Masterpieces in Detail: Early Netherlandish Art from van Eyck to Bosch

The photos of the masterpieces are full page, sharp, and detailed. The first time I opened this book I immediately noticed details in these paintings I'd never seen before. I found this especially fascinating due to fact that these immaculate masterworks were painted five hundred years ago. Like no other book I've seen on this subject I was able to observe these brushstrokes of genius. One of the best features of this book is that the paintings are shown as full page spreads with no borders, and this is especially noteworthy when one considers the very large size of this book. I was a bit bewildered by one reviewer who found the size of this book to be a negative attribute and even gave it four stars instead of five for that reason. The only issue I have with this book is that the the photos are often darker than I would have preferred. Perhaps this was done for some practical reason such as to avoid glare, but for me the many fine qualities of this book make up for that one drawback. Having said that, this is all and all one amazing book on early Netherlandish art, and likely a stand alone in its depth and beauty.

I discovered this book in the public library and fell in love with it immediately. The clarity of the printing of these paintings are amazing! The only reason why I did not give it a 5 star is because of it's scale. The book is large...as it is suppose to be! But, be prepared to have a cleared table readily available to enjoy this book. This is not a "quick look" book. One will want to spend quality time with observing these close ups.

Till-Holger Borchert's "Masterpieces in Detail: Early Netherlandish Art from van Eyck to Bosch" is a feast for the eyes and a meal for the mind. Elegantly written and stunningly presented, Borchert's gorgeous book is a must read for those interested in art. The details are extraordinary and provide visual clues to the secrets hidden within the artworks of the Early Netherlandish Masters from the 15th to the 17th centuries. For those in question of the title, "Early Netherlandish" does not refer to the current country of The Netherlands but instead is an historical term referring to art produced in Flanders, Brabant, and the Hainault which include the cities of Bruges, Ghent, Antwerp, Brussels and Leuven. For me, Borchert's volume provides an important companion guide to the museums of Bruges and Flemish painting. "Masterpieces in Detail: Early Netherlandish Art from van Eyck to Bosch" is a large format book from Prestel, comparable to the wonderful Taschen editions.

Disappointing.The details were sharp and highly magnified, as reported in other reviews; the colors, however, were muddied and flat.First, I compared pictures in my brand new copy of the book with the images available on the Amazon book page, including the "Look inside" feature, and realized that the pictures in my copy of the book lacked the brightness and intensity of the pictures reproduced in the advertisement. Whether the images used on the Amazon page were deliberately saturated to sell the book or only my copy exhibited this failure, I don't know. I do know that the pictures in the book lack the brilliant intensity of the original paintings (many of which I have seen in person), and fair poorly in color accuracy and visual effect with reproductions of the paintings in other art books I own.Having paid for this large and obviously lush art book, I was expecting to see a more powerful approximation of the experience of the paintings than that rendered by the muddied hues throughout the book. I have no way of knowing whether the dimness of the muted ink colors was the result of printing errors that affected only my copy, or is the case with all distributed copies of the book. None of the other reviewers mentioned this issue, either because they didn't notice it or their copies weren't affected. I don't want to go to the trouble of returning it only to have another copy sent to me with the same problem.This is the danger of buying art books online, without having first seen them in stores (I miss Borders Books, and I did purchase many on-site to help keep them in business). But unless one actually examines an art book up close, or any book with many images, for that matter, to physically examine the accuracy of the pictures, you have no way of knowing what you will get when you open the package.

Beautiful images and excellent print

An absolutely beautiful book. The close-up images of these paintings is as clear and free from grain as you might wish. It exceeded my expectations.

a beautifully detailed documentation of the most significant movement in the art of oil painting

This could be a beautiful book, but it falls short. The chosen works are fabulous, but only a few details of each piece are shown - not as glorifyingly detailed as in the product description. Most of the I ages are also dark and muddy. Text is decent, but photos are sadly unworthy.

If you have any interest at all in early-Netherlandish art, then this book is a must-have (and at 80 bucks, it's a steal)! Almost every single (quite large) page features incredible details. The paper is of high-quality (and there's a lot of it - it weighs over 10 pounds). The text itself is quite helpful - it actually helps explain what is being seen, without becoming overly technical.

Masterpieces in detail, indeed.

This book is huge! It is not for bed reading. We have a large activity room, where it is located, and open on different pages over time. If you have the space, it's a great book where you can get close to it. Just think to see the hair on Adam's legs in Ghent altarpiece, or details on the Bridge in Rolin Madonna both by Van Eyck. Or study the faces of Diderick Bout's paintings. Not even on the internet you get so close. I get an experience from this book, if not every day, at least almost every day.The Nordic Renaissance is among others the art of details - here you see them as they should be seen when you can not have the actual picture before you.

A fabulous book. The quality of the illustrations and the scholarship of the analysis could not be faulted. I agree with the other reviewer that the reader must sit at the table to get the best out of it, preferably with an appropriate light available. However, this makes the experience even more like being in the gallery and looking at the paintings, many of which I have seen in original form in Bruges and Amsterdam. The book is not a replacement for these experiences, but not far off.

Brillant book in every aspect.