★ It has been on the 'Art/Mass Culture' bestseller list of Aladdin, a representative Korean bookstore, for 44 weeks.

★ Recommended by mainstream Korean media such as JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Chosun Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Maeil Business News, Seoul Shinmun, Kyunghyang Shinmun, and Han Minjoo News!

★ Strongly recommended by the editor-in-chief of Kyobo Bookstore, the largest bookstore in Korea!

★ From the Renaissance to the French Revolution, from the two World Wars to the Great Depression in the United States, this is a masterpiece that closely combines art and history, telling historical stories through art, providing readers with a new perspective to understand world history.

★ It includes paintings from the Renaissance to the modern era, providing readers with a rich artistic experience across different times.

★ Highly recommended by readers on Kyobo Bookstore and YES24, a representative online bookstore in Korea!

★ It balances the display of painting arts from different regions and cultural backgrounds, providing readers with a global cultural perspective.

This book goes beyond the category of traditional art history. Using paintings as a window, it looks through the key moments of human and world history. From the Renaissance period in Florence to the French Revolution, and then to the two World Wars and the Great Depression in the United States, the book shows the rich layers and profound influence of history through the perspective of art.

The book clearly points out that history is not just a scientific experiment in a laboratory, but it lives in the reality of those who have lived and will continue to live in the future. The true mission of art is to explore the living conditions of different times, the deep meaning behind systemic changes, people's inner desires, and the humanistic value and significance contained in all events. The power of art transcends the boundaries of language and touches the essence of humanity and the "pulse of the world".

The book includes 174 paintings that are of milestone significance in the history of world history and art. Among them, 28 are specially selected and included in the appendix "The Moments We Meet in This Book" in chronological order, allowing readers to appreciate the charm of these works before delving into the main text.

Author Lee Jin-sook, with her unique light touch and concise style, explains the important turning points in world history through the analysis of artists' paintings. This book not only introduces the masterpieces in the history of art but also deeply discusses how art reflects and promotes social change. From Caravaggio's "Conversion of St. Paul" to Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", and then to Munch's "Self-Portrait During the Spanish Flu", each work is a profound reflection and critique of its era.

In addition, the book discusses how artists capture the essence of "modernity" through self-portraits and how these works help us better understand the artists themselves and their times. The self-portraits of artists in the book are depicted as not only a depiction of themselves but also a deep reflection on their times.

Lee Jin-sook
She graduated from the German Literature Department of Seoul University and obtained her master's degree from the same university. During her trip to Russia, she was deeply impressed by the art exhibition at the Tretyakov Gallery, which led her to give up literature and devote herself to the world of art. She obtained her master's degree from the Department of Art History at the Russian State University of the Humanities in Moscow with a thesis on Malevich. After returning to her country, she worked as a curator at Park Yoo-Suk Gallery in Cheongdam for 5 years, accumulating rich experience in the art scene. She teaches art courses at Seoul Technical University and other places, and regularly writes articles for artists of our time in the monthly magazine "Top Class". At present, she is also active as the artistic director of Total Art Company "Interallia". She regards it as her life's mission to convey the special feelings she gets from works of art, and practices "sharing beauty" through various lectures and writings. In particular, she is committed to actively promoting Russian art, which is not well introduced in the country.
Her works have been published in art columns of various media such as JoongAng Ilbo, Maeil Business News, and Chosun Ilbo. Her publications include "History of Russian Art" (2007), "The Big Bang of Art" (2010), and "The Great Book of Art" (2014), etc.

The Autumn of the Middle Ages
The Renaissance in Florence, the Moment of Great Integration
The Renaissance of the Roman Curia
The Reformation that Created Two Europes
Counter-Reformation and Baroque Art
The Public Life of Citizens in the Dutch Golden Age
The Private Life of Citizens in the Dutch Golden Age
The Strong Monarchs of Absolute Monarchy
The Independence of the Free Country, the United States
The Outbreak of the French Revolution
The Napoleonic Wars that Awakened Liberalism and Nationalism
The Continuing Wave of Revolution
Workers and Peasants as the Protagonists
The Rose-colored Life Painted by Impressionism
The heyday of "bad women"
Women, the East, Slaves, and Imperialism
Boiling desires for patricide
Artists who are keen on war
The Russian Revolution, from fanaticism to disillusionment
The rise of nationalism
The Roaring 1920s, which ended the Great Depression
The battlefield of ideologies, the Spanish Civil War
War is over now! References