Overview

Most of the paintings in the National Gallery have details that might not immediately catch your eye, and we are used to the pleasure of finding an unexpected detail in the corner of a picture we know well. But some of the paintings have details that are actually invisible to the naked eye - or so tiny that it is difficult to appreciate the minute, masterly brush strokes that made them. You might notice a gem sparkling on a ring, but you would not, and never could, see how Raphael convinced you that light was reflecting from the emerald. This unique publication uses macrophotographs - taken at high magnification through a microscope - to reveal paintings in extraordinary detail. For the first time, these often stunning pictures are reproduced here as works of art in their own right. Highlighting the technical accomplishment of Renaissance panel painting, the illustrations are grouped thematically, including sections devoted to the body, background and landscape details, surfaces (such as mirrors and gems), and technique. The complete paintings (by Lucas Cranach, Jan van Eyck, Andrea Mantegna and Raphael, among others) are reproduced at the back of the book, together with a brief biography of each artist.

Full Product Details

9781857093810

Table of Contents

Reviews

For painter, art lover, or the simply curious . . . A beautiful little treasure. -- Art Times <p>

Author Information

Jill Dunkerton is Restorer at the National Gallery, London; Rachel Billinge is Rausing Research Associate in the National Gallery's Conservation Department.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available