Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces [Hardcover]

Henry M. Sayre (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2004 | Grade Level: P and up

From prehistoric cave paintings to the Mona Lisa, from Nefertiti to Andy Warhol's Big Campbell's Soup Can 19, this book pairs full-color reproductions of 50 of the world's most celebrated masterpieces with brief, kid-accessible stories about how they were made, who made them and where they fit in the fascinating history of art. Featuring art from Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, organized chronologically, and including timelines and a glossary of art terms, this book is a wonderful overview of art and culture through the ages.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5-10–The history of art is long and complex, yet Sayre has managed to show 50 major works of art from 22,000 B.C. to A.D. 1964 and successfully summarize the background of each one, the artist, and its social and historical context as well as the reason(s) it is important. The masterpieces discussed begin with Woman from Brassempouy and conclude with René Magritte's The Son of Man. The author's breezy style captures interest early on and is easy enough for beginning art students while remaining informative for teens. Many of the world's cultures are represented and a variety of techniques are explained: woodblock printing, painting, tapestries, primitive carving, sculpture, and more. The full-color reproductions are at least a quarter-page in size, though most are larger. A funky, framed inset box gives the title, medium, size, artist, and year the work was created. Though some pages seem a little crowded, the layout is energetic enough to forgive the loss of white space. A time line runs along the outside edge of the pages, with an asterisk marking the date of the depicted pieces. A dazzling and accessible introduction to art history.–Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-7. In less than 100 pages, Sayre manages to present a lavishly illustrated world tour of art, from a prehistoric figurine carved from a wooly mammoth tusk to Andy Warhol's watershed 1962 painting of a Campbell's tomato soup can. Printed on thick paper, each spread features a sharply reproduced image of an individual artwork, a time line placing the work in history, and a story about the artist, the medium, or the piece's origins. Unfortunately, several typos and at least one factual error (a reference to carbon monoxide in human breath, rather than carbon dioxide) undermine the text, and, just as frustrating, there are no notes or bibliography. Still, despite these reservations, this is an accessible, visually engaging, multicultural survey of art, a rarity for this age group, and young readers will come away with a better understanding of the complex societies, across the ages and continents, that responded to their worlds through art. Keeping in mind the cautions mentioned above, suggest this to teachers, as a versatile resource for classroom sharing across the curriculum. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081183767X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811837675
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 10.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,523 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Art > History

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great art history book for middle school and up, October 8, 2004

By 

E. Fox (Oregon Coast USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces (Hardcover)

I love the line in the section on Rene Magritte: "Magritte's paintings never answer questions. They just ask them." This line captures what is so unique about Cave Paintings to Picasso: analysis that provokes readers' critical thinking skills. As an art student, I read so many tired art history books that did little to inspire or even entertain. This book does both, and somehow manages to cover a lot of facts about 50 masterworks of art. The beautifully-written description of the art and artist is chronologically organized, with sidebars on each page visually portraying the artist's timeline. In addition, each work of art is briefly described as to media and size (information that is not easily gleaned from other art history texts). There is a brief, but helpful glossary in the back of the book, and the book is well indexed. The text is easy to read and very interesting; it would easily engage the interest of students grades 6 and up.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great art history introduction, August 10, 2005

By 

Megan "Megan" (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces (Hardcover)

The other two reviewers of this book both mention that this book is for middle school children and above, but I would have to respectfuly disagree. I think this book is definately appropriate, and designed for, elementary age children. In the introduction, the author talks about poring over his parent's books about art, just staring at the pictures, and says that he set out to create a similar source. I think he has done so quite well.

Each 2-page spread has a large, full-color picture of an important work of art, starting with prehistoric sculpture and going right up to Magritte. There is also a page of clear, simple text about the piece. The text is, of course, very useful... but I think that plenty of enjoyment can be had just examining the pictures.

(I know that everyone who looks at this book probably has a "they didn't include...!" gripe, but I am upset that the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait isn't included). Otherwise, the pieces are very well chosen.

I think that this is a great book for all ages. I hope that it will be introduced to elementary school children, so that by the time they are in middle school they are ready for a little more depth and structure in their art history curriculum.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Read this book WITH your kids, April 17, 2005

By 

NurseJekyll (Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces (Hardcover)

The title of this book introduces it as "the inside scoop on 50 art masterpieces". Rather than gaining an inside scoop, I found myself introduced to art which I was unfamiliar with, as well as a reintroduction to many pieces I had seen before. The writing style is clearly geared for adolescents / middle school students. As one who has not had much exposure to art I did find this book an enjoyable, easy read. I think the book could best be used to introduce school age kids (or middle schoool kids) to the world of art. When my children get old enough, I plan to read this book with them.