What do you think?
David Hockney's A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings
A History of Pictures takes young readers on an adventure through art history. From cave paintings to video games, this book shows how and why pictures have been made, linking art to the human experience. Hockney and Gayford explain each piece of art in the book, helping young minds to grasp difficult concepts. The book tracks the many twists and turns toward artistic invention, allowing readers to fully appreciate how and why art has changed and includes an illustrated timeline of inventions. All new illustrations by Rose Blake add a personal perspective on a wide variety of images. A History of Pictures will inspire creative minds and help them to understand the legacy of the pictures we see today. The book also includes a bibliography and index.
128 pages, Hardcover
Published October 2, 2018
About the author
David Hockney
211 books158 followersDavid Hockney (9 July 1937 - 11 June 2026) was a renowned English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer, and photographer.
He loved books and was interested in art from an early age, admiring Picasso, Matisse and Fragonard. His parents encouraged their son’s artistic exploration, and gave him the freedom to doodle and daydream.
Hockney attended the Bradford College of Art from 1953 to 1957. Then, because he was a conscientious objector to military service, he spent two years working in hospitals to fulfill his national service requirement. In 1959, he entered graduate school at the Royal College of Art in London alongside other young artists such as Peter Blake and Allen Jones, and he experimented with different forms, including abstract expressionism. He did well as a student, and his paintings won prizes and were purchased for private collections.
Hockney’s early paintings incorporated his literary leanings, and he used fragments of poems and quotations from Walt Whitman in his work. This practice, and paintings such as We Two Boys Clinging Together, which he created in 1961, were the first nods to his homosexuality in his art.
Because he frequently went to the movies with his father as a child, Hockney once quipped that he was raised in both Bradford and Hollywood. He was drawn to the light and the heat of California, and first visited Los Angeles in 1963. He officially moved there in 1966. The swimming pools of L.A. were one of his favorite subjects, and he became known for large, iconic works such as A Bigger Splash. His expressionistic style evolved, and by the 1970s, he was considered more of a realist.
In addition to pools, Hockney painted the interiors and exteriors of California homes. In 1970, this led to the creation of his first “joiner,” an assemblage of Polaroid photos laid out in a grid. Although this medium would become one his claims to fame, he stumbled upon it by accident. While working on a painting of a Los Angeles living room, he took a series of photos for his own reference, and fixed them together so he could paint from the image. When he finished, however, he recognized the collage as an art form unto itself, and began to create more.
Hockney was an adept photographer, and he began working with photography more extensively. By the mid 1970s, he had all but abandoned painting in favor of projects involving photography, lithographs, and set and costume design for the ballet, opera and theater.
In the late 1980s, Hockney returned to painting, primarily painting seascapes, flowers and portraits of loved ones. He also began incorporating technology in his art, creating his first homemade prints on a photocopier in 1986. The marriage of art and technology became an ongoing fascination—he used laser fax machines and laser printers in 1990, and in 2009 he started using the Brushes app on iPhones and iPads to create paintings. A 2011 exhibit at the Royal Museum of Ontario showcased 100 of these paintings.
In a 2011 poll of more than 1,000 British artists, Hockney was voted the most influential British artist of all time. He continued to paint and exhibit, and advocated for funding for the arts.
source: http://www.biography.com/people/david...
He loved books and was interested in art from an early age, admiring Picasso, Matisse and Fragonard. His parents encouraged their son’s artistic exploration, and gave him the freedom to doodle and daydream.
Hockney attended the Bradford College of Art from 1953 to 1957. Then, because he was a conscientious objector to military service, he spent two years working in hospitals to fulfill his national service requirement. In 1959, he entered graduate school at the Royal College of Art in London alongside other young artists such as Peter Blake and Allen Jones, and he experimented with different forms, including abstract expressionism. He did well as a student, and his paintings won prizes and were purchased for private collections.
Hockney’s early paintings incorporated his literary leanings, and he used fragments of poems and quotations from Walt Whitman in his work. This practice, and paintings such as We Two Boys Clinging Together, which he created in 1961, were the first nods to his homosexuality in his art.
Because he frequently went to the movies with his father as a child, Hockney once quipped that he was raised in both Bradford and Hollywood. He was drawn to the light and the heat of California, and first visited Los Angeles in 1963. He officially moved there in 1966. The swimming pools of L.A. were one of his favorite subjects, and he became known for large, iconic works such as A Bigger Splash. His expressionistic style evolved, and by the 1970s, he was considered more of a realist.
In addition to pools, Hockney painted the interiors and exteriors of California homes. In 1970, this led to the creation of his first “joiner,” an assemblage of Polaroid photos laid out in a grid. Although this medium would become one his claims to fame, he stumbled upon it by accident. While working on a painting of a Los Angeles living room, he took a series of photos for his own reference, and fixed them together so he could paint from the image. When he finished, however, he recognized the collage as an art form unto itself, and began to create more.
Hockney was an adept photographer, and he began working with photography more extensively. By the mid 1970s, he had all but abandoned painting in favor of projects involving photography, lithographs, and set and costume design for the ballet, opera and theater.
In the late 1980s, Hockney returned to painting, primarily painting seascapes, flowers and portraits of loved ones. He also began incorporating technology in his art, creating his first homemade prints on a photocopier in 1986. The marriage of art and technology became an ongoing fascination—he used laser fax machines and laser printers in 1990, and in 2009 he started using the Brushes app on iPhones and iPads to create paintings. A 2011 exhibit at the Royal Museum of Ontario showcased 100 of these paintings.
In a 2011 poll of more than 1,000 British artists, Hockney was voted the most influential British artist of all time. He continued to paint and exhibit, and advocated for funding for the arts.
source: http://www.biography.com/people/david...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
October 31, 2018
And now, a couple words about expository nonfiction. I . . . .
Hey! Hey, where the heck do you people think you’re going? Come right back here this instant! Right now. Sit! Siiiiiit. Sit sit sit!!
