Looking at Prints, Drawings and Watercolours: A Guide to Technical Terms, Revised Edition

By Paul Goldman

Book Overview

Many of the terms applied by art historians and curators to describe prints, drawings, and watercolors are not readily understood by the majority of exhibition visitors and art enthusiasts. These terms can also be difficult to find in reference books. This publication, which is part of the popular Looking At series of art glossaries, defines and illustrates in one portable volume the most commonly used technical terms related to these three media.
This handy reference guide features over one hundred entries--alphabetically arranged from aquatint to wood engraving--that concisely explain the processes and materials utilized in creating prints, drawings, and watercolors. This edition, revised from a book originally published in 1989, has been updated with additional color illustrations and new entries on digital printmaking and copies and fakes. It is richly illustrated with objects from the collections of the J. Paul Getty Museum and the British Museum.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0892368713
• ISBN13: 9780892368716
• Release Date: December 2006
• Publisher: J. Paul Getty Museum
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Review of Looking at Prints, Drawings and Watercolours

This is an informative glossary containing terms pertinent to works of art on paper but as the author Paul Goldman notes the book only briefly treats photomechanical processes and contemporary trends in printmaking. The illustrations are all drawn from the Getty Museum or the British Museum collections so readers can go directly to the online digital sites at those institutions for more information. This make the book valuable as an introductory text for a course on the History of Prints and Drawings. It is also a "must read" for emerging collectors and for art lovers who desire a deeper appreciation of the complexities of the graphic arts. Used in conjunction with Linda C. Hults, The Print in the Western World (U. of Wisconsin Press) and Ursula Weekes, Techniques of Drawing (Woodstocker Books) it provides a sound overview. Unfortunately the book omits some important terms and slights the history of paper making, but again it is a handy reference and not a definitive one. While the bibliography will point readers to many valuable printed resources, a list of relevant web sites would be a useful addition. The book is printed on quality paper and the binding appears sturdy. The second edition contains basic information on conservation issues. Those seeking more information on prints should consult the website at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (N.Y.) which gives extensive technical information and many digital examples. Lynne N. Reno, Assistant Professor, Edinboro University, Edinboro, Pa.

more, and less, than I expected

I had hoped this book would incorporate aesthetics with art history, but that is not quite the author's intent. Instead, it is similar to a dictionary, being a 63-page volume of alphabetically arranged technical definitions, from aquatint to wood-engraving. It is also more than a dictionary, having more than 60 examples to illustrate techniques and methods.This book is neither historical nor biographical in focus, but you will learn a great deal of technical information.