Great Paintings Explained: Learn to read some of the most famous paintings in art history

by Christopher P. Jones

Great Paintings Explained delves into the stories of some of the most compelling paintings in art.

Imagine walking into an art gallery and looking at a painting. What does it mean? What is it trying to say? Written for art lovers, this book will help you understand art, how to look at it and its history and much more.

From paintings by Botticelli to Van Gogh, Great Paintings Explained explores what the pictures actually show by diving into the myths, symbolism and circumstances behind fifteen different works of art.

Artworks include:

The Night Café by Vincent van Gogh
Improvisation No. 30 (Cannons) by Wassily Kandinsky
Proserpine by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
At the Moulin Rouge by Toulouse-Lautrec
Judith and Holofernes by Gustav Klimt
Self-Portrait by Rembrandt

... and many more.

Great Paintings Explained is the second illustrated guide in the Looking at Art series, that explores some of the most beautiful objects in art history. Written for those who appreciate art, this book will give you an insight into how artworks are composed and why your favourite artists made the choices they did.

**Note: Images are shown in full colour.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

97 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 15, 2021

Reviews

[Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect guide into the various paintings the book contains. It has opened my eyes to things that can be interpreted in paintings. You can really feel the passion of the author and he explains everything without seeming pretentious or like he is conjuring up some wild theories. His knowledge is felt throughout the book and it gives the book a feel as though you are sitting having a discussion with an artistically minded friend. Definitely recommended!

[Erin Root · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been 5 starts if the photos were in color. The author did an amazing job and I found myself wishing it was a longer book. I just found it hard when the author discussed use of color in the composition since it was in black and white. However, even if I need to reference other books for the artwork, it was still worth reading because the author gave a succinct analysis of the artwork.

[Dora Viazzo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in 2 days. Very well structured, simple enough and short = all elements to approach to art in a nice way and without fear.
Only remark: some paintings can only be read in their contest (Kandinski for example), and not as a standalone work of art. In my view, there should be 2 sections of the book - one for the “artworks in their context”, and one for “artworks for their beauty”.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series. It's much like the first book. It would have been better if the author had organized the paintings into groupings. Instead, it feels like the author randomly selected notable paintings of artists from different countries and from different time periods.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

a deep literary expression of the artist

Enjoying your descriptions/explaing each piece. Makes me slow down study & reread each in case I missed something.
Haven’t enjoyed my literary journey this much in a long time. Thank you
On to your next book

[HOSEOK KANG · Rating 5 out of 5]

good to read

This book make me to go to the museum for art exhibition. It is successful on the purpose, isn't it?

[blob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because I enjoyed starring at paintings in the national gallery.