Description
Book SynopsisWhat makes a work of art a masterpiece? Discover the answers in the fascinating stories of how these artworks came to be and the circumstances of their long-lasting impact on the world. Beginning with
Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, we travel through time and a range of styles and stories – including
theft, scandal, artistic reputation, politics and power – to
Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, challenging the idea of what a masterpiece can be, and arriving in the twenty-first century with
Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama, a modern-day masterpiece still to be tested by time.
Each artwork has a tale that reveals making a masterpiece often involves much more than just a demonstration of artistic skill: their path to fame is only fully disclosed by looking beyond what the eye can see. Rather than trying to describe the elements of greatness, Making a Masterpiece takes a
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Birth of Venus Sandro Botticelli
Mona Lisa Leonardo da Vinci
Judith Beheading Holofernes Artemisia Gentileschi
Girl with a Pearl Earring Johannes Vermeer
The Great Wave Katsushika Hokusai
Fifteen Sunflowers Vincent van Gogh
Woman in Gold Gustav Klimt
American Gothic Grant Wood
Guernica Pablo Picasso
Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
Frida Kahlo
Campbell’s Soup Cans Andy Warhol
Michelle Obama Amy Sherald
Endnotes
Select Bibliography
Index
Picture Credits
Acknowledgements
About the Author
