One of the best-loved artists of the 20th century, Marc Chagall (1887-1985) is paradoxically one of the least understood. He did much to encourage an image of himself as an entirely intuitive genius, but although his work seems naive in style and iconography, he was in fact a complex and sophisticated individual.

In the 1320's AD the Emperor Constantine moved the capital of his Empire from Rome to Byzantium, which was renamed Conatantinople, and until its fall in 1453 remained a major artistic centre. Under successive emperors and empresses for more than a thousand years, artists, archtects and craftsmen produced superb and intriguing works ranging fom the grandest public buildings to the smallest and most personal items. Today this art is generally termed early Christian and Byzantine.

In the years following the revelations of the Prophet Muhammad in the early seventh century AD, the new religion of Islam spread rapidly through Arabia to North Africa and Spain in the west and Cental Asia and India in the east. Through the following 1000 years, artists and craftsmen in the areas influenced by Islam produced some of the world's most beautiful works of art: from the Albrahmra to the Taj Mahal, from illuminated copies of the Koran to exquisite decorative arts: ceramics, textiles and metalwork.

Few artists have been so directly invoved in the events of their time as Gustave Courbert. Amid the social transformations of the mid-19th century, Courberts unconventional and stark paintings came to embody values with radical political implications.

This account of Greek art (c3000-c100BC) sets the formation of the Classical style in its historical context. The paticular social, political and religious factors involved in the patronage of buildings, sculpture and paintings are explored.

The Art & Ideas series offers introductory books on all aspects of the history of art. Each book is written by an outstanding expert in the field, in an accessible and lively style. Completely up-to-date and comprehensive, these books are essential reading for students and rewarding for anyone curious about art.

Romanticism was 'a way of feeling' rather than a style in art. In the period c. 1775-1830, against the background of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, European artists, together with poets and composers, initiated their own rebellion against the dominant political,...

This is a study of Francisco Goya (1746-1828), the Spanish painter and graphic artist whose work ranges from elegant and opulent royal portraits to dark depictions of horror and evil.

A survey of the life and times of Rembrandt van Rijn, one of the most famous and well-loved artists. From his precocious early work in his native Leyden to his emotional late work and his immense artistic influence, Rembrandt's life is traced within the context of the Netherlands in the 17th century, the highly literate and cosmopolitan environment of Amsterdam and Rembrandt's wealthy and influential patrons.

An exploration of a highly innovative and exciting period of art following the careers of artists such as Van Eyck, Durer and Holbein. Jeffrey Chipps Smith analyses the context of the time, such as the Protestant Reformation and the discovery of the Americas. He offers the reader an insight into domestic, civic and court life illustrated by some of the most exquisite artworks ever created. In the years from 1380 to 1580 northern Europe witnessed a period of artistic innovation as dynamic as contemporary developments in Italy. Stimulated by the atmosphere of intellectual curiosity about the...