| Chapter 1 - "The Snail" by Henri Matisse |
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THE TITLE
At first glance this painting appears totally abstract and although we see no definition of “The Snail”, the shapes in the centre of the painting form a spiral which represents the shell of a snail.
THE TECHNIQUE
Matisse painted the exact colours he wanted, in gouache, on pieces of paper. These cut-outs were then arranged on a white background.
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| Chapter 2 - "Still Life with Plaster Cast" by Paul Cezanne |
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THE TITLE
Still Life with Plaster Cast portrays a composition of objects painted tirelessly with passionate dedication
THE COLOUR
Cezanne used a limited palette of earthy primary and secondary colours. Complimentary colours give contrast (red with green; blue with orange).
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| Chapter 3 - "Portrait of Jeanne Hebuterne" by Amadeo Modigliani |
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THE TITLE
Portrait of a Woman in a Hat, Jeanne Hebuterne was Modigliani's devoted mistress. Although she had to endure much pain and humiliation during their life together, when Modigliani died, she ended her life by jumping out of a window.
THE FEATURES
The small bow mouth, elongated nose and almond shaped hollow eyes are significant features in Modigliani's portraits. The absence of detail represents blank mystery.
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| Chapter 4 - "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt |
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THE TITLE
The Kiss shows a man and a woman in a deep embrace - together and united to the Earth.
THE FEATURES
A mixed media painting inspired by mosaics seen in Byzantine Italian churches. Klimt chose rich gold and vibrant colours.
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| Chapter 5 - "Purple Petunias" by Georgia O'Keeffe |
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THE TITLE
O'Keeffe portrays the flowers, Purple Petunias, close-up and over-sized.
THE COLOUR AND COMPOSITION
O'Keeffe uses a limited palette of intense pinks, purples and blues and portrays the magnified flowers in a semi abstract, yet distinguishable style.
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| Chapter 6 - "Blue Poles" by Jackson Pollock |
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THE TITLE
Blue Poles was one of Pollock's last works, entitled because he dipped pieces of wood into blue paint and pressed them on to the canvas leaving imprints.
THE TECHNIQUE
Pollock laid the canvas on the floor and stood over it from all angles. He dripped paint on to the surface using sticks and hard brushes and squirted paint from syringes.
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| Chapter 7 - "Girl with Beret" by Lucian Freud |
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THE TITLE
Girl with Beret portrays a defenceless young girl, her pose slightly awkward.
THE FEATURES
Freud's drawing skills and attention to detail are evident, especially around the eyes that appear as translucent deep pools.
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| Chapter 8 - "Sky and Water II" by M C Escher |
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THE TITLE
Although sky and water cannot be seen, we associate flying birds with the sky and swimming fish with water, hence the title.
THE COMPOSITION
Escher depicts a series of fish and birds in direct and mirror images. The black birds in the sky are each formed by four white fish surrounding them and similarly, white fish in the sea are each formed by four black birds surrounding them.
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| Chapter 9 - "As I Opened Fire" by Roy Lichtenstein |
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THE TITLE
Lichtenstein used the first four words "As I Opened Fire", written on the first panel for the title of his painting.
THE COLOUR
Lichtenstein used primary colours with strong black outlines. Tints of colour are created by the use of Ben-Day dots.
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| Chapter 10 - "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso |
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THE TITLE
Guernica portrays the distruction of the Basque capital of Guernica during the Spanish Civil War.
THE TECHNIQUE
Picasso developed the Cubist style. Images were portrayed as simplified shapes. There was no illusion of three dimensions or sense of perspective.
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