De Monalisa a los Simpsons, por qué las grandes obras de arte se han convertido en iconos de nuestro tiempo

by Francesca Bonazzoli

This highly entertaining exploration of art, history, and commerce reveals how 30 masterpieces made the journey from image to icon. How did paintings such as the Mona Lisa and The Scream achieve worldwide recognition? Why do certain artworks populate T-shirts, mugs, calendars, and advertising? Witty and well researched, this accessible exploration of visual and pop culture reveals how particular works of art have become part of the collective imagination. Readers will learn that Myron's Discobolus only became widely known when used to promote the Olympics, that Leonardo's Last Supper was one of the first paintings to be mass-reproduced, that the Mona Lisa became a celebrity only after being stolen from the Louvre, and that Girl with a Pearl Earring was deemed a minor Vermeer until it became the subject of a bestselling novel. Ranging from classical to contemporary, traveling through the Renaissance, Surrealism, and abstraction, Mona Lisa to Marge offers insights that are in turn thought provoking and surprising. Generously illustrated, it features the original artworks as well as the cartoons, ads, book and album covers, and everyday objects they inspired. The book will open readers' eyes to the artistic images that have become universal touchstones--and the fascinating stories of how and why they got there.

Genres: Nonfiction, Art

143 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[nonoyax · Rating 4 out of 5]

súper interesante si quieres conocer obras de arte muy conocidas y algunos datos sobre ellas

[Puty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice coffee table book about some of the (arguably) most famous artworks, from Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to Warhol's Gold Marilyn Monroe, from Botticelli's Birth of Venus to Hopper's Nighthawks. This book gives people who aren't art aficionado proper introduction of the artworks along with interesting facts about why and how these particular pieces are more popular and relevant after many decades.

I would recommend this book for those who already have some interests and basic knowledge about painting and sculpture because even the cover looks pop, it is written by art historian, critic & curator. So yeah.

[Fernanda Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considero que es un muy buen libro para cualquier persona que busca adentrarse al mar que es el arte.

[Anya · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars.

The physical book itself is beautiful, obviously, since it's filled from front to bottom with the most iconic, if not also beautiful, pieces of artwork from around the world, from ancient greek period to the recent years.

The descriptions are short but packed with information, so we don't waste much time dealing with anything in particular. Overall an easy to read, yet informative, and pleasing to the eyes experience.

[Ayesha Ratnayake · Rating 4 out of 5]

The average person's opportunity to seem cultured, with insightful overviews on the world's most famous artworks and artists, the events that catapulted them to glory, and the quirky ways in which popular media has repurposed them.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intelligent, informed and entertaining. I learned a lot about a subject I mistakenly thought I knew a lot about already.

[Nesya · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I like about this book, because it not only feature the famous fine-art pieces but also how they inspired some of modern works such as advertisements.

[Tutankhamun18 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be very nice as a coffeetable book. Provides 4 pages per artwork. Means that you can get a nice overview. This book has a fascinating topic and it is definately more an introduction to the topic, but as this was the first book on the topic of art works as icons instead of art, it was really good.

[Alfiero Santarelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Racconta meravigliosamente come sono nati i capolavori, il loro ruolo nella vita del creatore, e nella maggior parte dei casi mostra esempi sorprendenti dei loro predecessori e discendenti. Ben scritto e naturale da leggere, raro per un libro che parla di arte.