Then bring to light what you saw in the dark so that it has an effect on others, shining inwards from outside.” In other words, concentration and not imitation, essence and not frivolous brushwork.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43127910498482,"sku":"9783836560719","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836560719_f121cfb1-2f1a-404c-a64e-eebd313b591f.jpg?v=1786032097"},{"product_id":"9783836530811","title":"Dürer","description":"\u003cp\u003eA polymath of the German Renaissance, \u003cstrong\u003eAlbrecht Dürer\u003c\/strong\u003e (1471–1528) was a prolific artist, theorist, and writer whose works explored everything from religion to art theory to philosophy. His vast body of work includes altarpieces, portraits, self-portraits, watercolors, and books, but is most celebrated for its astonishing collection of woodcut prints, which \u003cstrong\u003etransformed printmaking from an artisan practice into a whole new art form. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDürer’s woodcuts astonish in scale as much as detail.\u003c\/strong\u003e Through works such as \u003cem\u003eApocalypse \u003c\/em\u003eand the \u003cem\u003eTriumphal Arch for Emperor Maximilian I, \u003c\/em\u003ehe created dense, meticulous compositions that were much larger, much more finely cut, and far more complex than any earlier woodcut efforts. With an ambitious tonal and dynamic range, he introduced a \u003cstrong\u003enew level of conceptual, emotional, and spiritual intensity\u003c\/strong\u003e. His two major woodcut series on Christ’s Passion, named \u003cem\u003eThe Large Passion\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eThe Small Passion\u003c\/em\u003e after their size, are particularly remarkable for their vivid human treatment of the Christian narrative. In his copper engraving, \u003cem\u003eMelancholia I\u003c\/em\u003e, meanwhile, Dürer created a \u003cstrong\u003estartling vision of emotional ennui\u003c\/strong\u003e, often cited as a defining early image of a depressive or melancholic state.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Ever inquisitive, Dürer absorbed ideas not only from masters and fellow artists in Germany but also from Italy, while his own\u003cstrong\u003e influence extended across Europe for generations to come\u003c\/strong\u003e. In this essential TASCHEN introduction, we explore this pioneering figure’s complex practice, his omnivorous intellect, and the key works which shaped his enduring legacy.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43127916069042,"sku":"9783836530811","price":18.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783836530811_aac3ed50-3861-4697-8024-acff28e0c430.jpg?v=1786035176"},{"product_id":"9783791383453","title":"Albrecht Dürer","description":"Now available in a new edition, this lavishly illustrated volume draws on the latest research to present an exciting new interpretation of Albrecht Du\u0026amp;#776;rer, both as a man and as an artist. Albrecht Du\u0026amp;#776;rer’s prints and drawings have inspired hundreds of artists, both during his life and after his death. Yet his talent as a painter and colorist, and his enthusiasm for the scientific world have not been widely appreciated. Du\u0026amp;#776;rer’s influence was both international and intergenerational—indeed Picasso claimed to have been inspired by the 16th-century artist. Reproduced in stunning detail and including illustrations of Du\u0026amp;#776;rer’s most famous prints and drawings, a catalog raisonne\u0026amp;#769; of his paintings, and biographical research, this book presents a Du\u0026amp;#776;rer for the 21st century. Producing more self-portraits than any other artist of his day; mass marketing his best-selling prints; even inventing his own monogram logo; Albrecht Du\u0026amp;#776;rer was commercially astute long before today’s generation of self-promoting and financially-savvy artists. There are 55 extant Du\u0026amp;#776;rer paintings, of which 17 are in dispute. Using scientific research, this book puts all arguments to bed resulting in the definitive catalog raisonne\u0026amp;#769; of the paintings. Drawing on in-depth research, this book reveals the truth behind Du\u0026amp;#776;rer and his art.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43205924061362,"sku":"9783791383453","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791383453_e05a999e-afa2-4c31-a3ab-a98e560b8f8b.jpg?v=1786031693"},{"product_id":"9783791379890","title":"Impressionism","description":"\u003cb\u003eNow available in a compact and attractively priced edition, this lavishly illustrated, multi-faceted examination of Impressionism traces the movement’s birth, development, and global impact.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the art world’s most recognizable and popular styles, Impressionism is also one of the most complex.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this sumptuous overview Norbert Wolf lends his attention to all aspects of Impressionism: its historical precursors, contemporary rivals, and the movements it inspired. Over 200 reproductions of entire works and highlighted details introduce readers to the Impressionists’ aesthetics and techniques. Wolf draws insightful parallels between these paintings and other contemporary works of music, photography, and literature. Charting the movement’s expansion from France to the rest of Europe and North America, this volume shines a spotlight on the main protagonists who were key in the development of Impressionism. It highlights not only the French pioneers — Claude Monet, Gustave Caillebotte, Édouard Manet, Pierre- Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, and others—but also Max Liebermann, Lovis Corinth, John Singer Sargent, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, and James McNeill Whistler.