The story of St. Francis of Assisi

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[by] Phoebe Stanton. Pref. by Nikolaus Pevsner

The most important exponent of the Gothic Revival in English architecture was Augustus Welby Pugin, who in a short working period, from 1835 until his death in 1852, designed more than a hundred buildings, wrote eight books, and established a flourishing business for the production of metalwork and stained glass. Pugin, a Catholic convert, who equated Gothic architecture with Christianity, expressed his profound religious convictions in his writings and in the building of such churches as St Giles, Cheadle, and St Barnabas, Nottingham. He also designed convents, monasteries, schools, and houses, but is perhaps best known for his superb decorations for the Houses of Parliament. Pugin was well ahead of his time in his advocacy of purity and function in architectural design, but his single-minded assertive perfectionism and fidelity to medieval style earned him many contemporary attacks. This authoritative study by Phoebe Stanton, Associate Professor of the History of Art at The Johns Hopkins University, constitutes an exhaustive and perceptive re-assessment of Pugin's status.

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Henry Adams

Henry Adams referred to this book as "A Study of Thirteenth-Century Unity," and its expansive scope, together with the author's deep understanding of the period, makes it a classic in art history as well as in American literature. He wrote, "I wanted to show the intensity of the vital energy of a given time, and of course that intensity had to be stated in its two highest terms--religion and art." Henry Adams' record of his journeys through France, searching for images of unity in an age of conflict, is accompanied by observations on literature, politics, religion, and major church leaders such as Abelard, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Thomas Aquinas.

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Roberto Longhi

This book tells the story of Italian Renaissance master Piero della Francesca (1411/13-1492) by focusing on four paintings he created over the span of his career. It also provides the first study of his small-scale devotional paintings, including the exquisite 'Saint Jerome and a Donor'. One of today's most prominent scholars narrates the painting's mysterious history and uncovers new insights gleaned during its recent study and restoration. The author explores the relationship between this painting and other works made by Piero for private devotion, including one of his last and most striking paintings, the magnificent 'Madonna di Senigallia'. New research describes the complex relationships between Piero and his patrons and other contemporaries. This book brims with revelatory details about Piero's work that will intrigue both casual readers and devoted fans of the artist, and will form a gateway to a larger analysis of Piero's overall body of work.0Exhibition: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA (13.1.-30.3.2014).

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Enrica Crispino

Traces the brief and troubled life of van Gogh: his birth in a Dutch village, his travels in Belgium and England, his arrival in Impressionist Paris and his discovery of the delights of the south of France, where he died at 37. Shows how, in spite of suffering mental crises and inner turmoil, van Gogh always continued to search for ways of painting that expressed the true essence of his subjects.