Engelmann, who is not otherwise identified, begins with a 24-page essay about the school of painting that during the final third of the 19th century shocked critics and the public not only with a new style of painting that many saw as nothing but daubs and squiggles, but also with a shift in subject away from the heroic and romantic to scenes of everyday life in the modern world. Then she reproduces 50 of the most influential paintings and describes for each the biographical, historical, social, and artistic context of its creation. The arrangement is chronological from 1863 to 1906. Biographical sketches of the artists are appended. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)