The Final Painting: The Last Works of the Great Masters, from Van Eyck to Picasso

- A selection of the last paintings of 30 of the greatest artists - Not the last painting - as that is often uncertain - but several carefully selected works these artists have made close the end of their lives - 30 intriguing and compelling artist biographies - Includes a wide range of artists, from Giotto and Van Eyck, to Kahlo, Hopper and Picasso - Includes interesting biographical information, fragments from rarely seen letters and testimonials An intense focus on the late and final work of great painters has become a striking trend in recent years. Exhibitions have been devoted to 'the Late' Raphael, Tintoretto, Rembrandt, Goya, Turner, Manet, Gauguin, Monet, Matisse and Pollock and fresh research has been carried out into the work these artists produced in the twilight of their careers. This has led in many cases to surprising discoveries and a renewed appreciation of the late work. The Final Painting collects these fresh insights into 30 of the world's greatest painters and their last works in a highly readable book, beginning with Jan van Eyck and ending with Pablo Picasso. Besides the painters mentioned already, it includes Bellini, Titian, Caravaggio, El Greco, Rubens, Artemisia Gentileschi, Cézanne, Klimt, Renoir, Modigliani, Munch, Mondrian, Kahlo and Hopper. Persistent myths and clichés are challenged: Van Gogh was not the solitary figure as so often suggested: the story behind Raphael's celebrated La Fornarina was made up in the 19th century; the elderly Tintoretto did not paint many of his huge late canvases single-handedly; and Manet's last works are much more than the paintings of a terminal patient.

Author: Patrick de Rynck
Publisher: Ludion Publishers
Published: 07/31/2023
Pages: 224
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 2.35lbs
Size: 11.18h x 8.03w x 0.94d
ISBN: 9789464781014

About the Author
Patrick De Rynck (1963) is the author of two highly successful and widely translated volumes in the series The Art of Looking, and has worked for years on behalf of numerous museums, mostly writing on painting and ancient Greek and Roman themes. He is the author and translator of around 30 books dealing with antiquity, heritage and painting.