The Beginner's Guide to Art

By Brigitte Govignon

Book Overview

This concise and straightforward guide to art explains the subject, from Paleolithic cave paintings and ancient Greek temples, to Byzantine icons, Japanese architecture, Oceanic sculpture, African murals and the 20th-century avant-garde. The work features: clearly organized sections on painting, sculpture and architecture; illustrated descriptions of techniques and definitions of styles; and a biographical dictionary of the major figures who have shaped Western art, including photographs of their works.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0810940027
• ISBN13: 9780810940024
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 3.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.8" x 1.0" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 5 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Superb introduction to art

This book is just what I was looking for: an excellent introduction to art and art history for the lay-person. It provides a thorough, global, multi-cultural survey of the history of architecture, sculpture and painting, using well-written text and excellent illustrations. The book also puts the development of various art forms in larger historical contexts, which aids in undestanding. It does all of this while presenting just the right amount of detail for someone who wishes to develop a general knowledge base in the area of art, and avoids either overwhelming the reader or being overly concise. Highly recommended!