*huff* Really, people. I know they’re scary words when brought together, but you simply can’t just skip to Fiction all the time. And yes, I know that the spoonful of sugar you use to choke down nonfiction is to go for the narrative stuff all the time. You think it’ll be less painful if it’s in the form of a story. You may have convinced yourself that expository nonfiction (no story, just the facts, ma’am) is dull as dishwater. Well here’s the 411 on that, my darlings. Since I’m talking about a children’s book here, the fact of the matter is that you probably know some kids that like nonfiction. And what’s more, some of them probably aren’t huge fans of the narrative stuff. Shocking, I know! But you know that kid that memorized the names of all the dinosaurs? The one that knows every single breed of cat? The one that checks out the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records out of the library every month until the spine is cracked and the page with the world’s longest fingernails keeps constantly falling out? Those kids like expository nonfiction. They like it and relate to it and we darned well better give them some books with it! But after a while you can only do so many animal books or gross fact titles. History, being what it is, is infinitely flexible and adapts quite nicely to a variety of different writing styles. So it was with great pleasure that I encountered David Hockney and Martin Gayford’s A History of Pictures for Children. Based on their successful title of the same name for adults (sans the “for Children” part), this eclectic recap of pictures from cave drawings to shots taken on your phone is a charming, breezy, consistently engaging introduction to art history for young readers. It is by no means perfect, and has a couple egregious absences, but if you’re looking for expository art history for kids (and adults) of every reading preference, I can’t think of a better place to begin.
“This book isn’t written like a traditional history (in which you might expect to discover the order in which things happened)”. So say Hockney and Gayford in their Introduction at the start. Even so, there’s a rough chronological approximation to the way in which they separate out their information. Beginning with a question about why we even think about pictures, they transition smoothly into making marks on a surface, the use of light and shadows and space, how mirrors and reflections, both in art and to create art, have worked out, and then full-on painting, photography, and moving pictures. Illustrating the authors’ points throughout the book are the well-designed and laid out pages full of images of the art being discussed. To give it a kid-friendly kick, artist Rose Blake has also illustrated different sections, inserting the authors and their wiener dogs into the margins whenever possible. Back matter includes a Timeline of Inventions that aid in the creation of art, a Glossary, Endnotes, a Bibliography, a handy List of Illustrations by page number, and an Index.
I cannot think of many books about art that are made by actual working artists (that aren't already children's book illustrators, of course). Personally, I have a fondness for any book out there that proves that a person can actually make a living at something unusual. In the same year of publication of this book, for example, there’s a great narrative nonfiction title by Sy Montgomery called The Hyena Scientist. And like this book, it shows that it really is possible to have a job doing what you love. Hockney takes care to pepper this book with examples of his own work over the decades. He does this not because he’s trying to draw attention to himself (that’s just a nice plus) but because with each section he’s able to show how the technique or type of art was done in the past, and how a person could do it today. Another outcome of this is a point Hockney reiterates throughout the book: it’s not cheating. However you want to make your art, using whatever tools you prefer, that’s okay! He talks about his theory that Caravaggio used projections of his models to create his paintings and then shows the tools that he uses when he makes his own paintings. Hopefully the end result will be that kid readers will recognize that finding your own style doesn’t mean going in just one direction. Artists have options.
Because this book was based on a title written for adults, I walked in wary. I think a lot of us have seen the quick jobs done by popular titles like Fast Food Nation or The Omnivore’s Dilemma where the “young editions” are little more than a way of exploiting a new revenue stream. At their worst, these books dumb down the writing, adding little to nothing for the new intended audience. Not so this book. From the start, the creators seem to have been very precise in what art to highlight in a given section. As a result, they pretty much zero in on the cool stuff. For example, the grubby shoes from 1434’s “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck were something I’d never seen before. Likewise the 13th century painting “Six Persimmons” by Muqi where the painter created an image of six pieces of fruit with hardly any brushstrokes, “Yet he still managed to make each piece of fruit look different.” The authors don’t just make you interested in art because of what they find. They also clearly find this stuff interesting themselves. That kind of enthusiasm is contagious.
One surprise for me was the inclusion of both cinema and photography in the book. Photography in particular has a long history of getting short shrift in art history texts, and it was gratifying to see it exalted in this manner, in this kind of a book. I also very much enjoyed how the authors chose to explain how important light and shadow is in art. In one cool case they show the Tim Noble and Sue Webster piece “He/She”. In it, a pile of junk sits on the floor. A light behind the junk shines just so, creating the shadow of a woman in a crouch. Amusingly the photo neatly sidesteps the fact that the female shadow is supposed to be sitting on the toilet. Ah, but why gild the lily, eh? Kids will find this interesting enough as it is.
Now this book was originally published in the United Kingdom, and we cannot necessarily know what changes were made to the text as it wound its way across the Atlantic to our shores. What we can assume, however, is that nothing was added. And that poses a bit of a problem, because when you’re talking about the history of pictures in art, it seems a pretty big misstep to fail to include any work, and I’m talking any, by African-Americans. To not include any art from Africa or South America, aside from the usual Egyptian mentions, isn’t good either. Meanwhile we’re presented with images from Hopper, Walt Disney studios, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fred Morley, and other 20th century creators. How difficult could it have been to include the works of Charles White when discussing figures and shadows or Basquiat when talking about collage? Frida Kahlo at the very least could have made a splash. The end result is that there isn’t a black face (and almost no brown ones) in this entire book. Women fare slightly better, and in this case it does appear that Hockney and Gayford made some kind of an effort to include them As a result I noted the inclusion of Clara Peeters, Sue Webster (inseparable from Tim Noble), Julia Margaret Cameron, and Hannah Höch. Even so, there was the occasional missed opportunity. For example, early in the book we learn about the ancient hand silhouette art of the Cueva de los Manos. In recent years there has been strong evidence to suggest that prehistoric women created these silhouettes. Alas, when illustrator Rose Blake depicts our ancestors making the images, she just shows men doing the art.
My disappointment with the authors’ choices is keen, but it does present art teachers everywhere with a unique opportunity to supplement what Hockney and Gayford are talking about here with a wider range of creators. And thanks in large part to its tone and manner, I’d have to say that this is probably the most enjoyable art history book for kids I’ve ever encountered. Any title that can make you consider distance and perspective in 15th century Italian paintings must be doing something right. There is much to build off of here, and perhaps the book’s creators will do us a favor of writing more books with a wider view in the future. For now, this is the book you hand to a young artist. Show them “He/She”. Talk about the prehistoric hand paintings, the Chinese handrolls, and whatever else flags your fancy. Odds are, that contagious enthusiasm I felt from the authors will travel through you, into the kids, and who knows? Maybe we’ll welcome another artist into the world. Not a thing wrong in any way with that.
For ages 9 and up.
Hey! Hey, where the heck do you people think you’re going? Come right back here this instant! Right now. Sit! Siiiiiit. Sit sit sit!!