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthoritative and illuminating, this wide-ranging exploration of Impressionism’s astounding impact on art history will surprise even the most seasoned aficionado.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43231366054066,"sku":"9783791379890","price":39.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791379890_2a68274e-aa32-43d5-a96e-9a777c013cfa.jpg?v=1786031660"},{"product_id":"9783791379463","title":"Spanish Painting","description":"\u003cb\u003eBeautifully packaged, this lavish volume is certain to become the definitive study of one of the most significant periods in European art history.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCoinciding with the rise of the Habsburg dynasty and the expansion of the Spanish Empire, the Spanish Golden Age created a fertile environment for cultural and scientific discovery. Some of the country’s greatest music, literature, and architecture was created in the period between the mid-sixteenth and seventeenth centuries—and painting was no exception.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRich in illustrations and fascinating texts, this overview takes a thematic and chronological approach to the era and its later influences. Opening with Spain’s emergence as a European power, it explores how developments such as the construction of El Escorial ushered in a new era for painting; how the cities of Madrid, Toledo, and Seville developed as centers of intellectual, political, and artistic activity; and how the Baroque period gave way to the Rococo after the collapse of the Habsburg empire.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery major painter of the period is included here, with 250 gloriously reproduced works by El Greco, Ribera, Velázquez, Zurbarán, Murillo, Ribalta, Goya, and dozens more. A final chapter reveals how Spanish painters of the twentieth century, such as Picasso and Dalí, were shaped by their Golden Age forebears.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43231366119602,"sku":"9783791379463","price":99.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791379463_b026f6f1-de33-4b19-98d6-3502f111420d.jpg?v=1786031647"},{"product_id":"9783791381558","title":"Art Nouveau","description":"Now available in a new edition, this sumptuous volume explores key aspects of Art Nouveau—decorative arts, architecture, fashion, dance, advertising, and more—with an in-depth approach and stunning illustrations. The Art Nouveau movement became an international phenomenon at the beginning of the twentieth century that ushered in the era of modernity in almost every aspect of cultural life. For decades critics have argued that Art Nouveau was not an artistic period in its own right, but an amalgam of artists and styles that served as a bridge between neoclassicism and modernism. In this comprehensive, authoritative, and copiously illustrated book, art historian Norbert Wolf explores Art Nouveau as a logical outgrowth of the historic forces in which it arose. This book focuses on the movement's wide variety of applications and reclaims its prominence in the pantheon of modern art history. Chapters on aesthetics, spirituality, and the cult of beauty offer luminous examples of works by Mucha, Gaudí, Hoffmann, Klimt, Horta, Munch, and Tiffany, among many others. Wolf's text is both informed and accessible, providing an exciting narrative that brings the Art Nouveau movement into clear focus. Beautifully produced to appeal to a wide range of readers, this new edition gives one of the world's most popular styles the serious consideration it deserves.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309803188597,"sku":"9783791381558","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791381558_825acd58-a0dc-4c9a-aa22-54d8ab57b3f5.jpg?v=1786031680"},{"product_id":"9783836535045","title":"Kirchner","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eErnst Ludwig Kirchner \u003c\/strong\u003e(1880–1938) is regarded as one of the key figures in 20th-century European art. A Modernist to his bones, he sent seismic waves through the art world with his \u003cstrong\u003ehard-edged, intensely colored paintings\u003c\/strong\u003e and disseminated his ideas through \u003cstrong\u003eDie Brücke\u003c\/strong\u003e art movement and the MUIM-Institut school of modernist painting, both of which he cofounded.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Kirchner’s work reconciled past and present through an Expressionist prism, reflecting the latest avant-garde ideas in art, while exploring traditional academic approaches and subjects. His works tackled \u003cstrong\u003esocial, moral, and emotional questions\u003c\/strong\u003e with a fierce intensity. \u003cstrong\u003eDistorted perspectives, rough lines, and unusual colors \u003c\/strong\u003ewere mainstays of his practice, as well as a recurring interest in capturing the human form, whether in frenetic city vistas such as \u003cem\u003eBerlin Street Scene \u003c\/em\u003e(1913) or in his famously decadent studio.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this introductory book, we explore the stretch of Kirchner’s career through Germany and Switzerland, including his founding of Die Brücke, and his inclusion in the Nazis’ infamous “degenerate art” exhibition in 1937. 