This important addition to the understanding of masterpieces in art history examines magnified some of the world's most famous paintings, revealing the smallest and most intricate details and what they express about a bygone era, place, and culture. Authors Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen guide our gaze to the detail of subject and symbolism, allowing even the most familiar images to come to life again through their complexities.

We follow questions such as: Is the bride pregnant? Why is the man wearing a beret? How does the shadow of war affect a dance scene? We travel from Ancient Egypt to modern Europe, from the Renaissance to the Romantic Decades. We meet Greek heroes and poor German poets and wander from Cathedrals to cabaret bars, from the Garden of Eden to a bench in the French countryside. As we analyze each painting and then reassemble it like a giant puzzle, these famous canvases captivate not only with their rich details but also with the witness they bear to the fashions and trends, the people and politics, the loves and lifestyles of their time.

Pages: 664, Publication Year: 0321, Dimensions: 14x14cm