*huff* Really, people. I know they’re scary words when brought together, but you simply can’t just skip to Fiction all the time. And yes, I know that the spoonful of sugar you use to choke down nonfiction is to go for the narrative stuff all the time. You think it’ll be less painful if it’s in the form of a story. You may have convinced yourself that expository nonfiction (no story, just the facts, ma’am) is dull as dishwater. Well here’s the 411 on that, my darlings. Since I’m talking about a children’s book here, the fact of the matter is that you probably know some kids that like nonfiction. And what’s more, some of them probably aren’t huge fans of the narrative stuff. Shocking, I know! But you know that kid that memorized the names of all the dinosaurs? The one that knows every single breed of cat? The one that checks out the latest edition of the Guinness Book of World Records out of the library every month until the spine is cracked and the page with the world’s longest fingernails keeps constantly falling out? Those kids like expository nonfiction. They like it and relate to it and we darned well better give them some books with it! But after a while you can only do so many animal books or gross fact titles. History, being what it is, is infinitely flexible and adapts quite nicely to a variety of different writing styles. So it was with great pleasure that I encountered David Hockney and Martin Gayford’s A History of Pictures for Children. Based on their successful title of the same name for adults (sans the “for Children” part), this eclectic recap of pictures from cave drawings to shots taken on your phone is a charming, breezy, consistently engaging introduction to art history for young readers. It is by no means perfect, and has a couple egregious absences, but if you’re looking for expository art history for kids (and adults) of every reading preference, I can’t think of a better place to begin.
“This book isn’t written like a traditional history (in which you might expect to discover the order in which things happened)”. So say Hockney and Gayford in their Introduction at the start. Even so, there’s a rough chronological approximation to the way in which they separate out their information. Beginning with a question about why we even think about pictures, they transition smoothly into making marks on a surface, the use of light and shadows and space, how mirrors and reflections, both in art and to create art, have worked out, and then full-on painting, photography, and moving pictures. Illustrating the authors’ points throughout the book are the well-designed and laid out pages full of images of the art being discussed. To give it a kid-friendly kick, artist Rose Blake has also illustrated different sections, inserting the authors and their wiener dogs into the margins whenever possible. Back matter includes a Timeline of Inventions that aid in the creation of art, a Glossary, Endnotes, a Bibliography, a handy List of Illustrations by page number, and an Index.
I cannot think of many books about art that are made by actual working artists (that aren't already children's book illustrators, of course). Personally, I have a fondness for any book out there that proves that a person can actually make a living at something unusual. In the same year of publication of this book, for example, there’s a great narrative nonfiction title by Sy Montgomery called The Hyena Scientist. And like this book, it shows that it really is possible to have a job doing what you love. Hockney takes care to pepper this book with examples of his own work over the decades. He does this not because he’s trying to draw attention to himself (that’s just a nice plus) but because with each section he’s able to show how the technique or type of art was done in the past, and how a person could do it today. Another outcome of this is a point Hockney reiterates throughout the book: it’s not cheating. However you want to make your art, using whatever tools you prefer, that’s okay! He talks about his theory that Caravaggio used projections of his models to create his paintings and then shows the tools that he uses when he makes his own paintings. Hopefully the end result will be that kid readers will recognize that finding your own style doesn’t mean going in just one direction. Artists have options.
Because this book was based on a title written for adults, I walked in wary. I think a lot of us have seen the quick jobs done by popular titles like Fast Food Nation or The Omnivore’s Dilemma where the “young editions” are little more than a way of exploiting a new revenue stream. At their worst, these books dumb down the writing, adding little to nothing for the new intended audience. Not so this book. From the start, the creators seem to have been very precise in what art to highlight in a given section. As a result, they pretty much zero in on the cool stuff. For example, the grubby shoes from 1434’s “The Arnolfini Portrait” by Jan Van Eyck were something I’d never seen before. Likewise the 13th century painting “Six Persimmons” by Muqi where the painter created an image of six pieces of fruit with hardly any brushstrokes, “Yet he still managed to make each piece of fruit look different.” The authors don’t just make you interested in art because of what they find. They also clearly find this stuff interesting themselves. That kind of enthusiasm is contagious.
One surprise for me was the inclusion of both cinema and photography in the book. Photography in particular has a long history of getting short shrift in art history texts, and it was gratifying to see it exalted in this manner, in this kind of a book. I also very much enjoyed how the authors chose to explain how important light and shadow is in art. In one cool case they show the Tim Noble and Sue Webster piece “He/She”. In it, a pile of junk sits on the floor. A light behind the junk shines just so, creating the shadow of a woman in a crouch. Amusingly the photo neatly sidesteps the fact that the female shadow is supposed to be sitting on the toilet. Ah, but why gild the lily, eh? Kids will find this interesting enough as it is.
Now this book was originally published in the United Kingdom, and we cannot necessarily know what changes were made to the text as it wound its way across the Atlantic to our shores. What we can assume, however, is that nothing was added. And that poses a bit of a problem, because when you’re talking about the history of pictures in art, it seems a pretty big misstep to fail to include any work, and I’m talking any, by African-Americans. To not include any art from Africa or South America, aside from the usual Egyptian mentions, isn’t good either. Meanwhile we’re presented with images from Hopper, Walt Disney studios, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fred Morley, and other 20th century creators. How difficult could it have been to include the works of Charles White when discussing figures and shadows or Basquiat when talking about collage? Frida Kahlo at the very least could have made a splash. The end result is that there isn’t a black face (and almost no brown ones) in this entire book. Women fare slightly better, and in this case it does appear that Hockney and Gayford made some kind of an effort to include them As a result I noted the inclusion of Clara Peeters, Sue Webster (inseparable from Tim Noble), Julia Margaret Cameron, and Hannah Höch. Even so, there was the occasional missed opportunity. For example, early in the book we learn about the ancient hand silhouette art of the Cueva de los Manos. In recent years there has been strong evidence to suggest that prehistoric women created these silhouettes. Alas, when illustrator Rose Blake depicts our ancestors making the images, she just shows men doing the art.
My disappointment with the authors’ choices is keen, but it does present art teachers everywhere with a unique opportunity to supplement what Hockney and Gayford are talking about here with a wider range of creators. And thanks in large part to its tone and manner, I’d have to say that this is probably the most enjoyable art history book for kids I’ve ever encountered. Any title that can make you consider distance and perspective in 15th century Italian paintings must be doing something right. There is much to build off of here, and perhaps the book’s creators will do us a favor of writing more books with a wider view in the future. For now, this is the book you hand to a young artist. Show them “He/She”. Talk about the prehistoric hand paintings, the Chinese handrolls, and whatever else flags your fancy. Odds are, that contagious enthusiasm I felt from the authors will travel through you, into the kids, and who knows? Maybe we’ll welcome another artist into the world. Not a thing wrong in any way with that.
