About the book:
Prince of the Impressionists
Hailed the “Prince of the Impressionists”, Claude Monet (1840-1926) transformed expectations for the purpose of paint on canvas. Defying the precedent of centuries, Monet did not seek to render only reality, but the act of perception itself. Working “en plein air” with rapid, impetuous brush strokes, he interrogated the play of light on the hues, patterns, and contours and the way in which these visual impressions fall upon the eye.
Monet's interest in this space “between the motif and the artist” encompassed too the ephemeral nature of each image we see. In his beloved water lily series, as well as in paintings of poplars, grain stacks, and the Rouen cathedral, he returned to the same motif in different seasons, different weather conditions, and at different times of the day, to explore the constant mutability of our visual environment.
This book offers the essential introduction to an artist whose works simultaneously reflected upon the purpose of a picture and the passage of time, and in so doing transformed irrevocably the story of art.
书籍简介：
印象派王子
克劳德·莫奈（Claude Monet，1840-1926年）被誉为“印象派王子”，改变了人们对画布上绘画的期望。莫奈违背了几个世纪的先例，并没有寻求于呈现现实，而是寻求感知本身。他用快速，浮躁的笔触“顺畅地呼吸”，询问色调，图案和轮廓上的光的游动以及这些视觉印象落在眼睛上的方式。
莫奈认为“主题与艺术家之间”停留的时间是很有限的，主题随着时间空间不断变化，我们所看到的每幅图像的都是短暂的。在他心爱的睡莲系列以及白杨树，谷物堆和鲁昂大教堂的绘画中，他在不同的季节，不同的天气条件和一天中的不同时间来表达相同的主题，以探索不断变化的事物，以及我们的不断变化视觉环境。
本书为艺术家提供了基本的介绍，他的作品同时反映了图片的目的和时间的流逝，并因此呈现了新的艺术形式，不可逆转地改变了艺术史的故事。
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About the series（Basic Art Series 2.0）
Basic Art was born back in 1985 with the very first original TASCHEN publication: Picasso. Since then, the series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published, offering succinct slimline artist introductions across 200 titles, translated into some 20 languages.
For its 30th anniversary, we have given this much-loved series a makeover: Basic Art 2.0, freshly designed, revised, and hardcover bound, but still with the same rock-bottom price tag!
系列简介：
1985年， Basic art系列的首部著作《毕加索》问世，开启了德国TASCHEN出版公司的艺术出版历程。此后的30余年中， Basic art系列始终坚持以简洁、精练的笔法勾勒艺术家们的世界，内容不断充裕，培养了众多忠实读者，成为多年居销量榜首的经典艺术书系。
时至今日，此系列已出版图书近200种，更有多达20种的各国语言版本在世界范围内发行，具有极高的口碑和影响力。