The Illustrated Decoder of Symbols and Figures in Western Painting.
Middle Ages, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The great artists have created intriguing worlds of the imagination whose features may mystify the modern viewer. What stories are being told in these glorious pictures? Who are the characters that inhabit them? What are the deeper meanings that lie beyond what is evident to the untrained eye?
In 'The Secret Language Of Art', Sarah Carr-Gomm, teacher and art historian, provides a fascinating guide to the key figures, themes, events, symbols and emblems that form the subject matter of Western painting. Strikingly illustrated with 75 great works and more than 75 telling details, the book spans seven centuries of creativity - from works produced in medieval times to masterpieces of the twentieth century.
The book is divided by theme into five chapters: Classical Myth and Legend; The Bible and the Life of Christ; Saints and their Miracles; History, Literature and the Arts; and Symbols and Allegories.
Each chapter opens with a collection of some of the most famous paintings in Western art, each reproduced in colour, and accompanied by an illuminating commentary and an analysis of its most significant figures and symbols. The second part of each chapter comprises a thematic directory of figures and symbols, interspersed with illustrated feature panels on key subjects - all fully cross-referenced.
The ideal companion for all art lovers, gallery goers and students of art history, 'The Secret Language Of Art' brings Western painting to life in a new way - with the emphasis on making art more enjoyable by bringing us to an understanding of its core repertoire of themes. As Sarah Carr-Gomm leads us through the labyrinth of artistic figures and symbols, we gain from her a wealth of insight and a wealth of stories.