For ages 9 and up.
November 25, 2018
“Profoundly moving and enlightening... “??? I read a number of reviews on Goodreads and Amazon before I purchased this, but am greatly disappointed. I thought it would provide insights not discussed in other art books for children. Wrong!
-Mixing one of the author’s work in among classics is just wrong, unless you want to compare yourself to them...
-showing a man smoking a cigarette as an important piece of art is just wrong.
-saying that the book explains art up to and including computerized work without once mentioning the word ‘digital’ or explaining how digital images are composed is just wrong.
-I work in an elementary school and cannot think of a single person (child or adult) who would be interested in this book. Saying it is for children is just wrong.
-using a fancy font that children with their not-fully developed eyesight and tolerance for fancy fonts and then saying it is for children is just wrong. They don’t like reading squishy text! I’ve only been in education since 1980, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.
-using “What’s next for pictures” in the last chapter heading and then not answering is also, well, wrong!
I will say two positive points: 1. It explains why silent movie actors used heavy eyeliner (even my silent-movie loving husband did not know); and 2. It makes an important point about the multitude of pictures available today and how the more pics there are, the less time spent examining them . I’ve wondered myself what will happen to the millions/billions of digital image files in the future, and the authors make a quick stab, but could have gone into this issue much deeper.
This was a minimalist refresher in art history for me, but I can’t see anything here ‘for children.’
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this book. Send me your address and the price of postage and it’s yours!
-Mixing one of the author’s work in among classics is just wrong, unless you want to compare yourself to them...
-showing a man smoking a cigarette as an important piece of art is just wrong.
-saying that the book explains art up to and including computerized work without once mentioning the word ‘digital’ or explaining how digital images are composed is just wrong.
-I work in an elementary school and cannot think of a single person (child or adult) who would be interested in this book. Saying it is for children is just wrong.
-using a fancy font that children with their not-fully developed eyesight and tolerance for fancy fonts and then saying it is for children is just wrong. They don’t like reading squishy text! I’ve only been in education since 1980, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about.
-using “What’s next for pictures” in the last chapter heading and then not answering is also, well, wrong!
I will say two positive points: 1. It explains why silent movie actors used heavy eyeliner (even my silent-movie loving husband did not know); and 2. It makes an important point about the multitude of pictures available today and how the more pics there are, the less time spent examining them . I’ve wondered myself what will happen to the millions/billions of digital image files in the future, and the authors make a quick stab, but could have gone into this issue much deeper.
This was a minimalist refresher in art history for me, but I can’t see anything here ‘for children.’
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this book. Send me your address and the price of postage and it’s yours!
November 27, 2020
Αν είσαι λάτρης της Τέχνης, τότε αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ειδικά φτιαγμένο για σένα. Τι εννοείς είσαι μόνον 7 ετών; Τόσο το καλύτερο, γιατί έχεις την ευκαιρία να σου κάνει τη μεγάλη περιήγηση στον κόσμο της Τέχνης ο ίδιος ο David Hockney παρέα με τον Martin Gayford. Ενας από τους μεγαλύτερους εικαστικούς της εποχής μας συζητά με έναν σπουδαίο κριτικό τέχνης και συγγραφέα για την ιστορία των εικόνων και των διαφορετικών τεχνικών που χρησιμοποιούνται για να δημιουργηθούν οι εικόνες που εμείς βλέπουμε όχι μόνο σε μουσεία και γκαλερί, αλλά στα κινητά μας, στους υπολογιστές μας, παντού γύρω μας.
https://kokkinialepou.gr/i-istoria-to...
https://kokkinialepou.gr/i-istoria-to...
January 6, 2019
Dit leuke, leerzame en laagdrempelige, boek is zeer geschikt om kinderen enthousiast te maken voor en kennis te laten nemen van kunst.
De kunst wordt uitgelegd aan de hand van verschillende thema's en in gesprekken tussen Hockney en Gayford.
De taal, de tekeningen en uitleg is voor kinderen leerzaam en informatief maar ook leuk en behapbaar.
Er worden diverse stijlen en tijdvakken besproken - bijv. van de oude Grieken tot aan Magritte.
Details worden uitgelicht en toegelicht.
Erg leuk en verhelderend is de uitvindingentijdlijn. Hoe heeft de mens zich d.m.v. beeld geuit door de jaren heen: van grottekening tot de smartphone - van schilderij tot disneyfilm.
Het boek is gecompleteerd met een zeer uitgebreide woordenlijst, beeldverantwoording en register.
Een toegankelijk boek. Een aanrader.
De kunst wordt uitgelegd aan de hand van verschillende thema's en in gesprekken tussen Hockney en Gayford.
De taal, de tekeningen en uitleg is voor kinderen leerzaam en informatief maar ook leuk en behapbaar.
Er worden diverse stijlen en tijdvakken besproken - bijv. van de oude Grieken tot aan Magritte.
Details worden uitgelicht en toegelicht.
Erg leuk en verhelderend is de uitvindingentijdlijn. Hoe heeft de mens zich d.m.v. beeld geuit door de jaren heen: van grottekening tot de smartphone - van schilderij tot disneyfilm.
Het boek is gecompleteerd met een zeer uitgebreide woordenlijst, beeldverantwoording en register.
Een toegankelijk boek. Een aanrader.
March 6, 2019
A fantastic introduction to art, artists from all mediums and time periods.
June 28, 2022
This book was a delight! It was just a random pick at a local library but kids enjoyed it and learned quite a lot from it. And I did too! So don't be discouraged by the title. ;)
It is basically a discussion between an artist and an art critic that helps the reader to look at, analyze, and appreciate visual arts. It's broken down by elements of a picture: lines, shadows, space, etc., and presents how they evolved throughout history. Authors describe major innovations (like new kinds of paints) or trends (like establishing trade routes with the Far East and its influence on Europe) that helped artists change and improve how we think about those concepts.
It might sound "academish" but the book is very approachable and written in easy language. Playful illustrations help to keep kids engaged while art examples are intriguing and insightful. It feels much more like an exploration and having a sneak peek into artists' secrets than a dry lecture on art history. It got many Wow!'s from my kids when we were reading it together so I guess it works for its target audience.
One technical thing that didn't work so well was the font choice. One author has a typical "bookish" font, while the other one has a sketchy comic-like font. The latter is difficult to read for younger kids and can frustrate them. Content-wise painting and photography were explained very well, especially how these two arts inspired each other. However, the film description only scratched the surface and digital art was only mentioned (and lacked any context or meaningful examples). I wish these newer forms of visual expression got more attention and depth.
