Customer Reviews

Inside Bruegel: The Play of Images in Children's Games

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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Essentially a long gloss on a single painting, this is the best book of art criticism I have ever come across, bar none. Snow literally forces your eye to slow down, and drink in the detail, the nuance, and the shifting structures of Breugel's astoundingly complex painting "Children's Games". I couldn't disagree more strongly with the Kirkus review above - the language is at times non-conversational, but if read slowly, patiently, and in tandem with the plentiful illustrations, this book will unlock more of the complexities of this fascinating (and very modern) painter than an entire stack of critical studies.

I purchased this book as a research tool for an art appreciation enrichment volunteer project I do at local elementary schools. The students just love spotting all the activities in Bruegel's amazing painting in which the children are engaged and this book really helps me highlight and discuss each one. The pictures and illustrations are great and very detailed. There also is extensive analysis of the deeper and allegorical meanings of the painting which was intellectually interesting to me but not the purpose for which I use the book. I would recommend this book to anyone who really wants to "get to know" this painting!