This pioneering art series combines stunning high-quality color reproductions with expert commentary on the most popular artists of all time at an extremely accessible price. Giotto, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Vermeer are names well known to any student of art history, museum-goer, or culturally engaged individual. Rizzoli is pleased to launch its Classics of Art series with monographs on these six world-renowned painters, whose signature styles and sheer genius continue to inspire both scholars and lay people to this day. Each book in this series features a literary introduction and thoroughly researched essay followed by a section devoted to a detailed description of a selection of the artist's masterpieces. An extensive chronology of the artist's life and important historical events of his era as well as a compilation of remarks by famous historians, modern and old, add cultural perspective and insight into each painter's stylistic development. A visual chart with captions as to the whereabouts of each painting and a concise bibliography with suggested further reading provide invaluable research tools.