Sell Back Your Copy
For a $2.07 Gift Card
Trade in
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained [Hardcover]

Robert Cumming (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.



Book Description

Annotated Guides April 4, 1995
Decode the mysterious symbolism that can make even the most familiar paintings elusive!

Discover the refreshingly new approach to art appreciation in Art. Using detailed annotation of 45 works from the world's greatest artists, Art provides a deeper understanding and richer enjoyment of the masterpieces of painting.

Great Art Made Accessible. This fascinating book takes an original approach to interpreting the lost language of art, using annotation to highlight everything you need to know to appreciate the world's favorite paintings, from Botticelli's The Birth of Venus to Picasso's Guernica. Art explains the artist's techniques and intentions and clarifies the meaning of obscure subjects, decoding the mysterious symbolism that can make even the most familiar painting elusive.

Art is like a gallery full of the world's most spectacular paintings, including the devotional icons of the Gothic period and early Renaissance and the awe-inspiring achievements of the High Renaissance. It shows the splendor of the Baroque and Rococo, and scrutinizes the drama of the Neoclassicists and the Romantics. The enchantment of the Impressionist school and the complexities of the Cubist movement are also revealed in glowing color. Biographical notes on the artist place each work in its true personal and historical context.

The book's generous size and faithful color reproduction allow every painting to be displayed accurately and in detail. At last, art lovers can truly enter the world of their favorite paintings.



Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?An exploration of some of the world's great paintings, ranging from the works of 14th-century Giotto through the Renaissance and Baroque periods to Neo-Classicists and Romantics, on to the Impressionists and Cubists up to Picasso. Cumming describes and decodes each of 45 paintings by graphic commentary using six guidelines: the subject, the technique, the symbolism, space and light, historical style, and personal interpretation. Detailed sections of each painting are analyzed to point out symbols or obscure subjects, to locate unusual signings by the artist, and to describe materials used.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Cumming, chair of Christie's Education, London, takes readers on a guided tour of 45 of the Western world's great works of art. In typical Dorling Kindersley style?reflecting the influence of CD-ROMs, perhaps?each work is illustrated in full and surrounded by numerous excerpted details, sidebars, and annotations. Cumming succinctly discusses the subject, technique, symbolism, space and light elements, and historical style of each and adds his personal interpretation. For Hans Holbein's "The Ambassadors," for example, Cumming gives a short biography of the artist, explains the crises in Europe alluded to in the painting, and points out the odd form in the foreground. The latter, he explains, is a distorted death's-head that is meaningless if viewed from the front but from a certain angle takes the shape of a skull. While not as ambitious as Sister Wendy Beckett's The Story of Painting (LJ 11/15/94), this is an exciting introduction to painting for general collections at an attractive price.?Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 104 pages
  • Publisher: DK ADULT (April 4, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0888503245
  • ISBN-13: 978-0888503244
  • ASIN: 1564588483
  • Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

21 Reviews
5 star:
 (18)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.7 out of 5 stars (21 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you only invest in 1 book to learn about art, this is it., December 25, 2001
By 
This review is from: Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained (Hardcover)
This book is a great introduction or review for adults or teens. Using famous works of art, in color sure beats the first art appreciation book I read in college which had drawings and black and white grainy photos. Even with a degree in art history, I found this book a great refresher.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars this is a terrific book, August 17, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained (Hardcover)
This is both fun and informative. Though the language may be pitched at a relatively easy level, there is nothing condescending about it. It is deeply informed, and even the professor will learn from it. Buy it without hesitation if you wish to learn about great paintings.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for starters, December 28, 2004
This review is from: Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained (Hardcover)
I got interested in painting while I was living in Italy for a few months. Wish I had this book with me. Some noteable features:

1. Excellent color plates
2. Tastefully selected paintings, each showing a different nuance.
3. Not overly technical so it doesnt lose a layperson like me.
4. Has my favorite painting - The School of Athens, but thats a personal plus.

Unfortunately the nice large plates mean this book (though quite small in terms of number of pages) is not a size that would fit into a travel hand bag to take with you on a trip to see the paintings.

A good companion volume is the 50 greates painters which has paintings by many of the same painters but they complement each other.
eg: Birth of Venus (this book) and Coming of Spring both by Botticelli or Mona Lisa (this book) and Madonna of the Rocks.

Overall these books are both keepers.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews











Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In judging any outstanding performance, whether by an athlete, a musician, an actor, or an artist, technical ability is one of the prime considerations. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hay wain, las meninas
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
National Gallery, Mona Lisa, Fra Angelico, Sistine Chapel, Count Orgaz, Old Testament, Arena Chapel, Garden of Eden, High Art, Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Leonardo da Vinci, Museo del Prado, Santo Tomé, Willy Lot, Mary Magdalene, Mother of Christ, Musée du Louvre, River Seine, Courtauld Institute Galleries, French Revolution, High Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, Pope Julius, River Jordan
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:



Books on Related Topics (learn more)

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
 
(5)

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums





Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject