Do things always look smaller when they are further away? Can something be clearly visible but not there at all? Is it ever possible to have direct & true experience of reality? Are you totally sure? In this delightful & informative little mathematical history book Phoebe Mc Naughton takes us on a classical journey through the history of artistic perspective, showing how the eye can be tricked & confused, the brain befuddled, & the philosopher inside all of us awakened by the nature of illusion. This book about perspective is one of many art books available from the National Gallery, which include art history books, art exhibition catalogues & gift books. ...

This is one of the panels that decorated the Borgherini bedroom in Florence. They tell the life of Joseph from the Bible. The decorations also included Pontormo's ' Joseph sold to Potiphar', ' Joseph's Brothers beg for Help' & ' Joseph with Jacob in Egypt' ...

Create your own bespoke print of Diego Velázquez’s Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real) from our collection. About this painting Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real), probably 1632-7 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1846 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

The unusual splendour of the King's dress suggests that this work records a particular occasion, since he is usually depicted in more sombre clothes. He wears the badge of the Order of the Golden Fleece on a gold chain. This work was probably painted soon after Velázquez's return from Italy in 1631. It is one of the few signed paintings by the artist & the principal portrait of the King of that period. ...

King Philip IV of Spain (1605
- 1665) was the son of Philip III & Margaret of Austria. His reign saw the decline of Spanish power.
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Philippe-François, 1st Duke of Arenberg & Duke of Arschot & Croy (1625
- 1674), was an important figure at the court of Brussels.
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Create your own bespoke print of Salvator Rosa’s Philosophy from our collection. About this painting Philosophy, about 1645 © The National Gallery, London This painting joined our collection in 1933 With our custom print service, you can order your own fully customised reproduction from the National Gallery Collection & exhibitions. Choose your own size, print material & frames & have your masterpiece delivered straight to your door. ...

Also available in Hardback Author Elizabeth Cowling is Professor Emeritus of History of Art at Edinburgh University. Neil Cox is Professor of Art & Theory at the University of Essex. Simonetta Fraquelli is an independent art historian. Susan Grace Galassi is Curator at the Frick Collection, New York. Christopher Riopelle is Curator of Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, London, & author/collaborator on several National Gallery titles such as Painting History: Delaroche & Lady Jane Grey, An American Experiment: George Bellows & the Ashcan Painters & Manet to Picasso. Anne Robbins is Assistant Curator of Post-1800 Paintings at the National Gallery, London, & collaborator on Painting History: Delaroche & Lady Jane Grey Published to accompany the exhibition Picasso: Challenging the Past at the National Gallery, London 25 February – 7 June 2009. From his earliest years Pablo Picasso was a passionate student of the European painting tradition. His memory for images was voracious, & he amassed an art collection of his own. Naturally he was drawn to the Spanish masters Velazquez & Goya, but also important to him were figures such as Rembrandt, Delacroix, Ingres, Manet & Cézanne. Picasso repeatedly pitted himself against these masters, taking up their signature themes, techniques & artistic concerns in audacious paintings of his own. Sometimes his ‘quotations' were direct, other times highly allusive. Always, Picasso made the implicit case that it was he in the twentieth century who most forcefully reinvigorated the European tradition. Picasso: Challenging the Past showcases the technical dexterity, independence & vitality of Picasso's creative processes, for here we witness the daring transformation of the art of the past into, in Picasso's own words, ‘something else entirely’. Reviews ‘ See the past afresh through Picasso’s eye in this well-illustrated & thought-provoking compendium of his fiercely competitive ‘collaborations’ with Old Masters.’ The Times, 15 April 2009. ...

The Virgin holds the dead body of Christ. On the left is Saint Jerome, the protector of the unidentified donor, & on the right is probably Saint Dominic. The painting is one of several versions of the centre panel of Rogier van der Weyden's ' Miraflores ...

The lyric poet Pindar (518
- 438 BC) raises his lyre. Ictinus, the fifth-century BC architect of the Parthenon in Athens, holds
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