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Art: The World's Greatest Paintings Explored and Explained (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "In judging any outstanding performance, whether by an athlete, a musician, an actor, or an artist, technical ability is one of the prime considerations..." (more)
Key Phrases: hay wain, las meninas, National Gallery, Mona Lisa, Fra Angelico (more...)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

YA?An exploration of some of the world's great paintings, ranging from the works of 14th-century Giotto through the Renaissance and Baroque periods to Neo-Classicists and Romantics, on to the Impressionists and Cubists up to Picasso. Cumming describes and decodes each of 45 paintings by graphic commentary using six guidelines: the subject, the technique, the symbolism, space and light, historical style, and personal interpretation. Detailed sections of each painting are analyzed to point out symbols or obscure subjects, to locate unusual signings by the artist, and to describe materials used.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Cumming, chair of Christie's Education, London, takes readers on a guided tour of 45 of the Western world's great works of art. In typical Dorling Kindersley style?reflecting the influence of CD-ROMs, perhaps?each work is illustrated in full and surrounded by numerous excerpted details, sidebars, and annotations. Cumming succinctly discusses the subject, technique, symbolism, space and light elements, and historical style of each and adds his personal interpretation. For Hans Holbein's "The Ambassadors," for example, Cumming gives a short biography of the artist, explains the crises in Europe alluded to in the painting, and points out the odd form in the foreground. The latter, he explains, is a distorted death's-head that is meaningless if viewed from the front but from a certain angle takes the shape of a skull. While not as ambitious as Sister Wendy Beckett's The Story of Painting (LJ 11/15/94), this is an exciting introduction to painting for general collections at an attractive price.?Daniel J. Lombardo, Jones Lib., Amherst, Mass.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 104 pages
  • Publisher: DK ADULT (April 4, 1995)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0888503245
  • ISBN-13: 978-1564588487
  • ASIN: 1564588483
  • Product Dimensions: 14.2 x 10.6 x 0.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #260,186 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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More About the Author

Robert Cumming
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
In judging any outstanding performance, whether by an athlete, a musician, an actor, or an artist, technical ability is one of the prime considerations. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
hay wain, las meninas
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
National Gallery, Mona Lisa, Fra Angelico, Sistine Chapel, Count Orgaz, Old Testament, Arena Chapel, Garden of Eden, High Art, Catholic Church, Holy Spirit, Leonardo da Vinci, Museo del Prado, Santo Tomé, Willy Lot, Mary Magdalene, Mother of Christ, Musée du Louvre, River Seine, Courtauld Institute Galleries, French Revolution, High Renaissance, Italian Renaissance, Pope Julius, River Jordan
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars If you only invest in 1 book to learn about art, this is it., December 25, 2001
By Lover of Mysteries "avatar_of_ares" (Norridge, IL United States) - See all my reviews
This book is a great introduction or review for adults or teens. Using famous works of art, in color sure beats the first art appreciation book I read in college which had drawings and black and white grainy photos. Even with a degree in art history, I found this book a great refresher.
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for starters, December 28, 2004
I got interested in painting while I was living in Italy for a few months. Wish I had this book with me. Some noteable features:

1. Excellent color plates
2. Tastefully selected paintings, each showing a different nuance.
3. Not overly technical so it doesnt lose a layperson like me.
4. Has my favorite painting - The School of Athens, but thats a personal plus.

Unfortunately the nice large plates mean this book (though quite small in terms of number of pages) is not a size that would fit into a travel hand bag to take with you on a trip to see the paintings.

A good companion volume is the 50 greates painters which has paintings by many of the same painters but they complement each other.
eg: Birth of Venus (this book) and Coming of Spring both by Botticelli or Mona Lisa (this book) and Madonna of the Rocks.

Overall these books are both keepers.
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars this is a terrific book, August 17, 2001
By A Customer
This is both fun and informative. Though the language may be pitched at a relatively easy level, there is nothing condescending about it. It is deeply informed, and even the professor will learn from it. Buy it without hesitation if you wish to learn about great paintings.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars It's Okay... but not what I was looking for.
It looked better on the site that in person. Most of the info I already knew (I was an art major though) and I was looking to use this for my art class. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Cassi Sultemeier

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource
I love this book!! It has already proven to be a great resource for my high school English Language Arts classes. Read more
Published 10 months ago by V. Priest

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome! Opens up your inner eye towards art
I always used to think: "Why do other people stare at those paintings? Why is painting X considered more special than painting Y". Read more
Published 22 months ago by Shan

5.0 out of 5 stars Great work well explained
This was a great book to just leave around the house, pick up whenever and learn a factoid or two about great works of art. Read more
Published on January 19, 2008 by Babylon Bookie

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book!
This is an excellent book that can be used to teach art history, art appreciation or an introduction to art. Read more
Published on February 23, 2007 by Robyn K. Osborn

4.0 out of 5 stars ART
This is a fine book for the novice who wants a quick review of what the paintings are about, some of the symbols that the masters have suppied for the deeper meanings, and a... Read more
Published on February 18, 2007 by Verna Foreman

5.0 out of 5 stars great for a lifetime of learning
This is a great book to use as a self-study course for art appreciation, to improve your knowledge of great artists or to study for a game show appearance. Read more
Published on January 18, 2007 by Lisa Oh

5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading
If you love art and want to learn more about some of history's greatest paintings then this book is required reading. Read more
Published on January 26, 2006 by Alamo_guy

5.0 out of 5 stars Art; World's Greatest Paintings
This is like walking through a museum. Makes a great gift.
Published on July 26, 2005 by Art Smart

5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
My Mother is really into art and I bought this for her b-day. When I got it I looked through it and it was very informational and had some really cool facts and pictures about... Read more
Published on July 2, 2004

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