The Art Book

Big Ideas Simply Explained

by Caroline Bugler

What is Fauvism? Which event inspired Picasso's Guernica? Who connects Andy Warhol and David Hockney?

This comprehensive volume answers all these and more. In a grand timeline of art, it explains how one movement influenced the next, discusses influential painters, sculptors, and artists, and showcases 80 of the world's greatest artworks.

Throughout history, art has taken many forms and offers a kaleidoscopic variety of expression. With The Art Book as your companion, you can browse the world's most important artworks, from prehistoric Altamira cave paintings to pop art and avant-garde video installations.

You can observe artistic inspiration evolving from religious themes in the Middle Ages to abstract shapes and color in the 20th century and understand the ideas that inspired masterpieces by Botticelli, Rembrandt, Klimt, Matisse, and many more. Annotations draw attention to key details of masterpieces, and diagrams offer succinct explanations of art forms and help you contrast techniques of painters such as C�zanne and van Gogh.

With insightful quotations and detailed timelines, The Art Book is a thought-provoking and essential reference for students and art-lovers everywhere.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Reference, Art History, Design, Literature

352 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2017

About the author

Caroline Bugler is an experienced writer and editor specialising in cultural travel, particularly within Europe. She was editor of Art Quarterly for 12 years, is the author of Vienna: Art in Focus, and has contributed to Dorling Kindersley travel guides and to Europa, the online magazine of the EU.

Reviews

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

True to the idea of the entire series "Big ideas simply explained", The Art Book has a modern, informative layout which appeals to a new generation of learners.

Timelines, biographies, references, illustrations, explanations of context and iconography - for people who have no previous knowledge of art history, this volume delivers a clear and interesting overview of art from the beginnings in cave painting to the performance art of recent times. For regular museum visitors, it offers an overview of art in various contexts and functions, adding a portfolio of the most important masterpieces of each period.

For students who are unfamiliar with composition, design and colour distribution in a painting and sculpture, the colour-coded and labelled analysis of individual artworks is immensely helpful - highlighting the artist's emphasis on certain colours and lines to give the piece a specific meaning.

Highly recommended for use in art history classes or for reference in any household with a general interest in art!

[nic (つ . •́ _ʖ •̀ .)つ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was eager to read this because of my interest in art history, and its seemingly lively style of presenting information. If you're looking for something along the lines of "fun facts about art", this would cut it - it's educational and simple enough to read due to its infographic-style layout, illustrations and explanations.

However, for someone who wants a clear and concise understanding of art, the information presented here is simply too messy and disjointed. It was organised chronologically, but instead of giving a comprehensive overview of the characteristics of the different art movements, it offered snippets and analyses of specific artworks, so some things were not covered in-depth or sufficiently placed in context. I'll continue my hunt for a good art history book; until then, I unfortunately wouldn't recommend this.

🌹 date finished: 10 jan 2019 🌹

[bahar vural · Rating 3 out of 5]

tarih öncesi ve ilkçağ'dan başlayarak her dönemi o dönemin önemli eserlerini örnek vererek anlatıyor, çoğu genel sanat tarihinde olan ve incelenen çok bilindik eserler ama bir bakıp okunabilir

[Mahrufa Mery · Rating 3 out of 5]

DK ART BOOK (Big Ideas Simply Explained)


উফফ... বইটার রিডিং হিস্ট্রি চেক করতে গিয়ে বুকটা ধক করে উঠলো। ডিকে আর্ট বুক বইটা পড়ে শেষ করতে আমার ২ বছর কি করে লেগে গেলো! বইয়ের রেফারেন্স ছবিগুলো দেখে দেখে পড়তে আর নোট নিতে গিয়েই এত দেরি।আসলে সব দোষ একটা অনলাইন আর্ট হিস্ট্রি কোর্স এর! নাহলে নন ফিকশন পড়ার প্যারা আমি কমই নিতে চাই। কোর্সটা ছিল রেনেসা আর্ট হিস্ট্রির উপর বানানো, ইন্টারেস্টিং লাগায় আরো জানার জন্য বই পত্র খুজতে থাকি। এভাবেই ডিকের বইয়ের সাথে আমার পরিচয়।

