To paint a picture is often to tell a story-in some cases several stories. Should the subject be a Madonna, for example, or a scene of love? And sometimes an artist can be distracted by a detail, a motif that seizes his imagination and becomes the focus of all his talent. Such a motif may be purely secondary: a bouquet of flowers, a jewel, a carpet with a complex geometrical pattern, or a cat playfully sharpening its claws.

Exploration of planes, highlighting of details, extreme close-ups: here paintings you thought you knew by heart take on a totally new savor. Rediscovery and fresh insights: these are the aims of a book that takes you on a tour of a hundred of the Louvre's greatest masterpieces.