Art: Explained. 100 Masterpieces and What They Mean

by Susie Hodge

Why did Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel, or Rembrandt obsess over painting his own image? What's the secret behind the Terracotta Army, or Andy Warhol's soup cans? Art: Explained offers straightforward and satisfying answers to 100 of these fascinating questions. If you've ever looked at an art masterpiece in awe, but wondered just what it means, here is your guide.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

216 pages, Paperback

Published August 9, 2022

Reviews

[Kristīne Līcis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Convenient collection of brief references, although one might argue endlessly about the decision to include some artists and not, for example, Klimt, Weiwei, or Modigliani, or about the choice of the representative work, for example, for Chagall, whose Old Testament-inspired art are undisputed masterpieces. Conversely, one might agree that for da Vinci "The Virgin and Child with St Anne" is a much better choice than "Mona Lisa". One might also be very happy to see many female artists and their work, from Artemisia Gentileschi to Lee Krasner. But one might have liked to see Georgia O'Keefe too.

One might endlessly (albeit a bit compulsively) mark the artworks that one has seen, or artists whose other artwork one has seen, and how what one has known about the particular artist or the particular masterpiece compares to what the author felt necessary to include in the book. If one is a nerd, one will enjoy various facts, like how the Council of Trent (that ended in 1563) "set rules for religious art, decreeing that landscapes were unsuitable subjects for paintings ad they did not focus on Catholicism". Finally, one might end up with the book on one's nightstand so that one might daydream and compose travel itineraries to go and see artwork that one has not yet seen.

"Art can be annoying, aggravating, uplifting or nostalgic, exciting, amusing and much more. Most of all, it is frequently intriguing, enthralling and even comforting. The world would be a drearier place without it."

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course, the selection of the masterpieces does feel a bit arbitrary at times -- nevertheless, there are some expected (and unexpected) choices. Not every entry is equally insightful (some seem to simply describe the artwork rather than offer deeper meaning) but they all provide enough context, such as the background/bio of the artist, to be interesting. As relaxed summer reading, this was easy enough to pick up, read a few entries, and put back down. To be honest, I didn't really start getting into it until we were well into the 19th century -- modern art (and beyond) is much more interesting to me.

[Cemressa]

Her dönemden biraz biraz hiçbir dönemden tam değil şeklinde özetlenebilecek tarzda, birkaç isim ve eser öğrenmek isteyenin hoşuna gidebilecek bir kitap.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

How did I get this far in life without realizing that American Gothic is a painting of a father and daughter instead of a husband and wife? Just one of the many tidbits I picked up from reading this book. I feel like this book would make a nice supplemental text to an Art History 101 course. The first half was a little repetitive with all of the chiaroscuro and religious art, but things got more interesting as we progressed to more recent works of art. One complaint is that some of the pieces of art were so tiny that it was difficult to make out the details that were explained in the text. They publisher easily could have rotated the pieces of art oriented as landscape 90 degrees to allow a slightly larger image to fit on the page.

[7jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book about art also good for some morning reading. This book discusses 100 artpieces, the motivations and meanings behind each. Each has the artist’s name (or unknown), lifeyears, art title, material(s) used, and creation year(s). And each piece also gets a small second title of what the compiler thinks it delivers (such as ”personifies inner strength”). The age span in from c.24,000 BC to 2018, though of course there’s more from the younger end.

What is discussed – the where, why, when, and how; some opinions, artists’ views on art, reactions to the pieces etc. Where the artpiece is and what are its dimensions are listed at the end, so reader might have to now and then look there if curiosity rises. Some texts feels more complete than others, but there’s always enough of it to open each work to readers.

There were many pieces familiar to me, but also some ’new’ ones, and everything I loved in some ways even if some became favorites. And it’s great to pause in front of each artpiece and observe its details, and have a moment of thinking about them with more depth. Lovely. :)

[Cornelia Maier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Susie Hodge versucht mit 'Kunst erklärt:' das Unmögliche – die Kunst zu erläutern. Das Buch ist wie der nette Kumpel, der versucht, dir die Welt der Kunst zu zeigen, aber dabei ab und zu ins Stolpern gerät.

Für einen soliden Einstieg in die Kunstszene ist das Buch okay, lässt aber Neulinge mit Fragezeichen zurück. Die Annahme, dass wir bestimmte Kunststile und Materialien kennen, hat mir ein paar 'Wait, what?'-Moment beschert.

Drei Sterne, weil es zwar Künstler*inne wie Picasso und Frida Kahlo beleuchtet, aber einige Schwergewichte der Kunstszene, wie Henri Matisse oder Georgia O’Keeffe, scheinbar im künstlerischen Schatten stehen lässt. Vermissen wir hier etwa die Avantgarde-Champions?

Der Schreibstil ist solide, aber ein bisschen mehr Lockerheit würde nicht schaden. Fazit: 'Kunst erklärt:', ein guter Versuch, aber vielleicht nicht das Lehrbuch, das ich erwartet habe. Der Weg zur Kunst ist eben manchmal holprig – und dieses Buch ist da keine Ausnahme.

[• L O R E • · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lo siento pero, ¿cómo vas a considerar arte, un letrero de luces led de color rosa en una estación de tren? ¿O un montón de piedras en círculo? Le doy 4 ⭐️ por eso, las últimas obras “de arte” yo no las considero arte como tal. Por lo demás, el resto de obras me han gustado mucho, no te cansas de leer y de algunas descubres secretos y significados que no escuchas de normal en documéntales o exposiciones.

[Mack Rhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this book leaves out some important artists or artworks but that is to be expected, it being only 100 works. Im an art history major and it is a pretty good reference to start out with. Some entries are less detailed than others, I suppose less or more is known about different works.

[Tugbadursun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitap 100 adet önemli sanat eserini kısaca anlatıyor. Eğer eseri zaten biliyorsanız kitaptaki bilgiler yetersiz kalıyor. Fakat eser sizin için yeniyse bilgiler faydalı geliyor. Dolayısıyla, kitap amatörler için uygun diyebilirim.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!
Had no idea there were female artists in the 1660's!
Very informative.

[caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like it was interesting and it’s exactly what I wanted to read but I wish there were a few more modern pieces

[Beki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have preferred more modern works of art in. Especially interested in piano I saw at tate years ago!

[Tee]

Book is too small: Font size way too small, and artwork reproductions too small to see detail. I quit reading to preserve my eyesight.

[Juliana Beltrán]

Ví este libro por primera vez en el Museo El Prado en Madrid y me enamoré. No sería hasta unos meses después que por medio de un regalo llegaría a mis manos.

Hablando ya del libro, este probablemente sea un manual básico en español para los amantes del arte.

Susie Hodge atraviesa la historia de la humanidad por medio de sus reproducciones artísticas, desde la sala de los toros del Paleolítico hasta la icónica instalación de Tracey Emin en una de las estaciones ferroviarias londinenses mas importantes en 2018, la autora, analiza las que considera las 100 obras más icónicas con indulgencia de aquellos lectores que no fuimos educados en bellas artes, pero disfrutamos de entender qué hay detrás de una obra.