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Though particularly present in Germany and Austria, the movement’s approach flourished internationally and is today hailed as \u003cstrong\u003eone of the most influential shifts in art history.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e With leading groups \u003cstrong\u003eDie Brücke\u003c\/strong\u003e (The Bridge) and \u003cstrong\u003eDer Blaue Reiter \u003c\/strong\u003e(The Blue Rider), and key players such as \u003cstrong\u003eWassily Kandinsky, Egon Schiele\u003c\/strong\u003e,and\u003cstrong\u003e Emil Nolde,\u003c\/strong\u003e the Expressionists disowned Impressionism, which they regarded as “man lowered to the position of a gramophone record of the outer world”, to depict instead a \u003cstrong\u003eraw and visceral experience \u003c\/strong\u003eof life as it was felt, rather than seen on the surface. 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Each approach was distinct in aesthetic and philosophy, but all had immediate impact and enduring influence. Many great names were indelibly associated with one, some explored several during their careers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eImpressionism, led by Monet and Renoir, focused on light and color, capturing fleeting moments and challenging academic art's rigidity. Expressionism was driven by artists like Edvard Munch and Wassily Kandinsky to convey raw emotion, distorting reality to reflect the angst of human experience. Surrealists, like Salvador Dalí and René Magritte, explored the subconscious, dreams, and the irrational, blending reality with fantasy across art, literature, and film. With Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko leading the charge, Abstract Expressionism emphasized spontaneity and emotion through bold, gestural brushstrokes, and established New York as the post-war art world’s new Mecca. 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This lavish edition celebrates their stories, featuring more than 250 high-quality reproductions and texts, exploring how each movement's ideas and innovations transformed art forever.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56369511104885,"sku":"9783754401453","price":35.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783754401453_3574d06a-f247-4466-bd61-fda86e5265eb.jpg?v=1786031911"},{"product_id":"9783791393186","title":"Romanticism","description":"\u003cb\u003eThis richly illustrated volume invites readers to explore the phenomenon and fascination of Romanticism, a movement that shaped the cultural and aesthetic landscape of the nineteenth century and continues to resonate in modern consciousness.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Romantic era ignited a profound shift in the arts, celebrating imagination, emotion, and the sublime power of nature. The book offers a nuanced view of Romanticism’s revolutionary impact. It journeys through the movement’s origins in the experimental ferment of the eighteenth century, its apex in German, French, and British painting, and its later echoes across Europe and North America.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe author examines key figures such as Caspar David Friedrich, J.M.W. Turner, Eugène Delacroix, and Théodore Géricault, exploring their transformative approaches to landscape, light, and human passion. The narrative also unravels the movement’s intricate relationship with themes of melancholy, the sublime, and the spiritual reconciliation of the individual with the universal.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAcclaimed art historian Norbert Wolf illuminates Romanticism’s capacity to evoke longing, its poeticization of life through art, and its engagement with profound contradictions— an embrace of both light and shadow. By tracing the stylistic and cultural trajectories of Romantic painting, from Germany’s High Romanticism to the North American Hudson River School, he situates these works within broader artistic and intellectual traditions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFilled with breathtaking reproductions of major works, and backed by impeccable scholarship, \u003ci\u003eRomanticism\u003c\/i\u003e reveals a movement that transcended national boundaries and bridged the intersection of emotion, imagination, and the sublime.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56420249928053,"sku":"9783791393186","price":65.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791393186_de6e4682-941c-47ef-88a2-034fb96fc904.jpg?v=1786031836"},{"product_id":"art-deco","title":"Art Deco","description":"Now available in a new format, this lavishly illustrated volume explores Art Deco art and design from its origin to its present day influences. The Art Deco style is so recognizable and widespread that its original impact on the culture in which it emerged has been all but lost in the clutter of imitation. This book draws our attention back to the birth of Art Deco—a period between two devastating world wars when industrialization was flourishing, interest in archaeology was peaking, and movements such as Cubism, Constructivism, Futurism, and Modernism were turning the art world on its head. Brilliantly designed to reflect the style it celebrates, \u003ci\u003eArt Deco\u003c\/i\u003e is filled with hundreds of examples of painting, architecture, interiors, jewelry, crafts, furniture, and fashion. Author Norbert Wolf traces the chronology of the Art Deco style by looking at the politics and culture of Europe in the 1920s and early 30s and the artistic movements that paralleled its popularity. He follows Art Deco’s influence in Europe and its spread to the Americas and Asia. 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