19th-Century Art A Beginner's Guide

Munch's The Scream. Van Gogh's Starry Night. Rodin's The Thinker. Monet’s water lilies. Constable's landscapes. The nineteenth-century gave us a wealth of artistic riches so memorable in their genius that we can picture many of them at an instant. However, at the time their avant-garde nature was the cause of much controversy.

Professor Laurie Schneider Adams brings vividly to life the paintings, sculpture, photography and architecture of the period vividly with her infectious enthusiasm for art and detailed explorations of individual works. Offering fascinating biographical details and the relevant social, political and cultural context, Adams provides the reader with an understanding of both how revolutionary the works were at the time and of their enduring appeal.

Laurie Schneider Adams is Professor Emerita of Art History at John Jay College, City University of New York. She is the author of several books on art, including Art: A Beginner’s Guide, A History of Western Art, and Looking at Art, and is the editor in chief of the journal Source: Notes in the History of Art. She lives in New York City.