Peter Russell: 55 books

The world’s most famous composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced masterpieces in every musical genre of his day, having a profound influence on the course of Western music. Famed for his enchanting melodies and unique range of expression, he is the most universal of all composers. Delphi’s Great...

The Polish composer Frédéric Chopin is widely revered today as one of the foremost figures of the Romantic period. Although he wrote almost exclusively for the piano, Chopin has maintained worldwide renown as a leading musician of his era, celebrated for his melodic mastery and fastidious craftsmanship....

The greatest sculptor of the Italian Renaissance, Donatello produced both marble and bronze masterpieces. His revolutionary statues were lauded for their incredible realism, while he also developed his very own form of shallow bas-relief, known as ‘schiacciato’. Donatello possessed an extensive...

The principal exponent of the Neoclassical reaction against the Rococo style, Jacques-Louis David won wide acclaim with his huge canvases on classical themes. The appointed painter to Napoleon, David developed his Empire style, notable for its use of warm Venetian colours, confirming his status as...

The Italian composer and violinist Antonio Vivaldi left a decisive mark on the form of the concerto, influencing the emerging style of late Baroque music. In spite of his widespread popularity today, Vivaldi was largely forgotten after death and his reputation was only re-established in the 1920’s....

The American James Abbott McNeill Whistler was averse to sentimentality and moral allusion in painting, establishing himself as a leading proponent of the credo "art for art's sake". Finding a parallel between painting and music, Whistler entitled many of his paintings with musical names,...

First published in 1980. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Norwegian painter Edvard Munch produced some of the most intensely evocative images of modern art. Building upon nineteenth century Symbolism and greatly influencing German Expressionism, masterpieces such as ‘The Scream’ have left a lasting impression on the history of art. Munch’s harrowing...

Today Berthe Morisot is recognised as the first lady of Impressionism, who left behind her an exceptional body of work, including oil paintings, pastels, watercolours, prints, sculptures and several hundred drawings. The only woman to join the "rejected" Impressionists in the first of their...

The operas of the German composer Richard Wagner had a revolutionary influence on the course of Western music. Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his works. He went on to revolutionise the music form through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total...

Hokusai, the Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e school, produced a vast array of artworks, including single-sheet prints of landscapes and actors, hand paintings, individual surimonos, erotic books and many more. His famous print series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” marks...

The operas of the Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi are among the greatest achievements of nineteenth century culture and remain at the heart of the opera repertory today. His extraordinary works took the opera world by storm, transforming and dominating the world of opera for over 30 years. Verdi modified...

At a time in history when poverty is reducing and education is on the rise we face the unprecedented stress of mass migration, the rise of the digital age and the threat of climate change. Our children are suffering mental health issues like no previous generations, our communities are fractured and...

150 years after Confederation, Canada is known around the world for its social diversity and its commitment to principles of multiculturalism. But the road to contemporary Canada is a winding one, a story of division and conflict as well as union and accommodation. In Canada’s Odyssey, renowned...