Beginning in the 14th century and working its way through the ages up to the current day, this book examines the portrait via the most beloved and important examples in history.The featured artists include Simone Martini, Jan van Eyck, Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein the Younger, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Titian, Parmigianino, Giuseppe Arcimboldo, Rembrandt, Peter Paul Rubens, Diego Velazquez, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Joshua Reynolds, Thomas Gainsborough, Francisco de Goya, Jaques-Louis David, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet, Vincent van Gogh, Oskar Kokoschka, Ferdinand Hodler, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, and Chuck Close.Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Genre Series features: a detailed introduction with approximately 35 photographs, plus a timeline of the most important events (political, cultural, scientific, etc.) that took place during the time period; a selection of the most important works of the epoch; each is presented on a 2-page spread with a full-page image and, on the facing page, a description/interpretation of the work and brief biography of the artist as well as additional information such as a reference work, portrait of the artist, and/or citations.