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Timelines of Art
This beautiful book brings you the very best of art throughout history – using a truly innovative timeline-led approach.
Savour iconic paintings such as Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Monet's Waterlilies, and discover less well-known artists, styles, and movements the world over – from Indigenous Australian art to the works of Ming-era China. And explore recurring themes, such as love and religion, and important genres from Romanesque to Conceptual art, along the way.
Timelines of Art provides detailed analysis of the works of key artists, showing details of their technique – such as Leonardo's use of light and shade. It tells the story of avant-garde works like Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Lunch on the Grass), which scandalized society, and it traces how certain artists, genres or movements informed the works of others – showing how the Impressionists were inspired by Gustave Courbet, for example, or how Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese prints.
Comprehensive, accessible, and lavishly illustrated throughout, Timelines of Art is an essential guide to the pantheon of world art, so dive straight into
- An overview of each movement, including the social and cultural background of the period, grounds the works of art in the spirit of their times.
- Turning-point paintings that triggered or epitomized each artistic movement are identified and explained, against a backdrop of influences – the technical advances, admired techniques of an earlier artist, and changes in society that enabled new directions in art.
- Glossary of technical terms and comprehensive index help make this an indispensable work of reference for any art-lover.
Timelines of Art i s the perfect art history book for students of art and/or history, proving ideal for families, schools and libraries and doubling up as a great gift for the art lover in your life.
Savour iconic paintings such as Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper and Monet's Waterlilies, and discover less well-known artists, styles, and movements the world over – from Indigenous Australian art to the works of Ming-era China. And explore recurring themes, such as love and religion, and important genres from Romanesque to Conceptual art, along the way.
Timelines of Art provides detailed analysis of the works of key artists, showing details of their technique – such as Leonardo's use of light and shade. It tells the story of avant-garde works like Manet's Le Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Lunch on the Grass), which scandalized society, and it traces how certain artists, genres or movements informed the works of others – showing how the Impressionists were inspired by Gustave Courbet, for example, or how Van Gogh was influenced by Japanese prints.
Comprehensive, accessible, and lavishly illustrated throughout, Timelines of Art is an essential guide to the pantheon of world art, so dive straight into
- An overview of each movement, including the social and cultural background of the period, grounds the works of art in the spirit of their times.
- Turning-point paintings that triggered or epitomized each artistic movement are identified and explained, against a backdrop of influences – the technical advances, admired techniques of an earlier artist, and changes in society that enabled new directions in art.
- Glossary of technical terms and comprehensive index help make this an indispensable work of reference for any art-lover.
Timelines of Art i s the perfect art history book for students of art and/or history, proving ideal for families, schools and libraries and doubling up as a great gift for the art lover in your life.
400 pages, Hardcover
Published April 18, 2023
11 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,120 books2,079 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 26, 2025
This sumptuously illustrated book of 400 pages of visual art and its history is an attempt to show the development of pictorial representation from the earliest daubes and scratches on the walls of caves all the way through to the more modern daubes and splashes that can apparently be counted as art. In between are the many stages through which the development of images has undergone significant changes in both treatment and subject matter. That’s quite a task to squeeze between two covers.
The contributing authors appear to know their stuff. The layout is helpful, and the definite chronological order is more or less exactly what I was seeking from this book bought for research for my current novel.
Clearly, such a wide-ranging subject can only be presented in a relatively basic manner in a single volume. Fortunately, the Index of Artists, General Index and Acknowledgements combine to provide enough information for further reading should that be needed.
It served me for the purpose of general information on the topic, a subject relevant to a major player in my book. But I guess it would be very useful both for those with a general interest in the work of the painter and those considering studying the extensive history of art as an academic subject. It also introduced me to a number of painters new to me, which was a bonus.
The book is divided into five sections, Ancient and Medieval, Renaissance and Mannerism, Baroque to Neoclassism, The 19th Century, and The Modern Age. And each of these sections is further divided into the appropriate subsections needed to cover the relevant period in some detail.
So, an introduction rather than an in-depth study, but such an examination would clearly require many volumes, especially as the nature of the subject requires reproduction of colourful works of art if it is to perform such a service. In this case, the many illustrations served that aspect well.
The contributing authors appear to know their stuff. The layout is helpful, and the definite chronological order is more or less exactly what I was seeking from this book bought for research for my current novel.
Clearly, such a wide-ranging subject can only be presented in a relatively basic manner in a single volume. Fortunately, the Index of Artists, General Index and Acknowledgements combine to provide enough information for further reading should that be needed.
It served me for the purpose of general information on the topic, a subject relevant to a major player in my book. But I guess it would be very useful both for those with a general interest in the work of the painter and those considering studying the extensive history of art as an academic subject. It also introduced me to a number of painters new to me, which was a bonus.
The book is divided into five sections, Ancient and Medieval, Renaissance and Mannerism, Baroque to Neoclassism, The 19th Century, and The Modern Age. And each of these sections is further divided into the appropriate subsections needed to cover the relevant period in some detail.
So, an introduction rather than an in-depth study, but such an examination would clearly require many volumes, especially as the nature of the subject requires reproduction of colourful works of art if it is to perform such a service. In this case, the many illustrations served that aspect well.
December 12, 2025
I wish their was more POC representation and female representation in the book because their are so many good examples lf art peices done by POC individuals as well as women.
January 15, 2024
This is a very informative book.
September 11, 2023
Interesting read for the art lovers out there. Lots of pictures in this large tome. I didn't know that in the painting "American Gothic" that the woman is his daughter...not his wife as I had always assumed. Also did you know that Sigmund Freud's grandson (Lucian Freud) was a famous painter?
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews