A user-friendly guide invites young readers to see, make, and experience a wide variety of art forms, from a shaman's mask to Picasso's Guernica, and includes a glossary, timeline, suggested readings, and more than two hundred illustrations.
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Any art-appreciation book that embraces a Tintin comic strip and an Indian automaton tiger eating a British soldier and shows them deference equal to that paid masterpieces by Picasso, Durer and Michelangelo is a rare find. But Davidson is a rare guide. In addition to exploring technique, style, social history and iconography of decorative as well as fine art, she addresses less obvious matters, like body language and how artists support themselves. Her astute commentary leaves plenty of room for the reader's own reactions, and the visual and emotional variety and arrangement of images is entrancing. Women--as artists, artisans and subjects--are included at every turn, as are cultural milieus ranging from the Medici court to an Afghani yurt. Its very inclusiveness makes this a formidable book, but also a vastly rewarding one. Unfortunately, the design is flat and pages seem crowded, while muddied reproductions diminish the impact of the featured works. A timeline, glossary and bibliography are included. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 6 Up-Davidson comments on 200 or so reproduced objects, making mainline observations in simple if less than lively language. Information about the pieces and/or their creators dominate the brief text and ample captions. She structures her episodic approach around the question "What's Art For?" and examines functions such as "Telling a Story," "Decoration," "Magic," etc. There are also chapters on "Learning the Language of Art" and "Artists Earning Their Living." The emphasis is always on getting readers to go beyond looking in order to "see," i.e., to create personal meaning from the process of observing. The author chooses effective examples from many cultures and times to compare and to point out some underlying common traits, as well as multiple variations on certain themes. Unfortunately, the pages are too densely packed-there are no places for the eyes to rest, no visual invitation to linger. And too often the pictures are treated, due to their small size and cramped positions, as subordinate to the words. Further, there's a puzzling overbearing redness to the color reproductions that clouds their aesthetic qualities. A selective timeline of the same European history that predominates the chapters is a useful supplement.
Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kenneth Marantz, Art Education Department, Ohio State University, Columbus
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
I loved it!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Take a Look: An Introduction to the Experience of Art (Hardcover)
This is a wonderful, comprehensive guide to art! All sorts of art are included, and it is a very engaging read.
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