This book sets out to present one work of art from 500 different artist. This sounds good in theory, but since all the artists and their one work of art are listed alphabetically, the end result is eclectic and chaotic. This would have been a much better book, had the same contents been arranged chronologically or at least thematically. As it stands though, the paintings (there are a few sculptures and installations here and there, but I will mostly refer to just paintings) jump all over the place in time and subject. It also seems unfair to have some amazing, iconic painters reduced to just one work of art, which is hardly representative of their overall contribution, whereas others (especially some of the more contemporary artists) could easily have been left out of the book altogether. A sublime bit of toilet reading for me. At two or three paintings per trip to the washroom, the enjoyment will last for the better part of a year! How nifty is that? Calder, lobster trap and fishtail (interesting to see the use of the word mobile in art in a pre cellphone era. "Calder was the inventor of the mobile in 1932". What is more of an abomination, comparing the older or recent creation, I can't decide). Romanticism encompassed restless violence (following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte), exoticism and serene spirituality. It championed the cause of individual freedom and encouraged independent thought and questioning of authority. Focus was on artificial subjects of myth, allegory and history along with idealised figures and grandiose poses. Rebecca West's iconic quotation speaks to her belief of art transforming our human existence into something that is meaningful. In our lives we are inundated with materialism and simply surviving ("being").

What makes the book loose seriousness is the tendency of the editors to select laughable modern or conceptual art. I don't blame them, if the art world considers some artists as masters, then who am I to judge. OK, I judge. Especially since the rest of the review is more of a rant, for personal indulgence/reference, including funny/pretentious quotes from the book at the end. I've always wanted to learn more about art and art history, and this was a good sampling. It takes 500 different artists and shows one work from each of them. It was a nice introduction to artists I hadn't heard of before, and it gave a brief synopsis of the work and the artist. The Modern Age (between 1900 and the outbreak of World War 1) was a time of unrivalled artistic experimentation as the questioning and rejection of long-standing ideas of previous ages were intensified with a succession of innovative styles and movements. Artists in the 15th and 16th centuries were fascinated with depicting seasonal landscapes, finding inspiration in changing colours and moods, and in the notion of the passing of time. This is the only book I've read in the last couple of months. I've been in a horrible reading slump lately but somehow, I felt oddly motivated to get through this book cover to cover.

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Timelines, biographies, references, illustrations, explanations of context and iconography - for people who have no previous knowledge of art history, this volume delivers a clear and interesting overview of art from the beginnings in cave painting to the performance art of recent times. For regular museum visitors, it offers an overview of art in various contexts and functions, adding a portfolio of the most important masterpieces of each period.

We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview. The Art Book explores the more than 80 of the world's most groundbreaking artworks by history's most influential painters, sculptors, and artists with stunning visuals and insightful quotations. Discover key artworks and artists from across the globe, stretching from the prehistoric Altamira cave paintings and Chinese jade carvings to more impressionism, symbolism, cubism, and pop art. With years of art and design writing experience, Creative Bloq and our contributors have read, reviewed and ranked many of the best art books on the market. We’ve compiled all that knowledge into one place (right here!) and have found the best recommendations to help you become a better artist, from old classics to recent publications. But ironically, the editors and the artists themselves unashamedly express the same points in a language/philosophy that's more ridiculous than any writer's satire. I copy here some of the earnest fawning quotes/blurbs from the book.The captions provide adequate details both about the paintings and the artists. You will learn a detail or two about the paintings, the lives of the artists and even a few fun facts every now and then. It is somewhat sad though to read references to all sorts of other paintings done by the same artists. The format of the book dictates that we can only see one painting per artist and to see the rest, we would have to turn to other books or the internet. This period was classified by landscape paintings, portraits, sculptures and frescoes that not only glorified religious figures, but also depicted kings, queens, nobility and common folk. Series of satirical (criticising the government) and industrial (celebrating progress) pieces also emerged. Early Medieval and Renaissance artists used model books for their source materials. Woodcut printing also became popular as paper became cheaper. Abstract Art - the notion behind abstract art (that colours and forms have qualities independent of subject matter) existed since ancient times. Genuine abstract art that does not represent recognisable scenes or objects but consists of forms, shapes and colours depicted for their own sake is a modern phenomenon. Prehistoric Art consisted mostly of cave paintings and crude sculptures with exaggerated features. The purpose of the Art was mainly for rituals regarding hunting and burial. Despite the limited pallets, artists were creative, drawing animals on bumpy cave-walls to give them a three dimensional feel and painting them in several, lifelike colours.

