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[Part 5/6] Expressionism: Make Love, Not War
When war broke out in Europe in the summer of 1914, four years of battle and years more of devastating crises lay ahead. One of Marc’s paintings that articulates a grim anticipation of war and foresees its origins in South-Eastern Europe was Das arme Land Tirol (The Unfortunate Land of Tirol) of 1913. In the same year he painted a pack of wolves and subtitled the work Balkankrieg (Balkan War). Ernst Barlach sculpted a furious, hurtling avenging angel just as the hostilities commenced. Yet in spite of a tide of apocalyptic prophecies, few could imagine the cold reality of modern, technological warfare, in “this endless, loveless war” as Marc was…
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Book: Gustav Klimt
BOOK: GUSTAV KLIMT Gustav Klimt first made himself known by the decorations he executed (with his brother and their art school companion F. Matsch), for numerous theatres and above all (on his own this time) for the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where he completed, in a coolly photographic style, the work begun by Makart. At the age of thirty he moved into his own studio and turned to easel painting. At thirty-five he was one of the founders of the Vienna Secession; he withdrew eight years later, dismayed by the increasingly strong trend towards naturalism SPECIFICATIONS Author: Jane Rogoyska & Patrick Bade Mega Square collection, 145 x 162 mm /…
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Book: The Viennese Secession
BOOK: VIENNESE SECESSION Symbol of a forecasted revolution, the Viennese Secession possesses within itself the dissidence of about twenty talented artists against the conservative academicism which petrified Vienna and the whole Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time. Influenced by the Art Nouveau, the Secession, created in 1897 by Klimt, Moll and Hoffmann, was not an anonymous artistic revolution among so many others. Dissenting in essence, defining itself as an “art total”, without any political or commercial constraint, this movement resembles more the philosophy that the ideological turmoil affected the craftsmen, architects, graphic artists and designers. Turning aside from the established art to dive into the generous and decorative shapes of Flora…
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Book on Gauguin
THE BOOK: GAUGUIN Gauguin invites the reader to follow the visionary painter Paul Gauguin from France to exotic Tahiti, guided by his colourful masterpieces. Featuring a collection of both iconic and less well-known works by this influential artist, this book highlights Gauguin’s famously erotic, primitive style and use of vivid colours. For a fan of the artist or someone who has yet to discover Gauguin’s work. BOOK SPECIFICATIONS Author: Jp. A. Calosse Mega Square collection, 145 x 162 mm / 5.7 x 6.4 in., 256 pages, c. 120 illustrations. Hardcover with dust jacket. ISBN 9781844845927 Price: 9.95 EUR / $12.95 US HOW TO ORDER THE BOOK: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Gauguin-Square-Collect…/…/ref=sr_1_2… Amazon…
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Book on Cezanne
THE BOOK: CEZANNE Discover the work of Paul Cézanne, whose exploration of technique and form defined the Post-Impressionism movement in painting and set the artistic stage for the advent of Cubism. His bold use of strong colours influenced artists for generations to come and continues to surprise and delight us today. Mega Square offers a compact guide to this important French painter – the perfect gift for any art enthusiast. SPECIFICATIONS Author: Nathalia Brodskaya Mega Square collection, 145 x 162 mm / 5.7 x 6.4 in., 256 pages, c. 120 illustrations. Hardcover with dust jacket. ISBN 9781844845927 Price: 9.95 EUR / $12.95 US HOW TO ORDER THE BOOK: Amazon US:…
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[Part 4/6] The Bridge Die Brücke, le pont – Bridging Two Worlds
An important early statement of intent came in 1906. In the catalogue to their first group exhibition, held in Löbtau, Dresden, they issued their rallying cry. This was in the form of a founding “manifesto” of the Künstlergruppe Brücke (Bridge Artists’ Group). Printed in stylized, quasi-primitive lettering, the text reads: WITH FAITH IN DEVELOPMENT AND IN A NEW GENERATION OF CREATORS AND APPRECIATORS, WE CALL TOGETHER ALL YOUTH. AS YOUTH, WE CARRY THE FUTURE AND WANT TO CREATE FOR OURSELVES FREEDOM OF LIFE AND OF MOVEMENT AGAINST THE LONG-ESTABLISHED OLDER FORCES. EVERYONE WHO WITH IMMEDIACY AND AUTHENTICITY CONVEYS THAT WHICH DRIVES HIM TO CREATE BELONGS WITH US. The “drive” to…
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Book on Van Gogh
BOOK: VAN GOGH This book offers new insight into Van Gogh’s universe. The analysis flows chronologically, presenting both the works and the letters from each period of Van Gogh’s work to the reader. This unique slipcase also boasts a unique price – defying competition. SPECIFICATIONS Author: Vincent van Gogh Mega Square collection, 145 x 162 mm / 5.7 x 6.4 in., 256 pages, c. 120 illustrations. Hardcover with dust jacket. ISBN 9781844845927 Price: 9.95 EUR / $12.95 US HOW TO ORDER THE BOOK: Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-V…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Van-Gogh-Mega-Squar…/…/ref=sr_1_14… Amazon Germany: https://www.amazon.de/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-Vi…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon Italy: https://www.amazon.it/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-Vi…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon Japan: https://www.amazon.co.jp/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon India: https://www.amazon.in/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-Vi…/…/B00IODLN7O… Amazon Mexico: https://www.amazon.com.mx/Van-Gogh-Mega-Squar…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-Vi…/…/ref=sr_1_1… Amazon Spain: https://www.amazon.es/Van-Gogh-Mega-Square-Vi…/…/ref=sr_1_1……
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Book on Seurat
BOOK: SEURAT Universally celebrated for the intricacy of his pointillist canvases, Georges Seurat (1859-1891) was a painter whose stunning union of art and science produced uniquely compelling results. Seurat’s intricate paintings could take years to complete, with the magnificent results impressing the viewer with both their scientific complexity and visual impact. His Un Dimanche Après-Midi à l’Île de la Grande Jatte (Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grand Jatte) has held its place among the most treasured and distinguished pieces of 20th-century art. Klaus H. Carl offers readers an intriguing glimpse into the detailed scientific technique behind Seurat’s pointillist masterpieces. SPECIFICATIONS Author: Lucie Cousturier Mega Square collection, 145 x 162…
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[Part 3/6] Expressionism: The Revolution of Woman: Rosa Luxemburg, Paula Modersohn, Käthe Kollwitz…
At the beginning of the twentieth century, two of Germany’s most distinctive and original artists were women: Paula Modersohn-Becker and Käthe Kollwitz. Kollwitz had a long, prolific career that lasted from the 1890s until her death – just days before the end of the Second World War – well after Expressionism’s demise. Like Munch, her work often deals with profound emotion, birth, suffering and death. But it is otherwise very different. His work emerged from a Symbolist, bohemian milieu, pungent with sex and decadence, on the one hand, and a highly personal, subjective sensitivity to the natural sublime on the other. Hers came from a Realist tradition of humane socio-political…
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[Part 2/6] Expressionism: The Battle of Emotions
The era of German Expressionism was finally extinguished by the Nazi dictatorship in 1933. But its most incandescent phase of 1910-1920 left a legacy that has caused reverberations ever since. It was a period of intellectual adventure, passionate idealism, and deep yearnings for spiritual renewal. Increasingly, as some artists recognized the political danger of Expressionism’s characteristic inwardness, they became more committed to exploring its potential for political engagement or wider social reform. But utopian aspirations and the high stakes involved in ascribing a redemptive function to art meant that Expressionism also bore an immense potential for despair, disillusionment and atrophy. Along with works of profound poignancy, it also produced a…
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