All About History: History of Art

September 2024

When Vincent van Gogh – poor, destitute Vincent, who relied on an allowance from his brother to survive – prophesied about “the painter of the future” in a letter to his benevolent sibling, he couldn’t have foreseen that he himself would fulfil that role. Months after his letter, Vincent sliced off his ear and found himself spiralling into a catastrophic mental breakdown, his artwork reviled by critics and shunned by decent society. Eighteen months later, on the cusp of success, Vincent died. In modern-day society, his art is some of the most recogniseable in the world, with its unique daubs of colour revealing the remarkable beauty of the everyday. But before Vincent, there had been many other artists whose works shocked – and later were celebrated by – the art world. In this brand-new bookazine, trace the incredible history of art, from the rivalry between Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to the sordid life of blood-thirsty Caravaggio. Explore the legacy of the Renaissance on contemporary art, and find out how Dadaism rejected the status quo and shone a light on the absurdity of war.