Overall, it is a highly enjoyable book for kids and adults that will help them understand visual arts better. It leaves some blank spaces and many questions unanswered, so I hope it will be just an introduction to a further exploration and education for whole families :)
It is basically a discussion between an artist and an art critic that helps the reader to look at, analyze, and appreciate visual arts. It's broken down by elements of a picture: lines, shadows, space, etc., and presents how they evolved throughout history. Authors describe major innovations (like new kinds of paints) or trends (like establishing trade routes with the Far East and its influence on Europe) that helped artists change and improve how we think about those concepts.
It might sound "academish" but the book is very approachable and written in easy language. Playful illustrations help to keep kids engaged while art examples are intriguing and insightful. It feels much more like an exploration and having a sneak peek into artists' secrets than a dry lecture on art history. It got many Wow!'s from my kids when we were reading it together so I guess it works for its target audience.
One technical thing that didn't work so well was the font choice. One author has a typical "bookish" font, while the other one has a sketchy comic-like font. The latter is difficult to read for younger kids and can frustrate them. Content-wise painting and photography were explained very well, especially how these two arts inspired each other. However, the film description only scratched the surface and digital art was only mentioned (and lacked any context or meaningful examples). I wish these newer forms of visual expression got more attention and depth.
Overall, it is a highly enjoyable book for kids and adults that will help them understand visual arts better. It leaves some blank spaces and many questions unanswered, so I hope it will be just an introduction to a further exploration and education for whole families :)
May 3, 2020
Jaaaaaa, ik weet het, het is een kinderboek, dan moet ik niet zeuren over gebrek aan diepgang.
Maar.
Ik mis de diepgang.
Verder is dit natuurlijk prachtig. Ik las de Nederlandse vertaling, die uitstekend te doen is, en waarin David Hockney nog altijd als de uiterst aimabele kunstenaar overkomt die hij ongetwijfeld is. De wisselwerking tussen hem en Martin Gayford (ik las eerder ook stukken van dit duo over hoe je naar kunst moet kijken, alleen dan in de grotenmensenguardian) is fantastisch (de een meer analytisch, de ander meer lyrisch), de tekeningen van Rose Blake zijn absurd ontwapenend (die twee honden!) en grappig (vooral door de vele stiekeme referenties aan Grote Kunstwerken die zij er supernonchalant instopt), en de verhaallijn - enerzijds van nul tot nu, anderzijds de belangrijkste componenten waar je op kunt letten als je naar kunst (en de wereld!) wilt kijken - loopt als een trein.
En die kunst he? God, wat staan er mooie dingen in. Het ultrarealisme van het Portret van Giovanni Arnolfini en zijn vrouw, de wonderbaarlijke diepte van zoiets schijnbaar simpels als Rembrandts Een kind dat leert lopen, Claude Monets prachtige Het breken van het ijs, het fakenews-is-van-alle-tijden-bewijs in De melkboer van Londen van Fred Morley, en natuurlijk die film-in-een-schilderij-dystopie van Edward Hoppers Nachtbrakers: it's all there and it's all good.
Het is zo'n boek (net als Een kleine geschiedenis van de wereld en A Short History of Nearly Everything) dat je weer héél even het gevoel hebt dat je een domein snapt (in dit geval kunst). Met dus als enige kanttekening dat het net te oppervlakkig is.
Rest daarom vraag: is er ook een Kijken voor Volwassenen? En zo nee, wat is dan het beste alternatief?
Maar.
Ik mis de diepgang.
Verder is dit natuurlijk prachtig. Ik las de Nederlandse vertaling, die uitstekend te doen is, en waarin David Hockney nog altijd als de uiterst aimabele kunstenaar overkomt die hij ongetwijfeld is. De wisselwerking tussen hem en Martin Gayford (ik las eerder ook stukken van dit duo over hoe je naar kunst moet kijken, alleen dan in de grotenmensenguardian) is fantastisch (de een meer analytisch, de ander meer lyrisch), de tekeningen van Rose Blake zijn absurd ontwapenend (die twee honden!) en grappig (vooral door de vele stiekeme referenties aan Grote Kunstwerken die zij er supernonchalant instopt), en de verhaallijn - enerzijds van nul tot nu, anderzijds de belangrijkste componenten waar je op kunt letten als je naar kunst (en de wereld!) wilt kijken - loopt als een trein.
En die kunst he? God, wat staan er mooie dingen in. Het ultrarealisme van het Portret van Giovanni Arnolfini en zijn vrouw, de wonderbaarlijke diepte van zoiets schijnbaar simpels als Rembrandts Een kind dat leert lopen, Claude Monets prachtige Het breken van het ijs, het fakenews-is-van-alle-tijden-bewijs in De melkboer van Londen van Fred Morley, en natuurlijk die film-in-een-schilderij-dystopie van Edward Hoppers Nachtbrakers: it's all there and it's all good.
Het is zo'n boek (net als Een kleine geschiedenis van de wereld en A Short History of Nearly Everything) dat je weer héél even het gevoel hebt dat je een domein snapt (in dit geval kunst). Met dus als enige kanttekening dat het net te oppervlakkig is.
Rest daarom vraag: is er ook een Kijken voor Volwassenen? En zo nee, wat is dan het beste alternatief?
January 18, 2022
Kaks semu, kes on vaimustunud kunstist ja tahavad oma kirge jagada tavapäraselt erinevamal moel.
Autorid on üritanud kunsti tutvustada läbi vabama kõnekeele ja emotsioonide, kuid antud formaat töötaks vaid videona. Paberil oli kogu semutsemine ja poolik jutt kummaline ja segane. Ühelt poolt autorid eeldasid, et lugeja on juba kursis, kuid samal ajal seletati pikalt lahti kõige elementaarsemaid mõisteid. Tihti jäeti mingi mõtte seletamine pooleli. Vast on ainult teatud arv kordi kui on okei teatmikus öelda "ei teagi kuidas ta seda tegi".
Autorid on üritanud kunsti tutvustada läbi vabama kõnekeele ja emotsioonide, kuid antud formaat töötaks vaid videona. Paberil oli kogu semutsemine ja poolik jutt kummaline ja segane. Ühelt poolt autorid eeldasid, et lugeja on juba kursis, kuid samal ajal seletati pikalt lahti kõige elementaarsemaid mõisteid. Tihti jäeti mingi mõtte seletamine pooleli. Vast on ainult teatud arv kordi kui on okei teatmikus öelda "ei teagi kuidas ta seda tegi".
