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

[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.*