From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-These titles are part of a series that introduces children to art movements spanning the past 100 years. The first book examines abstract expressionism; Art Brut; and the work of Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg. Pop art, op art, conceptual art, and the minimalist movement are explored in 1960-80. Graffiti and computer-age art are among the styles considered in 1980-2000. In covering the work of British artists Chris Ofili and Damien Hirst, and French-born sculptor Louise Bourgeois, this title offers some material that might not be available in other surveys. Each slim volume covers topics and artists over two-page spreads sandwiched between brief discussions of historical and cultural events during the period and a chronology. While most of the movements discussed are Western-based, there are a couple of pages devoted to Australian art (not referenced in the index) and Latin American art in 1960-80. Unfortunately, precious space is occasionally given over to extraneous text and murky photos in all three volumes. In addition, there are only one or two poor-to-average quality reproductions that show the work of the most famous artists while some talents are mentioned with no pictorial examples. Linda Bolton's "Art Revolutions" series (Peter Bedrick) presents more focused and thorough discussions on some of the better- documented movements (Cubism, pop- art, etc.).
Ilene Abramson, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Ilene Abramson, Los Angeles Public Library
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