January 11, 2020
Fun overview of theories and practices of art throughout history. Does influence or method devalue an artist’s interpretation of the world?
David Hockney is fascinating in his easily approachable experiments of technique in all media.
And the illustrations are so well done!
David Hockney is fascinating in his easily approachable experiments of technique in all media.
And the illustrations are so well done!
March 30, 2020
"Historia obrazów dla dzieci" to nie do końca to, czego się spodziewałam po tej książce. Byłam przekonana, że będzie w niej więcej wyjaśnień podstawowych zagadnień i omówień konkretnych przykładów. Niestety, autorzy opisali całość dość powierzchownie, szybko przeskakując z tematu na temat. Ja czuję pewien niedosyt. Gdybym była dzieckiem, pewnie też czułabym się nieco oszukana, bo dostałam smacznego cukierka, nie zdążyłam się nim nacieszyć a już mi go zabrano i dano inny, niekoniecznie lepszy ;)
Na pewno na uwagę zasługują urocze ilustracje wykonane przez Rose Blake. Widać je pośród innych materiałów w tej publikacji, przyciągają one wzrok czytelnika, zabierają nas w zupełnie inny świat. Czasem pomimo powagi tekstu, ilustracja jest tak zabawna, że zaczynamy się po prostu uśmiechać.
Myślę, że jako wydawca zrezygnowałabym z omówienia nowoczesnego obrazu na rzecz grubszej części dotyczącej starszej historii obrazów. Ta pierwsza część wciągnęła mnie bowiem o wiele bardziej niż druga. Pewnie znajdą się też tacy, dla których będzie zupełnie odwrotnie i to właśnie jest najlepsze w literaturze!
Na pewno na uwagę zasługują urocze ilustracje wykonane przez Rose Blake. Widać je pośród innych materiałów w tej publikacji, przyciągają one wzrok czytelnika, zabierają nas w zupełnie inny świat. Czasem pomimo powagi tekstu, ilustracja jest tak zabawna, że zaczynamy się po prostu uśmiechać.
Myślę, że jako wydawca zrezygnowałabym z omówienia nowoczesnego obrazu na rzecz grubszej części dotyczącej starszej historii obrazów. Ta pierwsza część wciągnęła mnie bowiem o wiele bardziej niż druga. Pewnie znajdą się też tacy, dla których będzie zupełnie odwrotnie i to właśnie jest najlepsze w literaturze!
May 30, 2026
این کتاب رو هم تموم کردم. بهنظرم بهترین بود. درسته که من دنبال نسخهی تخصصیش بودم ولی از کتابخونه «برای همه» رو اشتباهی امانت گرفتم و انقد ذوقشو داشتم که موجوده به جلدش توجه نکردم 🤡
تاریخ تصویر برای همه رو جدا به همه پیشنهاد میکنم. حتی اگ به عکاسی یا نقاشی علاقه ندارین و هیچی ازشون نمیدونین این کتاب با بهترین تصویرسازی توسط «رز بلیک» و تجربههای «دیویدهاکنی» عزیز و همچنین صحبتهای مفید آقای «مارتین گیفورد» باعث میشه شما خیلی راحت با کتاب و مفاهیمش ارتباط بگیرین.
اینقدر ساده و قابلفهم توضیح دادن یکسری چیزها رو که من خودم چندتا چیز جالب جدید ازش یاد گرفتم.
حقیقتش اول نمیخواستم کتابشو بخونم گفتم احتمالا چندتا نکتهها و توضیحات بیسیک و تکراری رو قراره باهاش روبهرو بشم ولی نه!! بسیار اشتباه میکردم. در حین سادگی بهترین مفاهیم رو توضیح داد.
مثلا توی این کتاب من یکبار دیگ بهتر و بیشتر از پیش متوجه شدم که کوبیسم چیه و نقاشیهای پیکاسو رو با چه دیدی باید مشاهده کرد.
واقعا دوست دارم درمورد این کتاب یه پست بلند بالا بنویسم و همهی ادمها رو مخصوصا نزدیکانمو ترغیب کنم که بخوننش چون میدونم از خوندنش پشیمون نمیشن.
پ ن: تنها مشکل این بود که با اینترنت ملی سرچ کردن درمورد یک سری چیزها و دیدن آثار بیشتر از یک هنرمند خیلیییی سخت بود.
پ ن۲: عکس مربوط به دیشب بود که از شدت بیخوابی پناه برده بودم به کتاب و بخش «تصاویر متحرک» رو داشتم میخوندم که دربارهی همون شروع صنعت فیلمسازی داشت توضیح میداد. واقعا دیدن فیلمهای اولیهای که حتی به یک دقیقه هم نمیرسیدن خیلی عجیب، جالب و شگفتانگیزن.
برخلاف الان که باتوجه به عمر محدودمون نمیتونیم تموم فیلمها رو نگاه کنیم، اون موقع مردم فقط چندتا فیلم داشتن که حتی به یک ساعت هم نمیرسید و میتونستن توی عمر محدودشون بارها همهی فیلمهای موجود در جهان رو نگاه کنن :))))
پ ن3: عکسی که دارم درموردش صحبت میکنم مربوط به یادداشتم تو بهخوانه :دی
تاریخ تصویر برای همه رو جدا به همه پیشنهاد میکنم. حتی اگ به عکاسی یا نقاشی علاقه ندارین و هیچی ازشون نمیدونین این کتاب با بهترین تصویرسازی توسط «رز بلیک» و تجربههای «دیویدهاکنی» عزیز و همچنین صحبتهای مفید آقای «مارتین گیفورد» باعث میشه شما خیلی راحت با کتاب و مفاهیمش ارتباط بگیرین.
اینقدر ساده و قابلفهم توضیح دادن یکسری چیزها رو که من خودم چندتا چیز جالب جدید ازش یاد گرفتم.
حقیقتش اول نمیخواستم کتابشو بخونم گفتم احتمالا چندتا نکتهها و توضیحات بیسیک و تکراری رو قراره باهاش روبهرو بشم ولی نه!! بسیار اشتباه میکردم. در حین سادگی بهترین مفاهیم رو توضیح داد.
مثلا توی این کتاب من یکبار دیگ بهتر و بیشتر از پیش متوجه شدم که کوبیسم چیه و نقاشیهای پیکاسو رو با چه دیدی باید مشاهده کرد.
