What Great Paintings Say: Masterpieces in Detail published by Taschen

What Great Paintings Say: Masterpieces in Detail examines major works of art through close visual analysis, using enlarged details and historical context to show how composition, symbolism, patronage, and period meaning operate inside familiar paintings.

“For me, the lasting quality is this: The enlarged details make a painting one thinks one knows become newly specific. It gives the subject room to deepen over time.”
-Mrs. Mayfair

Product Details

• Publisher: Taschen
• Contributors: Authors: Rose-Marie Hagen; Rainer Hagen
• ISBN: 9783836577496
• Binding: Hardcover
• Series / Edition: XL Edition
• Pages: 636
• Languages: English
• Dimensions: 9.61″ × 13.39″
• Weight: 10.36 lb
• Subject: Art

Care & Ownership

Keep the book in a cool, dry, stable interior away from prolonged direct sunlight, radiators, vents, leaks, and high humidity. Because of its scale and weight, store it flat and fully supported when upright shelving would strain the binding; lift it with two hands rather than by the spine. Dust the cover and page edges gently with a clean, dry, soft cloth; never use household cleaners on the binding or pages.

Publisher / Heritage

Taschen was founded by Benedikt Taschen in Cologne in 1980 and remains an independent, family-run publisher. Its illustrated program spans art, architecture, design, photography, fashion, film, travel, lifestyle, and visual culture, with formats ranging from compact series to large-scale monographs, facsimiles, and collector editions. Across these books, reproduction, book design, and physical scale are treated as part of the editorial experience.

As seen in: House & Garden, Architectural Digest