The perfect prescription for someone who thinks Kupka might have something to do with the continuing cup-cake craze. Remember how this book was seen throughout the whole Friends series? First at Central Perk, then at Monica's. Now it's on my shelf, thanks to Patty :) Another amusing/sad detail, you can tell from each entry's blurb how good/bad the art is going to be. If the blurb is actually describing the painting or has some psychological/social context, chances are something imaginative or skillful follows and that something is from the nineteenth century or earlier. If the blurb is talking about symbols, concepts, ideas and the philosophy of the artist, chances are something ridiculous follows and that something is from the twentieth century (with exceptions of course, the century has had its share of impressive artists). Reading the book, it's difficult to ignore a theme which comes up repeatedly, so many artists seem to be even more manifesto loving, social driven creatures than some stereotypes suggest. So many times, the artist is described to follow philosophy/school A, then switches to philosophy/school B, or idolizes artist/mentor C, then switches to artist/mentor D, or creates a clique E, then switches to collective F, and so it goes. I don't think you get to see that so much in other art forms (for example, with writers or even musicians), where usually, the serious artists dislike (or at least claim to dislike) the notion of genres, tribes or ideology. Anyway, art is different, it requires technical skill (well, see subsequent paragraphs on that), and comes from a tradition of manual workmanship, perhaps it makes sense that when the apprenticeship system weakened amidst the social changes of the modern age, substitute forms would take its place.This really should have been called The Western Art Book. There is only one Asian artist represented, and Latin America is limited to a few Cubans and Mexicans. Everyone else is completely absent. Boltanski, reserve of dead Swiss (your reservation has been cancelled. Is that even legal by the way, using photographs of dead people from local newspapers for the unauthorized purpose of an art installation? I'd normally laugh at the artwork's description but considering the topic, the blurb angered me instead "in previous works, Boltanski had used photographs of Jewish children. Here, by using images of the Swiss, a race associated with neutrality rather than a specific and terrible fate, Boltanski lays greater emphasis on the universality of mortality").

I guess I'm being narrow-minded at best or philistine at worse, anyway these are old criticisms that others have expressed better. I vaguely remember many eloquent, fun lines from Tom Wolfe's "painted world" on the topic. Although in the spirit of negativity in this review, I also remember extremely repetitious blah blah, and what should have been a brief, fun, ranty article, not a "proper" book. Yet, let's find something good to quote from it from Wikiquote (and as it turns out, even the quote on its own is repetitive). Photography emerged as a new art form. Aestheticism was an art movement (Art for art's sake) that evolved in the second half of the 19th century. The Femme fatale was a favourite theme of Symbolist painters. Buren, two levels (I sentence this column to ten years in prison, for contempt of the court of aesthetics and public opinion). What a delight! A selection of 500 works of art, paintings and sculptures alike, from 500 different artists with no reference to nationality, school of thought, medium, date or topic. The works are presented alphabetically by artist and each work is accompanied by explanatory information on it and its creator. THE ART BOOK is “an unparalleled visual source book and a celebration of our rich and multi-faceted culture.” For those fans particularly taken by any given work of art who might like to find an opportunity to see it in the flesh, each work and, of course, each artist, is cross-referenced with an international directory of galleries and museums to visit. Baumeister, mortaruru with red overhead (Willi by name, Baumeister by nature, or vice versa, just too easy, so no retitling. You'd think someone with such a fantastic three in one name would be extra self-conscious to do serious work).I was eager to read this because of my interest in art history, and its seemingly lively style of presenting information. If you're looking for something along the lines of "fun facts about art", this would cut it - it's educational and simple enough to read due to its infographic-style layout, illustrations and explanations. The industrial revolution, apart from being an economic and political change, also inspired a great many artworks of the secular kind.