واقعا دوست دارم درمورد این کتاب یه پست بلند بالا بنویسم و همهی ادمها رو مخصوصا نزدیکانمو ترغیب کنم که بخوننش چون میدونم از خوندنش پشیمون نمیشن.
پ ن: تنها مشکل این بود که با اینترنت ملی سرچ کردن درمورد یک سری چیزها و دیدن آثار بیشتر از یک هنرمند خیلیییی سخت بود.
پ ن۲: عکس مربوط به دیشب بود که از شدت بیخوابی پناه برده بودم به کتاب و بخش «تصاویر متحرک» رو داشتم میخوندم که دربارهی همون شروع صنعت فیلمسازی داشت توضیح میداد. واقعا دیدن فیلمهای اولیهای که حتی به یک دقیقه هم نمیرسیدن خیلی عجیب، جالب و شگفتانگیزن.
برخلاف الان که باتوجه به عمر محدودمون نمیتونیم تموم فیلمها رو نگاه کنیم، اون موقع مردم فقط چندتا فیلم داشتن که حتی به یک ساعت هم نمیرسید و میتونستن توی عمر محدودشون بارها همهی فیلمهای موجود در جهان رو نگاه کنن :))))
پ ن3: عکسی که دارم درموردش صحبت میکنم مربوط به یادداشتم تو بهخوانه :دی
Read
April 22, 2026This "history of pictures" is not organized in the usual chronological order, but by topic—like "light and shadows" or "making marks"—which I found refreshing and full of interesting information.
However, for a book published in 2018, I found the examples cited disappointing. I mean, I love Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Monet, etc etc as much as any former art-history major, but filling most of the book with the usual suspects feels a bit stale. And while obviously Hockney has a right to lean heavily on his own art in a book that he wrote, I think other examples might have illustrated his points better in many places and also offered more breadth to the whole.
Idk, mixed feelings about this one.
However, for a book published in 2018, I found the examples cited disappointing. I mean, I love Rembrandt, Caravaggio, Monet, etc etc as much as any former art-history major, but filling most of the book with the usual suspects feels a bit stale. And while obviously Hockney has a right to lean heavily on his own art in a book that he wrote, I think other examples might have illustrated his points better in many places and also offered more breadth to the whole.
Idk, mixed feelings about this one.
January 3, 2019
I read A History of Pictures for Children - not the adult edition. Yes, it’s a book for kids, but the artist/art critic duo shed a lot lot light on the picture-making process for everyone. Did I have any knowledge of camera obscura and camera lucida? Ummm...no. I’m now motivated to read the authors’ adult title of the (almost) same name.
December 28, 2021
"Pildid läbi aja" on kunstiraamat noortele. Autorid aitavad noorel avastada kunsti ajalugu ja oskust vaadata kunsti.Kuigi nii mõnedki pildid olid tuttavad, oli huvitav lugeda nüanssidest, millele autorid tähelepanu juhivad. Loodetavasti sai nii mõnigi kunstihuviline noor selle raamatu sel aastal jõulukingiks. Samas soovitan ka väiksema kunstihuviga noorele see raamat laua peale poetada, sest pildid tõmbavad tähelepanu ja märkamatult tekib ka huvi. ;)
December 14, 2024
Mój ulubiony Rebis i mój absolutnie ukochany Hockney.
Historia sztuki przedstawiona w sposób przystępny. Ale też rzecz o tym, jak czytać i jak odbierać sztukę i o tym, że ta indywidualna perspektywa jest najważniejsza.
Książka atrakcyjna graficznie. Bardzo przyjemna wizualnie. Pełna reprodukcji, grafik.
Twarda oprawa, kredowy papier.
Idealny prezent, nie tylko dla dzieci.
Historia sztuki przedstawiona w sposób przystępny. Ale też rzecz o tym, jak czytać i jak odbierać sztukę i o tym, że ta indywidualna perspektywa jest najważniejsza.
Książka atrakcyjna graficznie. Bardzo przyjemna wizualnie. Pełna reprodukcji, grafik.
Twarda oprawa, kredowy papier.
Idealny prezent, nie tylko dla dzieci.
September 22, 2025
Κυκλοφορεί στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις ΚΑΠΟΝ και τον τίτλο η Ιστορία των Εικόνων για παιδιά. Ολοκληρώνοντας αυτό το βιβλίο, ένα παιδί (και ένας μεγάλος) μαθαίνει να απολαμβάνει τις εικόνες μέσα από τη βαθύτερη κατανόησή τους. Ιστορίες γεμάτες μυστικά που αποδομούν όσα θαυμάζουμε και εστιάζουν σε όσα πραγματικά αξίζουν μια πιο προσεκτική παρατήρηση.
May 11, 2019
A really good introduction to art theory and not just for children!
November 17, 2019
Artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford take readers on a trip through time and space to highlight some of the most wonderful art of all time. (Note: There is a heavy concentration of David Hockney's art in the selections.)
August 3, 2022
Belíssimo livro sobre a história da imagem, como as fomos produzindo ao longo da história da humanidade e como ela se transformou, e foi sendo usada na arte.
December 8, 2022
быстро прочла, как первую книгу об искусстве ребёнку читать не стала бы. скорее история картин для взрослых, со взрослой оптикой
Read
January 18, 2023Все ещё любимая детская книга об искусстве у меня.
May 13, 2019
An informative introduction for children to learn about the history of pictures through famous pieces of art, tools of the trade, the use of light and shadow and much much more.
January 31, 2019
Entertaining and erudite, A History of Pictures for Children is certainly also worth a read for the olds among us. Hockney and Gayford present the history of art, photography, and film as a conversation between the artist, the critic, and the reader. The authors' overlapping dialogue offers plenty of factual information, but also some delightful asides that feel more like fans geeking out over truly excellent art. I particularly enjoyed Hockney's dissection of Caravaggio's skill with shadows. It was also oddly pleasing to read that modern artists still don't quite know how some Renaissance painters were able to create perfect reflections of the world around them. Part of the joy in art is the mystery of its production, and while A History of Pictures for Children offers plenty of information about how art is produced, it also leaves plenty of room for the mystery to continue.
August 9, 2019
David Hockney and Martin Gayford are friends and they talk about art a lot. Hockney is an artist, Gayford is a critic and author. Together they have a lot to say about the history of pictures - from cave drawings to ipads, they discuss the elements of art that helped create and establish what we see today. Using classic pictures, they explain the elements that were groundbreaking and compare with something modern (sometimes Hockney's work) or familiar (like Disney animation). They discuss light and shadow, use of space, mirrors, photography, moving pictures and much more.
