Customer Reviews

Art History, Penguin Concise Dictionary of

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1 star:		(2)

 

 

Nancy Frazier's Concise Dictionary of Art History is truly a boon to any art lover or student. The entries are informative and often leavened with great wit--not the dry academese that so often mars reference works. A fun book to curl up with on a rainy afternoon, whether you know anything--or everything--about art. Would make a great present.

Don't waste your money.
What's the point of publishing a book that's written well, yet is constructed so cheaply? My copy started falling apart the day after I bought it.
What happened to you, Penguin?

This book is a well-written, easy to use reference and the author's style is clear, understandable language. Museum goers in particular will especially appreciate it. My husband and I enjoytraveling around the country and we visit musems wherever we are. The Penguin Concise Dictionary of Art History is a marvelous resource that travels with us and one to which we frequently refer. Not only does it give information about the artists, but the quotations that accompany the write-ups help bring the artists to life. The Dictionary also makes a great gift. We gave a copy to a recent graduate who will be teaching art in hgh school and she was thrilled. In addition, we have been led to seek out other books by the author, Nancy Frazier, and are very impressed with her work.

As an artist for 30 years and a teacher for over 20, I can't figure out how anyone could actually find this book useful. First of all, this is an ART book with NO illustrations --- so you need to know something else before you read the entries. I must admit that I haven't read the whole book, but none of the dozen or so entries I saw gave useful information. For example, notes on Frank Stella, Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Robert Morris, Bruce Nauman, were mainly short descriptions of single works, or periods of work, from 25-40 years ago. The shallow entries seem to be quick, random, fact and quote gathering. The writer seems to have much more interest in what might be called traditional art as the entries seem longer --- for example the entry on Puvis de Chavannes is longer than that for Rauschenberg. What this book is for is beyond me. This may not be the fault of the writer, but it is a fault of the whole concept. Can't be done in 730 pages.

I worked as a research and editorial assistant with Ms. Frazier on this book, and I must say that Nancy is one of the most knowledgeable, well-read and experienced art historians today. Her abilities as an author as well as her diverse interests are evidenced by her previous publications, both of which aided her in the MONUMENTAL task of compiling this dictionary. As a resource, this dictionary will serve well any student - however, it also makes for interesting and enlightening reading for any lover of art. On a more personal note, working with Nancy was a delightful experience that I shall always treasure.