ডিকের নন ফিকশন বইয়ের সিরিজ আছে । এই বইয়ের সিরিজগুলো হচ্ছে বিগ আইডিয়াস সিম্পলি এক্সপ্লেইনড সিরিজের। হিস্ট্রি, আর্ট, মিউজিক, ফিল্ম, ফিলোসফি এরকম আরো কিছু সোশ্যাল স্টাডিজ রিলেটেড টপিক নিয়ে ডিকের বিগ আইডিয়াস সিরিজ টা রেডি করা।

বইটা আরাম করে একটানে পড়ে ফেলা যায়না, এত এত তথ্য আর বিশ্লেষনে ভরপুর। ইতিহাসের সেরা আর্টিস্ট, স্কাল্পটর, পেইন্টারদের তৈরী করা সেরা আর্টপিস গুলোর সাথে সাথে আর্টপিসের কনটেক্সট এবং সেই পার্টিকুলার আর্টফর্মের ইতিহাসটুকু সংক্ষেপে দেয়া আছে, ক্ষেত্রবিশেষে আছে বিশ্লেষন। মোটামুটি প্রত্যেক শতাব্দীর গুরুত্বপূর্ণ আর্টফর্মের তথ্য পাওয়া যায় যেটা একজন মানুষ যার কিনা আর্টে তেমন হাতেখড়ি নেই তার জন্য একটা দারুন সামারি ধরনের বই হতে পারে। বইটিতে একতালে লেখা আগায় না এটা পড়ুয়াদের জন্য একটু কনফিউজিং হতে পারে। এর মানে হল ঠিক টাইমলাইন অনুযায়ী না এগিয়ে একটা টাইম লাইনে যত ধরনের উল্লেখযোগ্য আর্ট ফর্ম আছে তার টপিকগুলো বাছাই করে সেই আর্টফর্মের আগের রূপ কি ছিল, যে সময়ে এই আর্টফর্মের কথা বলা হচ্ছে সে সময়ের কথা এবং তার পরে কোন পর্যায়ে এই আর্ট ফর্ম গিয়েছে সেগুলো ব্যাখা করা হয়েছে।

সময় বেশি লাগলেও বইটা পড়ে আমি খুশী। আর্ট নিয়ে আরো ডিগ ডাউন করতে ইচ্ছে হচ্ছে।

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the only book I've read in the last couple of months. I've been in a horrible reading slump lately but somehow, I felt oddly motivated to get through this book cover to cover.
So much info (sometimes detailed, sometimes brief) alongwith beautiful pictures of paintings and sculptures and other works of art is contained within the 350+ pages of this book.
I had minimal knowledge of art history or famous artists or their works before I read this, so for me, it was a great introduction to such a vast topic - also, fun - and I really enjoyed it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in learning a bit about the various movements and artists and their works through the ages.

[Mr Shahabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

man I love DK

[Fatima Sarder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prehistoric Art consisted mostly of cave paintings and crude sculptures with exaggerated features. The purpose of the Art was mainly for rituals regarding hunting and burial. Despite the limited pallets, artists were creative, drawing animals on bumpy cave-walls to give them a three dimensional feel and painting them in several, lifelike colours.

Art as a spiritual and ritual medium continued through the Archaic and Classical periods. The Greeks and Romans often used nude male youth statues as expressions of the ideal human form. The female statues were at first depicted clothed and then nude as the periods progressed. The Greek and Roman art ideals diffused into Africa, Asia and gave rise to the Hellenistic Art form.

During these periods, Art was naturalistic and had a distinct purpose, often for burials, spirituality, fertility rites, ritual sacrifice (the Aztecs) and celebrating the great deeds of a God, King or a ruler. It was often used to highlight the beauty of the physical body as well.

In Medieval periods, Art had become a medium for expressing religiosity and the human body in a more spiritual manner. In Europe, churches were embellished with paintings, altar pieces and frescoes. Outside Europe, Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist art rose to prominence.

