The History of Modern Painting, Volume 1 (of 4) / Revised edition continued by the author to the end of the XIX century

The book traces the development of painting from the eighteenth into the nineteenth century, arguing that modern art emerged through a gradual but complex evolution of styles rather than abrupt breaks. It opens with methodological reflections on sources and chronology, then surveys the legacy of the eighteenth century—the English beginnings, two competing tendencies of classical and naturalistic schools, and the spread of tastes and techniques across continental Europe. Chapters examine changes in portraiture, landscape, decorative and genre painting, and the rise of a more intimate, middle-class subject matter, emphasizing how shifting social contexts, influences between nations, and artists' responses to nature produced the varied directions of modern painting.