Book Review
This book is a wide-ranging study of great works of art from the
early days of man up to and including Twentieth century photography
and Postmodernism. In the Introduction, the author breaks
down the aspects of art (that need considering before reading this
book), which are divided into the following categories and sub-categories;
Art and the Artist (Imagination, Creativity, Originality and Tradition,
Meaning and Style, Self-Expression and Audience, and Tastes) and
Looking at Art (The Visual Elements, Line, Color, Light, Composition,
Form, and Meaning). The author also delves into the origins
of the processes involved in creating art, which is interesting
because it helps the reader to understand the foundations upon which
today's artists have formed their craft.
The anecdotes in this book are not limited to art during the periods
and countries being represented. In each chapter there is
at least one box in which is a description of other cultural events
that coexisted with art at the time (i.e. Baroque Music, Theatre,
and Art in Holland, p. 370).
Also of interest are the sketches of designs, building plans, how
statues were made and tools used to create various works of art
printed in the margins.
I really like this book because while educating the reader about
art it is also entertaining with beautiful images of pieces of art
one may never see in actuality. I felt like I was reading
a bunch of short stories about the time periods being outlined for
our knowledge. The authors also make it easy to completely
understand the terminology by providing a glossary to explain the
terms and concepts with which we are not familiar. It is a
very good book for art lovers and beginners alike. |
