Reviewed by Jeanne
I like art. Ever since
a long-ago college course in Art History, I’ve been fascinated by it. My taste is admittedly pedestrian, of the “I
know what I like” variety, but I just enjoy looking at various works. This art book by DK, a publisher known for
beautiful illustrations, is a hefty tome but packed full of beautiful pictures
and interesting tidbits. It’s not
scholarly, which for me is a point in its favor. I don’t know enough about painting techniques
or art theory to appreciate it on that level.
This one takes a chatty but informative approach, aimed at enhancing the
reader’s appreciation of a pretty picture—which I love.
It’s arranged more or less chronologically, starting with cave
paintings. Items of interest are pointed out and explained briefly, including
sometimes what the item represents or how a line focuses the viewer’s
attention. It’s not just paintings,
though; sculpture also makes up a number of entries. There’s the famous bust of Nefertiti, the
Chinese terra-cotta army, Olmec heads, Greek pottery, and Assyrian bas
relief. I learned a lot about items I
thought I already knew, giving me a new appreciation for the piece.
For example, there’s the Venus de Milo— otherwise known as that
sculpture of the lady with the missing arms.
From another fragment of the statue found, it appears she might have
been holding an apple in one hand; perhaps it was a reference to the myth about
the “Judgment of Paris,” though it could also have been a pun as “Milos” sounds
like apple in ancient Greek. Her
earlobes are missing, possibly broken off during a theft, as the statue was
once adorned with jewelry.
Just as intriguing are some of the works that I didn’t know,
which opened new worlds for me. I prefer
older works, but this book also tried to explain modern art to me in ways I
could almost understand.
In short, this is a magnificent browsing book, one that can be
picked up and enjoyed over and over.
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