Artists in this period used bright, bold colours. Stained Glass art is a feature of this period, it explores light in Gothic architecture

In the context of the visual arts, the Renaissance is a period of rediscovery of the art of ancient Rome and Greece. The oil paint medium was widely used.There was a lot of competition (competitive focus between artists) in this era.

The ideals of Christianity were reconciled with the paganism of classical antiquity in a school of thought called Neo-platonism. In art, the same dignity is accorded to both Christian and Mythical subjects.The use of myth in art served as an allegorical function - it conveyed a veiled meaning.

Early Medieval and Renaissance artists used model books for their source materials. Woodcut printing also became popular as paper became cheaper.

Artists in the 15th and 16th centuries were fascinated with depicting seasonal landscapes, finding inspiration in changing colours and moods, and in the notion of the passing of time.

In the Baroque and Neoclassical period (18th Century) Paris emerged as a new artistic influence and power. While religious themes still played a major role, artists began to diverge and secular styles began taking prominence. Renewed interest in the art of classical Rome and Greek gave rise to the neoclassical movement. The desire for realistic and readily understandable images was part of the background from which Baroque art emerged.

The industrial revolution, apart from being an economic and political change, also inspired a great many artworks of the secular kind.

This period was classified by landscape paintings, portraits, sculptures and frescoes that not only glorified religious figures, but also depicted kings, queens, nobility and common folk. Series of satirical (criticising the government) and industrial (celebrating progress) pieces also emerged.

Romanticism and Symbolism in the 19th century was a period of rapid social and technological change which brought an increasing fragmentation of the arts and a wide variety of emerging styles and techniques as artists were willing to explore new ideals.

Romanticism encompassed restless violence (following the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte), exoticism and serene spirituality. It championed the cause of individual freedom and encouraged independent thought and questioning of authority. Focus was on artificial subjects of myth, allegory and history along with idealised figures and grandiose poses.

Photography emerged as a new art form. Aestheticism was an art movement (Art for art's sake) that evolved in the second half of the 19th century. The Femme fatale was a favourite theme of Symbolist painters.

The Modern Age (between 1900 and the outbreak of World War 1) was a time of unrivalled artistic experimentation as the questioning and rejection of long-standing ideas of previous ages were intensified with a succession of innovative styles and movements.

Key styles of Modernism:
Fauvism and Cubism - developed in Paris. Fauvism is characterised by brilliant colours, simplified forms and bold execution. Cubism is the most radical of avant-garde art. The artists portray the world as it was known, rather than as it was seen. Shown from different viewpoints, solid objects were fragmented and rearranged so that they were often unrecognisable.

German Expressionism - Expressionism was characterised by strong, unnaturalistic, simplified, distorted forms and sometimes, violent colours. Emphasis given to the subjective feeling rather than objective observation. Exaggerated emotional effects with expressions of fear, anxiety and alienation of love and spirituality.

Abstract Art - the notion behind abstract art (that colours and forms have qualities independent of subject matter) existed since ancient times. Genuine abstract art that does not represent recognisable scenes or objects but consists of forms, shapes and colours depicted for their own sake is a modern phenomenon.

Surrealism - Inspired by the Dada movement (which originated from the contrasting spirit of anarchy and nihilism during WW1). It's aim was was a positive force, to counter the excessive traditionalism and materialism of the modern world.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given it a 5...but it did not mention my favorite artist: William Adolphe Bouguereau, that is. He is not some obscure or lesser-known niche artist. He is a very famous and prolific painter. Otherwise, my only other criticism is that I wish it had featured more works by women artists.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doesn’t work as well as others in the series. Felt forced into the format.

[Arturo Herrero · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gustó mucho más Arte: La Historia Visual Definitiva.

[Mateicee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ist es ein schlechtes Buch? Nein. Ich hab nur festgestellt das ich mein Interesse an Kunst und Kunstgeschichte überschätzt habe. Ich konnte mit den meisten Erklärungen wenig anfangen, auch wenn sie verständlich waren. Die Bilder sind hübsch anzusehen, ich bin einfach nicht die Zielgruppe.

