4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
3.5 stars, December 21, 2007
This review is from: Painters: Masters of Western Art (Fandex Family Field Guides) (Cards)
THE GOOD: Pictures of 48 painters (some photos, some paintings that are at least purportedly self-portraits) are bound together conveniently with text briefly describing their style and their lives. (Ok, it is a minor inconvenience that the pages get stuck when you try to put them back together, but at least they aren't strewn all over the floor so you're constantly hunting for the missing X.)
THE BAD: I really wish that they had indicated which paintings are actually known self-portraits and which are disputed and which are paintings by other people. (For example, the painting of Monet is by Renoir.) Credits are listed on a page in the back, but you really can't decipher them. (I don't see anywhere that they mention Renoir in relation to the page on Monet.) Of course, it is understandable that they couldn't find photographs of all of the painters (like Giotto) and they were stuck if there wasn't even a painting of them (all you get of Vermeer is his purported self-portrait, which is just his back to you while he paints). Really, I understand that. However, it seems misleading to have pictures of them without explaining in a brief note under the painting where on earth that they got this picture. If you saw some of the paintings, you'd see what I mean. (For example, Boucher's portrait is a half-figure profile. Online, I found a portrait of him done by a contemporary. I still can't figure out where the included half-figure profile comes from.) I had to spend time online searching for better depictions of a lot of these painters. (Even though there is junk online, too, I could at least get some more information -- like why Sick Bacchus is included for Caravaggio).
Given the format, you only get samples of 1 or 2 of the painter's work -- in a very tiny format. I've only glanced at the text (because of my intended use for this deck -- see below), so I can't comment on any problems with it.
Others might quibble over the painters who were included and left out of this collection. I did definitely wonder at some who were included, but that didn't bother me so much because (1) I realize the limitations of this format, and (2) my primary intended use of this deck was to provide a quick glance of the artist before diving into other meatier resources. I just really felt misled about the portraits of the included artists, given my intended use.
Those included are (not necessarily in order; my deck is fanned out for me to fix right now): Giotto, van Eyck, da Vinci, Botticelli, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Bruegel the Elder, Caravaggio, Rubens, Velazquez, Rembrandt, Boucher, Vermeer, Chardin, de Goya, David, Ingres, Delacroix, Turner, Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Seurat, Hogarth, Gainsborough, Cassatt, Gauguin, van Gogh, Cezanne, Whistler, Homer, Munch, Matisse, Kandinsky, Picasso, Chagall, Magritte, Kahlo, Hopper, O'Keefe, Lawrence, Pollock, Warhol, Rauschenberg, Stella.
I have this and the Composers Fandex. I'm very pleased with the Composers one (again, given my intended use). I've liked the Fandex format enough to pick up the 50 States and Presidents ones (based on interest). I have just been disappointed in the Painters set.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brief and interesting, January 7, 2006
This review is from: Painters: Masters of Western Art (Fandex Family Field Guides) (Cards)
Fandex Field Guides, to me, are the best form of bathroom entertainment. You learn something in a short period of time, and the painters guide is one of my favorites. The painters are presented in chronological order, and there is a painting or photo of each one--it appears that each painting is a self-portrait, but I'm not sure about every single one. They're fun for my preteen son, as well. This is something I would particularly recommend if your family were going to visit an art museum. It's an easy introduction to the world of art for any age.
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