The underlying social and moral implications of industrialization and the advent of mass consumption in the second half of the century incited the need of the avant-garde to define the Modern Era with their imagery. One of the key works for this is Manet's Olympia which includes a black cat at her feet. This deciphering of the symbolic meaning of the modern image of the cat focuses primarily on the works of Baudelaire and Manet.

Study on the various manifestations and social significance in art, literature, society, and politics of the popular 19th century French icon, "M. Mayeux", the imaginary hunchback dwarf, who became a symbol and voice for the lower class population during the July Monarchy. Menon further discusses how adaptations of the Mayeux "type", both as critic and scapegoat, by various artists, authors, and media were used for purposes of education, rebellion, and entertainment.

Here approximately two hundred works by French and Spanish artists chart the development of this cultural influence and map a fascinating shift in the paradigm of painting, from Idealism to Realism, from Italy to Spain, from Renaissance to Baroque. Above all, these images demonstrate how direct contact with Spanish painting fired the imagination of nineteenth-century French artists and brought about the triumph of Realism in the 1860s, and with it a foundation for modern art."--BOOK JACKET.

This survey sets state, civic, commercial, church, private and other murals in their historical and cultural contexts. The book covers work by over 400 artists and numerous murals never previously documented or illustrated.

"The art of the Dutch republic in the seventeenth century includes some of the most familiar and best-loved examples of European painting: exquisite still-life studies, tranquil interiors, robust portraits and rowdy tavern scenes. In this account, Mariet Westermann describes this art as it was experienced by the people of the period and as it appears to us today. She examines the major themes of Dutch art, including the growth and expression of national identity, the celebration and examination of the individual through portraiture, and the changing status of artists themselves."--BOOK JACKET.

An original interpretation of Impressionism and nineteenth-century art and culture by a noted feminist art historian. This book is a pioneering reading of Impressionism from a feminist perspective by a noted art historian. Norma Broude analyzes the philosophical underpinnings of landscape painting in the late nineteenth century discussing the crit

The sixth volume of the annual publication of the Institute for Contemporary Jewry at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Art and Its Uses analyzes the levels of meaning present in a wide range of visual images, from high art by Jewish artists to Judaica, caricatures, and political propaganda. The use of such material to illuminate aspects of modern history and society is rather uncommon in the field of modern Jewish studies; these essays provide the tools necessary for understanding the image in its proper social and political context. The distinguished contributors include Richard I. Cohen, Michael Berkowitz, Milly Heyd, Irit Rogoff, Chone Shmeruk, Ziva Amishai-Maisels, Vivianne Barsky, and Vivian Mann. Accompanied by more than 160 illustrations, the essays shed new light on such topics as Jewish nationalism, Jewish identity, and Jewish-gentile relations. In addition to the symposium, the volume contains articles by major scholars of contemporary Jewish studies, a substantial book review section, and a list of recent dissertations in the field.

"Drawing on scientific studies of pigments and materials, artists' treatises, colourmen's archives, and contemporary and modern accounts, Anthea Callen demonstrates how raw materials and paintings are profoundly interdependent. She analyses the material constituents of oil painting and the complex processes of 'making' entailed in all aspects of artistic production, discussing in particular oil painting methods for landscapists and the impact of plein air light on figure painting, studio practice and display. Insisting that the meanings of paintings are constituted by and within the cultural matrices that produced them, Callen argues that the real 'modernity' of the Impressionist enterprise lies in the painters' material practices."--BOOK JACKET.