Customer Reviews

Techniques of the Great Masters of Art (A QED book)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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Here is a book for the serious art student as well as the accomplished artist. Had this book been available when I was in art school, I know my development would have been much easier and faster. I gain much from it every time I study this book , which is quite often.

This is one of the most exciting books on the history of art in combination with the technique of great masters that you can come across. Richly illustrated and covering a wide range of artists, this book does not merely give a biography of the artist and an example of his works. Its attraction lies in the fact that one painting of each artist is analysed in detail including sequence of painting, materials and techniques used from the start to finish with some good close-ups and analysis. This is a rare book which brings actual clarity to the reader who may be eager to learn as to how certain effects were achieved by many masters, while at no time erasing the mystique associated with the masterpieces. It has the potential to greatly accelerate the learning curve of an intermediate painter while remaining of value even to the pro. Rich, stimulating, good value for money and a treat in all respects, this book will be near the top of the chart of your favorites in its category, if not numero uno.

If you have ever walked right up next to a painting to look for the strokes -- whether Van Gogh's short three-dimensional lavings or the almost invisible thin applications of Dutch masters -- this is a book that will please you. One thing that's particularly fascinating about its focus is that it leads you into the mute physical processes of creation -- the things an artist's hand and wrist may know that can never be said in a letter or credo, no matter how articulate the painter. And the author has taken care to show exactly what he's talking about at each stage, with clear (and often considerably enlarged) illustrations from the canvases under discussion. It's a treat.

Other reviewers have given this book five stars and rightly so but I thought they didn't quite reveal how good it is.

Don't be put of by the words Great Masters in the title, it actually covers artists from the Old Masters (1300-1860) Impressionists (1860-1905) and Modern Masters (1905-1980). A hundred paintings, in color, from seventy-seven artists are considered and each work gets the same treatment, for instance Roy Lichtenstein's 'Whaam!' gets two spreads. The first page has a small photo of the artist and about three hundred words regarding his painting technique, this text relates to seven small line drawings and captions revealing how he worked. The right-hand page has a picture of Whaam! and a preparatory black and white drawing, both have long captions. The next spread has four life size details of the painting (each with a simple thumbnail of the work to show where the detail comes from) and again long captions explaining techniques and the materials used.

It is the life size illustrations that, to me, make this book special. There are plenty of visual art history books, my favorites are the Phaidon series: The Art Book, The 20TH Century Art Book and The American Art Book, all bursting with whole page works of art but it is only when you can see a lifesize close-up of the work (plus a detailed caption) that things somehow start to fall into place and a greater appreciation is acquired. There is something special in looking at part of Henri Rousseau's 'The Dream' or Frank Stella's 'Hyena Stomp' and knowing that you're seeing part of the painting the same size as these artists created it.

Apart from looking at art techniques (and history) in a rather unusual way another reason I love this book is because it is beautifully designed and printed. You can use it as a reference work or just browse through some stunning paintings and understand them and their creators more.

BTW It originally came out in 1985 and it seems there are various reprints so I think it's worth checking the page numbers to see that you buy the complete book. This edition has 541 pages plus another eighteen unnumbered pages at the back. There are three sections to the book (Old Masters, Impressionists and Modern Masters) and I believe each section has been published as a single book.


***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.

This is a superb book, well laid-out, with many excellent reproductions and an informed text. In a perfect world, there would be many books like this, not just a few.

This book looks at art history from the point of view of the practicing artist instead of the art historian. As such, it is an excellent companion to books such as Gardner's "Art Through the Ages". Very good read.