Thus, a painting from the Renaissance is next to the work from a 20th century modern abstractionist. As the editors note, the alphabetical arrangement leads to some startling contrasts since proximate works in the book can be separated by centuries and continents in terms of their actual production. 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. It's actually a nice read if you're into arts and stuff, and of course I cannot brag for reading it, rather browsed through.

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"). There is only one Asian artist represented, and Latin America is limited to a few Cubans and Mexicans. It's for such an audience/reader that this book is great, to get acquainted (to pick a sample of names) to "older" (say, born before mid nineteenth century) artists like Hendrick Avercamp, Honore Daumier, Atkinson Grimshaw, John Martin, Jean Francois Millet, and also more modern ones (again, a biased sample of some I found extra memorable) like Max Beckmann, Victor Brauner, Edward Burra, Paul Delvaux, Otto Dix, Raoul Dufy, James Ensor, George Grosz, Gwen John, Wifredo Lam, Laurence Stephen Lowry, Roberto Matta, Paul Nash, Diego Rivera, Rufino Tamayo, Alfred Wallis, Carel Weight. If you take it as a coffee book only to browse here and there, this book is ok, even if the quality of the repros is below average. Hundreds of artists, drawn from many times, movements, places, one page spread per artist--one work, one short explanation, a little attempt to locate the artist in time and movement.

The inevitable juxtaposition of different eras/periods (since the entries are alphabetical), creates an unintentionally comical and sad effect. An A to Z guide to 500 great painters and sculptors from medieval to modern times, it debunks art historical classifications by throwing together brilliant examples of all periods, schools, visions and techniques. It is somewhat sad though to read references to all sorts of other paintings done by the same artists. It also demonstrates the unique interaction between the flatness of the picture's surface and the wall plane behind. 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.

Art made its final flight, climbed higher and higher in an ever decreasing tighter turning spiral until. Also the depicted scenes (at least until the beginning of the 20th century) are from either Roman or Christian mythology or Western European aristocratic and everyday life. 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. This is also by far the heaviest book I own--you could do strength training with it--but it's worth its weight. demonstrates Judd's simplification of shape, volume, colour and surface, and reduces art to its basic essential, the cube.

Minimalist in style, like all his other pieces, the work is deliberately intended not to represent, imitate or express anything. It does what the title says so probably deserves 5 stars but it lacks sufficient depth or enquiry for my tastes. plus page protectors and binders, I have over 500 pieces of art that can be passed around my classroom. Then we got rid of airiness, brushstrokes, most of the paint, and the last viruses of drawing and complicated designs". Great little book if you take it for what it is - something to dip into to stimulate ideas or discussion.

this book can for some one didn't know art and that can geive some one want to learn word art thay can read that book. Make sure this isn't your only art book in your library, but definately a good place to start when loking for reference, or pictures, or styles, or whatever you are looking for. Fasteners form an integral part of the blank composition, which aims to rid the painting of any trace of painterly illusion. other thing is for the the art have mandy year's old and have mandy people want to learn more about art.The perfect prescription for someone who thinks Kupka might have something to do with the continuing cup-cake craze. 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). Calder, lobster trap and fishtail (interesting to see the use of the word mobile in art in a pre cellphone era.