[Rachel Grover · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is absolutely outstanding. The chronology is great, and there is a balance of depth and breadth here. The "portfolio" at the end of each era is great in summarizing the main art of that period. A wonderful recommendation for any serious art student or art fanatic. However. I was hoping this would replace some of my yucky art history books in my middle school library, but I found some of the vocabulary difficult for my audience, and although authentic, too much nudity for my clientele. A high school purchase, for sure! ...Just not for my middle schoolers.

[Kathleen McRae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did enjoy the art history but found it to be disorganized even though it was classified into timeframes and women as artists were notably absent from this collection although the art as portrayed spoke of a dismal history of female worth

[Leila Mota · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esse é um livro que merece 5 estrelas pelo conteúdo e apresentação. Voltado para leigos em arte mas que têm em interesse em aprender um pouco mais sobre o assunto. Faz-se um passeio por manifestações artísticas, destacando-se que não fica limitado à arte ocidental. Não entro em mais detalhes exatamente porque sou leiga.
Porque deixo as 4 estrelas? Por ser difícil de ler - letras pequenas e tinta muito clara nos textos principais. Nos destaques já há um contraste de cores que facilita. Se não ficou claro que a crítica é ao formato de publicação, reitero que o conteúdo é muito bom. Falei em apresentação antes porque me referia ao material, papel de qualidade, imagens idem, bem nítidas (o que é fundamental em livros que descrevem obras de arte), e itens assim. Mas realmente demorei mais pra ler por causa das letrinhas. De noite, então, pior, porque a luz das lâmpadas artificiais fazem algum tipo de reflexo, e é um tal de virar o livro pra lá e pra cá que cansa.
De resto, altamente recomendável.

[R Nair · Rating 5 out of 5]

For someone with no background in the arts this book was a surprisingly good summary of art and how it has evolved right from the pre-historic to the modern age. Along the way of learning about the various ways art and artists influenced society and was/were influenced in return, it also is a brief history of the western world from the perspective of art. One is introduced to prehistoric art and truly made to appreciate the beauty and skills of the artists from 30,000 B.C. onwards, Egyptian art and architecture is also touched upon, the Greek classical era and the golden age of Greek art and how that lead to the Hellenistic era; how the middle ages came about and how that affected the artistic and scientific world-view until things changed during the renaissance and on to the forms of art in the modern era. A well written book that makes good use of photographs and acts as a great reference manual.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book I have read of this series, Big Ideas Simply Explained, and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants a good overview of any particular subject (they have a lot of titles, the ones I have read besides this one are The Philosophy Book and The History Book). I like them because I did not pay much attention to academics in high school, and did not attend a four-year college after high school, so I missed out on learning a lot of general knowledge when I was younger. These books are a great way for me to learn or add to what I've learned without having to delve too deeply, although they have led me to read more extensively on certain topics or people that interest me as I go through them. I know I give a lot of 4 star ratings, but in my opinion, if the experience of reading a book gives me joy and education and keeps me interested, it deserves it.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Book series by DK are all beautifully presented and laid out. However due to the way each two or four pages has a different focus, what you get is a series of tidbits rather than something more substantial. This can leave the reader feeling like certain things have not been covered well enough, or contextualised enough.

The information is too disjointed for this to be a history of art (although it does cover early to modern art in broad strokes), but the reproductions of the paintings are also too small, sparse, and often not discussed enough for this to be a book to whet your appetite for a lot of different artists (especially since it generally focuses on one artist per movement).

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, both when it was talking about artists and works that I was familiar with and also the ones unknown to me. Trying to cover the entire history of art, complete with photos of some artworks, in only 341 pages, is a stupendous undertaking. While not in great depth, it covers a lot in enough detail to get some idea of the time periods, artists, and artworks. A good introduction and a supplement to any art history course.
Organized chronologically, its chapters are: Prehistoric and ancient art; The medieval world; Renaissance and Mannerism; Baroque to Neoclassicism; Romanticism to Symbolism; The modern age.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

A history of Art (mostly painters) from waaaay back. It did explain quite a few of the terms that are used, and that I still don't understand and will never remember. But it is interesting to see how art has changed across time. The book focuses on a set of artist of the same style, and mostly in the same time frame., chooses one artist and one particular painting, and explains it, mostly. The best part is that this book does not attempt to use big, nonsensical words to describe these works, but attempts to set the painting, or sculpture in its own place and time. Informative, mostly interesting.

