Customer Reviews

Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I am only 13 years old and I have this book and I thought it was great. It really did explain art. I saw things that I actually wouldn't notice if I was explaining the picture. It was an interesting book and I enjoyed looking at it. It made me understand the pictures and made art funner and more interestig than it used to be. It was very interesting and I hope you buy this book.

If you love art and want to learn more about some of history's greatest paintings then this book is required reading. The paintings represented are famous or just plain inspiring. This book enables the reader to get the inside story behind these paintings and learn the histories, theories, intentions and effects behind them. This is a thought provoking and informative book on a higher and pleasing level than your usual art theory books. This book is quite original to say the very least.

In all my years in school I never knew annotated art existed. If I had, art would have become a passion of mine a long time ago. Cummings's book provides such a detailed analytical look at art and explains why these paintings were so extraordinary for their time and teaches you to look beyond your first impression to what the artist had in mind, as well as what you yourself get out of it. Not only does he do this with words, but more importantly, he does it with highlighted areas of the painting and gives historical insight to it. I love art and appreciate it so much more now.

I am a student at Duke University and I discovered this book while in a classical studies course at Duke. Cumming's insight into Raphael's "The School of Athens" was very helpful. I soon bought this book and his one on Great Artists and have enjoyed learning from both of them. I love to learn but I am not that experienced in art history. This book was the perfect tool for a novice, such as myself.

This is a great book to use as a self-study course for art appreciation, to improve your knowledge of great artists or to study for a game show appearance. Each artist is represented by one painting which is then described (techniques, subject matter, history) in detail. For example you will learn all about Rembrant's Balshazzar's Feast. The story behind the painting, the meaning of "handwriting on the wall", the hebrew expression that is written, the people present in the painting (Rembrant's wife), you also get a short bit about each artist's life. I read the book cover to cover and learned so much. I have made it a goal to see as many of the painting as I can in each museum. Other members of my family have also enjoyed reading pages of the book. I first read this book as a library copy, but bought it to read, reread and share. I strongly recommend this as a book to someone who is into self improvement, or wants to learn about art for an appearance on Jeopardy!

I recieved this book as a gift, and since that time, I have become an avid art-lover. The painting selections are very tasteful, and the reproductions are fabulous! But the best part by far are the annotations. I never fail to be interested by them, no matter which painting I am looking at. This book keeps me engaged for hours, just reading the notes about the paintings. A supurb work.

I first saw this book in one of my classes, and I've loved it ever since. The paintings themselves are amazing, but the little hidden messages the artist included nake them absolutely fascinating. I had to write a report on a piece of art, and I got at least 75% of my information from this book. It is a must for anyone studying art, or anyone who just enjoys it.