Fragonard


Book Description

One of the most forward-looking artists of the eighteenth century, Jean Honoré Fragonard (1732–1806) was a virtuoso draftsman whose works on paper count among the great achievements of his time. This book showcases Fragonard's mastery and experimentation in a range of media, from vivid red chalk to luminous brown wash, as well as etching, watercolor, and gouache. With essays that focus on the role of drawing in his creative process and provide a modern reevaluation of his graphic work, the book offers fresh perspectives on this innovative and independent artist, who began his career in the Rococo era but lived through and adapted to changing times in France, and who chose to leave the more defined path of official patronage in order to work for private clients. Unlike many earlier painters who used drawings primarily as preparatory tools, Fragonard explored their potential as works of art in their own right, ones that permitted him to work with great freedom and allowed his genius to shine. The 100 featured works come from New York collections, public and private, balancing a mix of well-loved masterpieces, new discoveries, and works that have long been out of the public eye. Fragonard: Drawing Triumphant illuminates the approach of a ceaselessly inventive artist whose draftsmanship was at the core of his remarkable body of work.







Watteau, Music, and Theater


Book Description

"Accompanying an exhibition in honor of Philippe de Montebello, Director Emeritus of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this engaging book examines the influence of music and theater on the art of Jean-Antoine Watteau (1684-1721). Fifteen major paintings and a number of drawings by Watteau that illustrate the connections between painting and the performing arts in Paris are explored. In addition, drawings and prints by other 18th-century artists featuring musical or theatrical subjects and objects and musical instruments are included."--Publisher description.







Daumier Drawings


Book Description

By combining Daumier's drawings with selected examples of his paintings, prints, and bronzes, this book traces the evolution of the artist's succinct and emphatically expressive style from its roots in the European tradition exemplified by Rembrandt, Rubens, and Fragonard to its modern manifestations in the works of Degas, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, and Beckmann. In the course of his long and productive career Daumier returned again and again to favorite themes, often after considerable lapses of time. Thus the works here are grouped by their subject matter into six sections: studies of individual figures and faces; narrative scenes inspired by history or literature; views of contemporary urban and domestic life; dramatic portrayals of lawyers in court; depictions of street performers; and episodes in the wanderings of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.




Extravagant Inventions


Book Description

Catalogue published in conjunction with the exhibition "Extravagant Inventions: the Princely Furniture of the Roentgens" on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, from October 30, 2102, through January 27, 2013.




The Renaissance in Italy and Spain


Book Description

"This volume presents a full range of artistic endeavor from the first awakenings of the Renaissance spirit in the works of Berlinghiero, Giotto, and Pisano, to the climactic creations of Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo, Titian, and Veronese- the masters of the High Renaissance. The artists of Italy and Spain worked in every medium, all of which are represented in this volume: paintings, drawings, and prints; sculpture in stone, wood, and terra-cotta; glass, metal, and porcelain; furniture and musical instrument; costumes and armor."--Page 2 of cover.




Rooms with a View


Book Description

Catalog of an exhibition held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, April 5-July 4, 2011.




Fifteenth- to Eighteenth-century European Drawings


Book Description

"Early European art was a consuming interest of both Robert Lehman and his father, Philip Lehman, an interest reflected in the remarkable number and quality of drawings they owned from the fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. In addition to an important group of early German drawings, the collection includes a "Saint Paul" from a series associated with Jan van Eyck and the famous "Scupstoel" from the circle of Rogier van der Weyden, the only design for a decorative sculpture to survive from the fifteenth century. The great artists of the seventeenth century, Peter Paul Rubens, Jacob Jordaens, Claude Lorrain, and Rembrandt among them, are also represented, Rembrandt by seven drawings, including the large study of Leonardo's "Last Supper" that would stay in his mind all through his career. Drawings by Antoine Watteau, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Gabriel de Saint-Aubin, Thomas Gainsborough, Paul Sandby, and George Romney are among the many from eighteenth-century France and England. The volume discusses all 153 drawings at length, placing each in its art historical setting and complementing the discussion with comparative illustrations of related works." This e-book on the MetPublications website is also accompanied by links to related works and under the "Additional resources"tab are links to Met works of art and Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History essays and timelines (viewed May 1, 2014).