{"title":"Ralph Skea","description":"\u003cp\u003eRalph Skea's works delve deeply into the vibrant world of Impressionism, offering insightful perspectives on the art and lives of key figures such as Monet and Van Gogh. His books explore the nuances of artistic expression through detailed studies of iconic subjects like trees and portraits, enriching the reader's appreciation of this transformative period in art history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCombining scholarly research with accessible prose, Skea illuminates the interplay between nature and creativity in the Impressionist movement. His thoughtful analyses and vivid descriptions invite both art enthusiasts and casual readers to engage with the cultural and aesthetic significance of these enduring masterpieces.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"impressionism-by-ralph-skea-9780500294369","title":"Impressionism","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is often forgotten just how provocative Impressionist canvases seemed when they were first exhibited in 1874. The advocates of the new style rejected the established principles of art prevalent at that time in France.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eImpressionism\u003c\/em\u003e traces Impressionism's origins to its spread to America and Australia. Ralph Skea shows how Impressionist artists transformed everyday subject matter. Daringly using colour and rapid brushstrokes, the Impressionists worked out of doors, creating paintings that captured the transient effects of light and feeling.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eImpressionism's initial shock factor gradually gave way to widespread acceptance, but only now can we appreciate how profound its influence has been on modern art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362631827692,"sku":"9780500294369","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2764553482366.jpg?v=1772898669"},{"product_id":"vincents-trees-by-ralph-skea-9780500239049","title":"Vincent's Trees","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eVan Gogh felt a profound empathy with nature and considered the spiritual essence of trees to be comparable with that of human figures. \u003cem\u003eVincent's Trees\u003c\/em\u003e traces Van Gogh as a painter of trees—from his home province of North Brabant in Holland, through Paris to Provence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRalph Skea's elegant prose accompanies Van Gogh's vibrant works, which range from pencil and ink sketches to watercolours and oils. Stylistic experiments include Pointillism and compositions inspired by Japanese prints, moving towards the expressive, painterly depictions of his later work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book includes quotations from Van Gogh's letters, which convey the depth of his feeling for the landscape and the force with which it affected him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47363326968044,"sku":"9780500239049","price":36.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780500239049.jpg?v=1772920564"},{"product_id":"vincents-portraits-by-ralph-skea-9780500519660","title":"Vincent's Portraits","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDespite his posthumous fame as a painter of flowers, still-lifes, gardens, landscapes, and city scenes, during his lifetime Vincent van Gogh believed that his portraits constituted his most important works. Although as an artist he was 'touched by so many different things', he was nevertheless committed to the art of portraiture—a quality that distinguished him from his contemporaries. Van Gogh was passionate in his avoidance of bland, photographic resemblances, in the hope of capturing the essential character of his models by means of expressive colour and brushwork.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eShowcasing a dramatic set of portraits created during Van Gogh's ten-year career, \u003cem\u003eVincent's Portraits\u003c\/em\u003e reflects the strong visual impact with which the artist captured the diversity of contemporary life. In his many portraits, we can discern the artist's desire to record expressively a number of themes, from the plight of the agricultural workers in his native Brabant and the destitution of prostitutes and their children in urban Europe, to the lives of his cosmopolitan acquaintances in Paris, including café owners and art dealers. It was here that he began his remarkable sequence of self-portraits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith reference to Van Gogh's extensive correspondence, Skea elaborates how the artist perceived his chosen subjects as would a writer, and how he felt that his portraits should somehow evoke what he considered to be the spiritual underpinning of human existence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428427022572,"sku":"9780500519660","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780500519660.jpg?v=1774496761"},{"product_id":"monets-trees-by-ralph-skea-9780500239407","title":"Monet's Trees","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClaude Monet (1840-1926) once wrote, \"I perhaps owe it to flowers, that I became a painter.\" As one of the leading figures of the Impressionist movement and perhaps the most celebrated landscape painter of his age, Monet dedicated his life to capturing the subtleties of the natural world. Trees—willows enveloped in the mists of the Seine, palm trees beneath the Mediterranean sun, or poplars heavily laden with snow—became a significant motif in his work, and he used them to experiment with an extraordinary variety of tones and colours.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMonet's Trees\u003c\/em\u003e, by Ralph Skea, focuses on five different themes: Monet's earliest drawings and paintings of trees; his atmospheric use of rivers and coastlines, from the English Channel to the Italian Riviera; the fields, farmlands, and orchards of France; parks and gardens in both the city and the countryside, including his series of paintings featuring trees reflected in his water-lily pond; and his muted depictions of trees in winter. The result is a succinct and highly accessible exploration of some of the best-loved landscapes in art.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Thames and Hudson (Australia) Pty Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47995484111084,"sku":"9780500239407","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780500239407-monet-s-trees.jpg?v=1784896799"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/ralph-skea.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}