A fun coffee table book, the art selected is beautiful and the text is written for upper elementary/middle school so the whole family can enjoy this wonderful art history book. Includes a timeline of art inventions, a glossary, works cited, a bibliography and a full list of the illustrations used. A must have in the art classroom.
For this and more reviews, visit http://kissthebook.blogspot.com . CHECK IT OUT!
A fun coffee table book, the art selected is beautiful and the text is written for upper elementary/middle school so the whole family can enjoy this wonderful art history book. Includes a timeline of art inventions, a glossary, works cited, a bibliography and a full list of the illustrations used. A must have in the art classroom.
For this and more reviews, visit http://kissthebook.blogspot.com . CHECK IT OUT!
November 21, 2019
The setup is interesting, but it is SO white and male that it's distracting. (Even all the little people in the doodles are white.) Also, I get Hockney is one of the authors, but he features so much of his own art it's like he's blowing his own horn through art history.
So interesting way of presenting art, but disingenuous in its presentation of artists. People of all colors make art, women make art, and have done for a very long time.
I keep thinking of the Guerrilla Girls pointing out that the majority of the portraits in the Met are of women (and 3/4 nudes), but less than 4% of the entire collection is by women.
So interesting way of presenting art, but disingenuous in its presentation of artists. People of all colors make art, women make art, and have done for a very long time.
I keep thinking of the Guerrilla Girls pointing out that the majority of the portraits in the Met are of women (and 3/4 nudes), but less than 4% of the entire collection is by women.
December 16, 2018
Man patīk, kā šī grāmata neuzbāzīgi izglīto par nopietnām un sarežģītām mākslas lietām, vienlaikus arī pieaugušajam ar trūcīgām zināšanām par mākslu neliekot justies kā zābakam.
Plašāk par grāmatu blogā: https://lalksne.blogspot.com/2018/12/...
Plašāk par grāmatu blogā: https://lalksne.blogspot.com/2018/12/...
May 30, 2021
Reviewed for School Library Connection, REVIEWED January 1, 2019
Rating: Recommended
Recommended Grade Levels: 6-8
Contemporary British artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford join forces to look at art using a fresh spin. Rather than approaching the artwork chronologically, this survey instead presents back and forth commentary between the two, with each author's "speech" denoted by different fonts. Their conversation flows well, and is loosely grouped together by topics such as marks (line), use of light and shadows (value), use of space (space, shape, form), and mirrors and reflections (color, texture). Each chapter evaluates a few pieces of artwork from the past and compares it to contemporary art, all using the same evaluative criteria. The conversation then shifts to tricks and tools that artists have used in the past and continue to use in the present, the similarities and differences between paintings and movies, and current uses of technology and digital manipulation. Illustrator Rose Blake adds small, cheerful illustrations throughout the book, punctuating the points made and helping to keep the text light and fun. The full-color artwork reproductions used in the book are of excellent quality and generally true to the colors of the original pieces. Backmatter includes a timeline to put concepts in historical perspective, citation notes for the book, and a list of details about the artwork discussed in the book. This is an appealing new way of looking at artwork, particularly if readers are unable to make it to a museum in order to take a docent-led tour. Bibliography. Glossary. Index.
Rating: Recommended
Recommended Grade Levels: 6-8
Contemporary British artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford join forces to look at art using a fresh spin. Rather than approaching the artwork chronologically, this survey instead presents back and forth commentary between the two, with each author's "speech" denoted by different fonts. Their conversation flows well, and is loosely grouped together by topics such as marks (line), use of light and shadows (value), use of space (space, shape, form), and mirrors and reflections (color, texture). Each chapter evaluates a few pieces of artwork from the past and compares it to contemporary art, all using the same evaluative criteria. The conversation then shifts to tricks and tools that artists have used in the past and continue to use in the present, the similarities and differences between paintings and movies, and current uses of technology and digital manipulation. Illustrator Rose Blake adds small, cheerful illustrations throughout the book, punctuating the points made and helping to keep the text light and fun. The full-color artwork reproductions used in the book are of excellent quality and generally true to the colors of the original pieces. Backmatter includes a timeline to put concepts in historical perspective, citation notes for the book, and a list of details about the artwork discussed in the book. This is an appealing new way of looking at artwork, particularly if readers are unable to make it to a museum in order to take a docent-led tour. Bibliography. Glossary. Index.
February 21, 2025
Not an in depth history, but a fun and engaging tour through some aspects of art through the ages. Focused more on the technical concerns and developments (how do different brushstrokes lead to certain visual effects? how did artists use different approaches and technologies to convey perspective?), rather than on the subject matter or politics or other things you could discuss.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway for me was: it's hard for me to care or notice many details in art, because I don't spend any time trying to make art myself. But I suspect that if I spent a lot of time trying to draw or paint, I would probably become much more interested in the nuances of what nifty technical effects another artist has achieved in their work, and trying to figure out how they did it so I can do it too.
(And I do already take this approach to teaching some of my Statistics courses as well: students can't appreciate how hard it is to make a good graph, or collect good survey data, until they've tried and failed to do it well on their first try... so I should give them the chance to try several times.)
Perhaps the biggest takeaway for me was: it's hard for me to care or notice many details in art, because I don't spend any time trying to make art myself. But I suspect that if I spent a lot of time trying to draw or paint, I would probably become much more interested in the nuances of what nifty technical effects another artist has achieved in their work, and trying to figure out how they did it so I can do it too.
(And I do already take this approach to teaching some of my Statistics courses as well: students can't appreciate how hard it is to make a good graph, or collect good survey data, until they've tried and failed to do it well on their first try... so I should give them the chance to try several times.)
January 11, 2022
I've been a fan of David Hockney since I saw Mr. & Mrs. Clark and Percy in the Tate (or was it Tate Modern? I get those confused) ages ago. So, when I found a children's book by him, I was excited to read it. This is not an in-depth look at art through the ages but more a glimpse of art across time and how has changed since our ancestors drew the first pictures in caves. It's also about some concepts artists try to portray, like shadow and light, and styles like realism vs. cubism. Bonus: Mr. & Mrs. Clark and Percy is one of the Hockney paintings in the book, yay. It's still a personal favorite. Unsurprisingly, a lot of the concepts are shown via Hockney's own works and his descriptions of how and why he chose to create a particular work of art. Not a problem for this fangirl. A good introduction to some basics with a glossary and extensive references. While not meant for adults, I did manage to learn a couple new things.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews