Czech modern painters - Petr Wittlich

Dealing with not only
specific artists in the context of their national identity, but also
with overarching themes in the rise of modernism, Czech Modern Painters
is an articulate and well-researched overview of modern art styles from
the former Czechoslovakia, focusing on impressionism, the Art Nouveau
movement, and cubism. This study covers three generations of artists who
changed the landscape of traditional art at the turn of the twentieth
century, and looks specifically at how these artists pushed the
boundaries of and came into conflict with the work of their
predecessors. To do so, Petr Wittlich has combed through each artist's
work in art school, galleries, and new art journals, while tracking each
individual's own personal style. The result is a beautifully
illustrated book that carefully explains the aesthetic theory of each
movement, and provides biographical information on the leading
personalities of the period and brief, informative captions for each
reproduction. Wittlich also investigates the profound influence of
capitalism, and the way in which these artists departed from the
prevailing aesthetic tastes of their contemporaries.

Czech Modern Painters has
the magisterial quality of a textbook for students of modern art styles
while maintaining readability, making it appealing to art lovers and
historians alike.