The paintings of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1618–1682), which depict women and children of the artist's world, as well as elegantly-handled religious subjects, constitute an extensive and appealing record of the everyday life of his times. Taking the Dulwich Picture Gallery's excellent collection of masterpieces as a starting point, this book demonstrates Murillo's far-reaching popularity and the influence he had on artists such as Thomas Gainsborough, whose 'fancy pictures' show a clear affinity with Murillo's paintings of children. It sumptuously illustrates the main artworks, while reproductions of other Murillo paintings put the master's enduring art into a historical and social context. The book also provides important new scholarship on attribution and technique, with x-ray images revealing fresh and unexpected insights into the genesis and evolution of Murillo's compositions. One piece has never before been shown in print and several of the other key works have been newly conserved – bringing them back to life in their full splendor.

Murillo: at Dulwich Picture Gallery

Arts & Photography

BRAY, XAVIER

History & Criticism

Philip Wilson Publishers

In the fall of 2003, a highly acclaimed exhibition of works by El Greco (1541--1614) was on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The show's next venue is the National Gallery, London. As this book and the landmark exhibition demonstrate, El Greco is of perennial interest to museum audiences and the general public. He was a fascinating and esteemed artist in his own time, but for nearly four hundred years he was derided, misunderstood, or simply forgotten. The book follows El Greco from his native island of Crete to Venice, Rome, Madrid, and then Toledo, the ecclesiastical capital of Spain. The artist's unique ability to assimilate different artistic techniques and approaches to religion and philosophy enabled him to develop one of the most original styles of painting in the history of European art. Despite his highly successful career, El Greco was unappreciated for centuries after his death, and the book examines how his genius came to light again in the nineteenth century. For those looking for an excellent introduction to the life and work of this great artist, El Greco is a perfect choice.

El Greco (National Gallery London Publications)

National Gallery London

In 16th- and 17th-century Spain, sculptors and painters combined their skills to depict, with astonishing realism, the great religious themes. Wooden sculptures of the saints, the Immaculate Conception, or the Passion of Christ were painstakingly carved, gessoed, and intricately painted, even embellished with glass eyes and tears and ivory teeth. Some were shockingly graphic in their depiction of Christ's sufferings; others, beautifully clothed, appeared to bring saints to glorious life. These were objects of divine inspiration to the faithful, whether displayed on altars or processed through the streets on holy days. Featuring new photography, this book reappraises the unique form of Spanish painted wooden sculpture. In addition to examining the sculptures’ religious roles, it also explores the unique creative relationship of sculptor and painter: Velazquez's teacher and father-in-law Francisco Pacheco, for example, often painted the flesh and drapery of wood carvings by the celebrated sculptor Juan Martinez Montañès, and taught a generation of students. The skill of painting these hyper-realistic sculptures was an integral part of an artist's training, enhancing his sensitivity to visual impact and physical presence—evident in paintings of the period.

The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700

De Ceballos, Alfonso Rodriguez G.

Barbour, Daphne S.

Ozone, Judy

I am the original owner of this book. Purchased from the National Gallery of Art. Cover shows a little shelfwear. Pages are clean and in excellent condition.

National Gallery

A landmark overview and analysis of Goya’s finest portraits Francisco de Goya y Lucientes (1746–1828) was one of the greatest portraitists of his time. The first large-scale book devoted to the topic, this handsome volume features portraits that shed light on Goya and his subjects, as well as on the politically turbulent and culturally dynamic era in which they lived. Whether portraying royalty, philosophers, military men, or friends, these works are memorable both for the insight they provide into the relationship between artist and sitter, and for their penetrating psychological depth. Xavier Bray traces Goya’s career from his beginnings at the Madrid court of Charles III to his final years in Bordeaux, played out against the backdrop of war with France and the social, political, and cultural shift of the Enlightenment. More than 60 remarkable portraits, including drawings and miniatures, reveal the full range of Goya’s technical and stylistic achievements, while also depicting sitters with a previously unparalleled humanity. His break with traditional, late-18th-century conventions allowed him to achieve a new modernity in portraiture that paved the way for artists such as Matisse and Picasso.