[Manú · Rating 5 out of 5]

Muuuito legal, bem ilustrado e com uma diagramação muito bonita! Com certeza vou revisitar esse livro em outros momentos para consultas futuras.

O livro faz um resumão de cada período artístico ao longo do tempo, desde a Pré-História até a arte mais atual e contemporânea. Não temos um aprofundamento significativo, mas só o fato de conhecer um pouco da produção artística humana é muito interessante e desperta um pouco do nosso "eu" sensível para apreciarmos as obras e trabalhos presentes no livro.

Ressalto aqui que é um apanhado da história da arte ocidental principalmente (há passagens sobre a China e Índia, por exemplo, mas não é o foco dos autores).

Recomendo muito!

:)

[Viktor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for somebody starting to learn about art. While this is not a course in art history, it does cover a lot of the important artists, styles and artworks. I really liked the fact, that book provides information about an author's biography and explanations how and why styles emerged. It would be nice if more paintings were analysed, but considering the book format, I am not sure this is possible.

[MK · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book provides detailed information on the history of world art, works and artists.
If you want to learn more about world art, this book is worth purchasing.

During the Middle Ages, I had the impression that there were a lot of cruel artworks, but what did the people of that time think when they saw them?

The history of art began with religious paintings, which are thought to have influenced many people.

[J. Urriza · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. The format is pretty good if you have adhd. Heh. I get bothered by the lack of captions in photos though. Most of the time, you have no idea what piece you're looking at unless you already know what it is (which defeats the purpose of reading). Just that one change would help a lot.

[Michidmaa Bayar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout history, art has taken many forms and offers a multicolored variety of expression. With this book as your companion, you can browse the world’s most important artworks, from prehistoric to pop art, avant-garde, video art and installation. If you are at the start of your art teaching career, this book would be a good start to your art library. I would highly recommend this book 👍🏻

[Jana ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch gibt einen schönen Überblick sowohl über Epochen als auch über einzelne Werke. Hinten ist ein hilfreiches Glossar. Leider sind mir ziemlich oft Schreibfehler untergekommen und ich empfand das letzte Kapitel mit der Kunst von 1900 bis zur Gegenwart etwas kurz und hätte mir gewünscht auch etwas mehr über Zeitgenössisches zu erfahren.

[Miguel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyone interested in getting a broad view of the development of art would do well to obtain this book. This is a book you buy, rather than check out from the library as you’ll return to review specific readings. Not a thorough review of art, but it sets the stage for an introduction to art and its lexicon.

[Shilpa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca West's iconic quotation speaks to her belief of art transforming our human existence into something that is meaningful. In our lives we are inundated with materialism and simply surviving ("being").

But art gives us more, and coming to appreciate, and love art in its many forms need not be the purvey of an elite few. It can be learnt, but learning need not give flashbacks to arcane dryness of academia. No, for the rest of us -- the silent majority who wish to cut through the obscure jargon of art history and the inaccessibility of theory -- there is "The Art Book -- Big Ideas Simply Explained".

Full Review: http://sukasareads.blogspot.com/2017/...

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice summary of styles and artists. Like most of the books in this series, this is a nice overview for anyone that would like to learn more about the world of art. It is a good starting point.

[Sylvain Bérubé · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'adore la série «Les grands concepts expliqués» et ce numéro sur l'art ne m'a pas déçu, il a su sustenter ma curiosité pour l'histoire de l'art. Et me donner envie d'aller plus loin dans l'exploration.

[Julie Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this - covers in brief major timelines, art movement, well know and some lesser known author. It does exactly what it is suppose to do - explain as much as possible in a little possible space. If you get through this book, you will have a good grasp of the subject.