What's the Point of Art?

by D.K. Publishing

Get your paints and canvases ready for a fun-filled journey through art! Explore how artists get ideas and bring them to life, how art can affect the way we think and feel, and why people throughout history loved it so much.

Why is art important? What’s so great about it? In this illustrated book, you’ll see the world through famous artists’ eyes, and what inspired them to make art. And you’ll use their techniques to produce your own masterpieces.

Did you know that early humans spent a great deal of time on their cave paintings? Before cameras and smartphones were invented, people had paintings and drawings made of them to keep a record of what they looked like. Many artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, used art as a language to express their feelings, thoughts, and emotions in ways that words couldn’t. Explore techniques you can use to create art, and you don’t have to be good at drawing and painting to do it. If you want to learn why art has the power to be beautiful, shocking, entertaining, and even political, What’s the Point of Art? is the place to start.

This book is about how art has changed the world, one artistic movement at a time, and it is guaranteed to inspire, surprise, and entertain everyone who picks it up.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

128 pages, Hardcover

Published April 16, 2024

About the author

Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical DK in that there's a lot of different things going on. But great for the patient reader who really wants a thorough answer to the question of the title. Great for 'art appreciation' month in the GR group Children's Books, March 2026.

Could use larger & more photos of actual works. I guess nowadays we're expected to do further research online? I mean, of course I can & will, but it's still a pain & an interruption.

Could use a stronger font for weaker or older eyes. Even with bright light it's often difficult, especially black text on dark blue!

Good that it includes timelines, plenty of non-European examples, and contributions by women.

I appreciate that it reveals (again, upon close reading) that the printmakers who carved the artists' images deserve a lot more credit than they get. I hope they got paid commiserate with their skill!

The last bit, about the most recent work including Land Art, Performance Art, Op Art, etc. is the most interesting to me because I am old and never learned any of that in school. And it's difficult to be an auto-didact about art.

There are other tidbits that a close reading reveals. I mean, everyone has different gaps in their knowledge, right? Well, I never knew why Hindu deities had multiple arms... this book says each "represents a different aspect of the god. Representations of the gods carry their attributes objects that are associated with them."

Also, Easter Island, or at least a Park on it, is now more respectfully called Rapa Nui. I am too tired to parse the Wikipedia article on it atm. But the book gets the Moai wrong. They are more than just heads. Look it up; it's interesting.

Artists from whom I want to see more work are Paul Cezanne, Araniko, Bridget Riley, Barbara Hepworth, especially.

[Shilo Quetchenbach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very visually appealing book with a good overview of the history of art and the many different kinds of art. The text is presented in an easy to understand way and formatted to keep the eye moving across the page with lots of little sidebars and popouts of text to snag the attention. There are many pictures and illustrations on each page and the background and decorative elements on the pages are vibrant and colorful. This is a great guide for elementary-school or middle-school aged kiddos interested in art.

*Thanks to DK Publishing for providing an early copy for review.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. This is a great read for all artists especially beginner artists. I loved learning about new-to-me artists and have looked up several artists. I loved learning about art from different time periods. The illustrations were amazing and I really appreciated the glossary that was included in the back of the book.

*Thank you, NetGalley, for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

comprehensive collection. brought back lots i learned in school. New, and not so well known artists included, so you can expand from who/what is covered.
more engaging if read with an adult to go off on tangents.