Synopsis:
France holds some of the most remarkable and well-known collections of art in the world. This thorough and accessible guide covers every possible epoch, taking travellers on a guided journey through centuries of wonderful paintings, architecture, and sculpture. Concentrating on the great art movements that originated in France, it begins with the cathedrals of the Middle Ages and then moves on to the enormously popular painting of the 19th-century Impressionists and those who followed them. The French have also collected a great deal of art from other countries. Like the Impressionists' work, most of these collections are in museums in Paris. In a series of art trails - itineraries that cover the most important works in the country - travellers are taken on tours of the best art in France. Written in a friendly, informative style, it is designed for the traveller who is serious-but not stuffy-about art. Not only does it give specialised coverage of art in France, it will also save the visitor the expense of purchasing numerous gallery guides. The guide features: - Coverage of the background of French art and its cultural context - Brief biographies of individual artists - Expert knowledge presented in a friendly, informative style - Details and descriptions of the outstanding pieces at every site - Interesting critical descriptions of works and explanations of technical terms - Maps highlighting places to visit, including intercity routes - Diagrams and drawings
Review:
Travelers in Europe who are there specifically to look at the art--and even those who just stumble upon such treasures as Notre Dame de Paris--will see things they never saw before and learn more about things they already knew existed, with this delightful guidebook to the art and architecture of France... Here they offer a great deal of information in an entertaining style... then goes on to tell, in minute detail, just about everything that an art-loving traveller can expect to see...The authors' attention to detail is extreme, and they include dates and possible inspirations throughout... Several glorious colour photographs accompany all the descriptions of the art... Any traveller accompanied by this book will come away wiser for it. --ForeWord Magazine
A succinct guide for travellers who are serious but not stuffy about art... beautifully color illustrated pocket guides to the art held in museums, churches and galleries. Serious, informative, but unpretentious commentary guides the reader along a series of trails for art travelers that cover the most important paintings and sculptures. --Books News
Both of these amply illustrated and excellent little guidebooks are jam-packed with where to go, what to see, and in what social/political contexts you might find the most important works of art in Italy and France. All this information at bargain prices you ought not to pass up. --Art News (on Art for Travellers France and Italy)
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