The Art Book by Dorling Kindersley Publishing

The Art Book
by Dorling Kindersley Publishing [709 Art] 

I’m a huge fan of the series of Big Ideas Simply Explained books, put out by the publisher Dorling Kindersley. I own the three volumes dedicated to the very specific topics of Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes and Star Trek. But I also enjoy the volumes in that series which cover much broader topics, such as Psychology, History, Science and Economics. As the series title indicates, the Big Ideas Simply Explained series takes broad topics — in this case the world and history of Art — and breaks them down into easily understand essays, articles and bullet points, so that pretty much anyone can understand the topic. In the case of Art, the subject is broken down into the following sections: Prehistoric and Ancient Art, The Medieval World, Renaissance and Mannerism, Baroque to Neoclassicism, Romanticism to Symbolism, and The Modern Age. Within each section, there are sub-chapters focusing on specific schools or styles of art, with breakout articles or focus pieces of significant artists. Throw in extensive timelines and “infographics” showing how so many things are interrelated and you’ve got a fascinating art history book, which can easily be read cover to cover, or which can be sampled based on what you’re in the mood for.

Dorling Kindersley as a publisher is best know for the extensive graphics in their books — illustrations, charts, etc., but most especially full-color photographs or art reproductions. For this history of art, that Dorling Kindersley style is used to full effect.

Highly recommended! Although if you’re looking for in-depth analysis of specific artists or artistic styles (impressionism, dadaism, expressionism, etc.), you’ll find plenty of other books in the library collection that go into greater depth on such topics. But if you’re looking for a nice broad overview, with beautiful illustrations, this will work just fine!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of the other Big Ideas Simply Explained books, for other topics. Or, for more on general art history, check out the 709 number range in the non-fiction.] [ official The Art Book web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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