‘A burst of springtime joy’ Daily Telegraph

‘A springboard for ideas about art, space, time and light’ The Times

‘Lavishly illustrated’ Guardian

David Hockney reflects upon life and art as he experiences lockdown in rural Normandy

On turning eighty, David Hockney sought out rustic tranquility for the first time: a place to watch the sunset and the change of the seasons; a place to keep the madness of the world at bay. So when Covid-19 and lockdown struck, it made little difference to life at La Grande Cour, the centuries-old Normandy farmhouse where Hockney set up a studio a year before, in time to paint the arrival of spring. In fact, he relished the enforced isolation as an opportunity for even greater devotion to his art.

Spring Cannot be Cancelled is an uplifting manifesto that affirms art’s capacity to divert and inspire. It is based on a wealth of new conversations and correspondence between Hockney and the art critic Martin Gayford, his long-time friend and collaborator. Their exchanges are illustrated by a selection of Hockney’s new, unpublished Normandy iPad drawings and paintings alongside works by van Gogh, Monet, Bruegel, and others.

We see how Hockney is propelled ever forward by his infectious enthusiasms and sense of wonder. A lifelong contrarian, he has been in the public eye for sixty years yet remains entirely unconcerned by the view of critics or even history. He is utterly absorbed by his four acres of northern France and by the themes that have fascinated him for decades: light, colour, space, perception, water, trees. He has much to teach us, not only about how to see… but about how to live.

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This is your A to Z guide to art!

From cave paintings to pop art and modern masterpieces, this absorbing and beautiful art encyclopedia explores the development of art in spectacular detail.

Here’s what you’ll find inside the pages of this visually stunning art book:

– Covers every major movement in art from prehistory to the present day
– Each movement is tracked in a visual timeline that showcases its key paintings and notable artists and explains its context – the major events in its evolution
– Each section ends with a stunning image of a masterwork and a curator’s analysis that encapsulates its values, style, composition, and subject matter
– Glossary of technical terms and a comprehensive index

Get ready to embark on a unique guided tour throughout the history of art. Get to know more than 700 of the greatest artists, from Michelangelo and Monet to Damien Hirst and Picasso. Discover 2500 of the world’s most iconic artworks, paintings and sculptures that have shaken the art world through centuries and across continents.

Truly comprehensive in scope, The Illustrated Story of Art presents the most remarkable art movements throughout history in chronological order and explains the social and cultural background of each period. Turning-point paintings that triggered or epitomised each artistic movement are identified and explained, against a backdrop of influences – from admired techniques of an earlier artist to the changes in society that enabled new directions in art.

A must-have for your bookshelf, this is an indispensable art reference book for art-lovers everywhere!

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