Goya: The Portraits

Individual Artists

More than forty years ago, John and Charlotte Gere, both distinguished art historians, pioneered the collecting of small-scale landscape oil sketches created by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century artists working out of doors in nature. Such paintings, created quickly to capture subtle atmospheric effects and the fleeting play of light, played a vital role in the visual training of generations of European artists. The pictures were not conceived of as finished works of art, were rarely if ever exhibited during the artists’ lifetimes, and were often kept in the studio for later consultation. This beautiful book presents the Gere collection, which today numbers some 70 works. These include paintings by Valenciennes, Frederic, Lord Leighton, and Thomas Jones, as well as by less well-known artists such as Gilles Closson and Simon Denis. While the majority were painted in Italy, there are also works by British, French, Italian, German, Belgian, and Scandinavian artists. These intimate and compelling documents of artists at work form what is perhaps the most comprehensive private collection of its kind. Christopher Riopelle is curator of nineteenth-century painting at the National Gallery, London. Xavier Bray is assistant curator at the National Gallery.

A Brush With Nature: The Gere Collection of Landscape Oil Sketches (National Gallery London Publications)

Riopelle, Christopher

Painting

The Spanish Baroque artist and printmaker, Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652), has long been celebrated for his depictions of human suffering—faces contorted in pain, mutilated bodies, sagging flesh, and deformed bodies. This new volume explores, for the first time, the theme of violence in Ribera's work to demonstrate how his images are neither the product of his supposed sadism nor the expression of a purely aesthetic interest, but rather involve a complex artistic, religious and cultural engagement in the depiction of bodily suffering, challenging visitors to look beyond the shocking imagery. Born in Játiva, Valencia, Ribera spent most of his career in Naples, southern Italy, where he influenced many Neapolitan masters including Salvator Rosa and Luca Giordano. He is often regarded as the heir to Caravaggio for his dramatic use of light and shadow, and his practice of painting directly from the live model. His prints and paintings alike had an enormous impact on the development of Baroque art all over Europe.

Ribera: Art of Violence

Payne, Edward

GILES

This is a wonderful overview of the remarkable range of dog portraits--there are no human sitters--produced over the last 250 years. It features well-known works such as Rosa Bonheur'sBrizo, (one of the best-loved portraits in The Wallace Collection), George Stubbs'Turk, Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of his two dogs Tristram and Fox, Lucian Freud's oil painting of Pluto, his pet whippet, and David Hockney's dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie. Over 50 works, arranged by theme, are drawn from major British collections, including the Royal Collection, the V & A, Tate Britain, the British Museum, and a wealth of regional museums and private collections. In addition memorabilia and souvenirs-bronzes, photos, brooches, and Faberge works, many relating to the British royals, especially Queen Victoria and her children- all evoke the sense of a cabinet of curiosities. This is a must-have for dog lovers.

Faithful and Fearless: Portraits of Dogs

•This first monograph of Pedro de Mena shows incredible details and remarkable images of the artist's hyper-realistic sculpturesPedro de Mena y Medrano (1628-1688) is the most highly regarded master of Spanish Baroque sculpture, on a par with his contemporaries, the great seventeenth-century painters Velázquez, Zurbarán and Murillo.Mena's contributions to Spanish Baroque sculpture are unsurpassed in both technical skill and expressiveness of his religious subjects. His ability to sculpt the human body was remarkable, and he excelled in creating figures and scenes for contemplation.This first monograph of Pedro de Mena shows incredible details and remarkable images of his hyper-realistic sculptures, full of passion.In addition to text by curator Xavier Bray, Pedro de Mena also features important contributions by José Luis Romeo Torres, curator of the exhibition Pedro de Mena, to be held in Málaga in 2019.

Pedro de Mena: The Spanish Bernini

Torres, Jose Luis Romero

Cannibal Publishing

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BRAY, XAVIER. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by BRAY, XAVIER

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by BRAY, XAVIER. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Murillo: at Dulwich Picture Gallery

El Greco (National Gallery London Publications)

The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700

The Sacred Made Real: Spanish Painting and Sculpture 1600-1700

Goya: The Portraits

Goya: The Portraits

A Brush With Nature: The Gere Collection of Landscape Oil Sketches (National Gallery London Publications)

Ribera: Art of Violence

Faithful and Fearless: Portraits of Dogs

Pedro de Mena: The Spanish Bernini