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data
Product: Turtleback (book)
ISBN-10: 0-7893-1209-3
ISBN-13: 9780789312099
Publisher: Universe
Country:
Year: November 13, 2004
Size: 13.59 x 19.81 x 1.60cm
Number of pages: 160
Weight: 358gr
Binding: Turtleback
ISBN-10: 0-7893-1209-3
ISBN-13: 9780789312099
Publisher: Universe
Country:
Year: November 13, 2004
Size: 13.59 x 19.81 x 1.60cm
Number of pages: 160
Weight: 358gr
Binding: Turtleback
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Product Description
Isms: Understanding Art is the perfect pocket-sized guide for gallery and museum lovers who have a general interest in the arts, but not necessarily any formal education in the visual arts. With this portable and indispensable tool in hand, anyone can guide themselves through the world's prestigious museums and major art collections and recognize and intelligently discuss the significant movements that have shaped the world of art. Using an informative and engaging style with informal and direct tone, each of the numerous »isms« that are used to define-but often misleadingly cloud-art movements are explained in simple terms and made accessible to the casual art lover. Readers are encouraged to think of styles as useful tools for conversation and exploration rather than as hard and fast academic definitions, and to relate to the art itself rather than to a merely conceptual idea. Each spread is devoted to a single art historical period and begins with an introduction that explains when the movement first emerged, the historical period to which it applies, and the principal disputes over its applicability, usefulness, or significance. The rest of the chapter is divided into several sections illustrating the most important artists and works within the period, related key words, and illustrations that best represent the distinctive features. This comprehensible structure makes it possible for any reader to gain a clear understanding of Classicism or Cubism while sitting in a café or visiting a gallery.
Isms: Understanding Art is the perfect pocket-sized guide for gallery and museum lovers who have a general interest in the arts, but not necessarily any formal education in the visual arts. With this portable and indispensable tool in hand, anyone can guide themselves through the world's prestigious museums and major art collections and recognize and intelligently discuss the significant movements that have shaped the world of art. Using an informative and engaging style with informal and direct tone, each of the numerous »isms« that are used to define-but often misleadingly cloud-art movements are explained in simple terms and made accessible to the casual art lover. Readers are encouraged to think of styles as useful tools for conversation and exploration rather than as hard and fast academic definitions, and to relate to the art itself rather than to a merely conceptual idea. Each spread is devoted to a single art historical period and begins with an introduction that explains when the movement first emerged, the historical period to which it applies, and the principal disputes over its applicability, usefulness, or significance. The rest of the chapter is divided into several sections illustrating the most important artists and works within the period, related key words, and illustrations that best represent the distinctive features. This comprehensible structure makes it possible for any reader to gain a clear understanding of Classicism or Cubism while sitting in a café or visiting a gallery.
reviews
The perfect pocket guide to art. 
Isms: Understanding Art is a handy, little, reference book outlining the major visual art movements in an easy to follow manner. This is the perfect primer for those of us interested in art but without the background to know the painters, movements, and history surrounding a favorite style of work. Each section explains the particular movement in a light, easy to understand way and includes photos and information about key artists of the period. Not really appropriate for »in-depth« study, this book is perfect for the beginning art student or those who want to enjoy the museums and galleries.
Isms: Understanding Art is a handy, little, reference book outlining the major visual art movements in an easy to follow manner. This is the perfect primer for those of us interested in art but without the background to know the painters, movements, and history surrounding a favorite style of work. Each section explains the particular movement in a light, easy to understand way and includes photos and information about key artists of the period. Not really appropriate for »in-depth« study, this book is perfect for the beginning art student or those who want to enjoy the museums and galleries.
Good reference, but a little confusing 
This is a handy dandy little book that serves as a quick reference guide for art movements. It, however, has a few shortcomings. The first is that the author makes up a few of the »isms.« The terms he makes up are marked--sort of, but are still hard to keep straight. The book progresses in chronological order, but it is confusing when the author delves into trends within movements. This book would benefit tremendously from a foldout timeline and some sort of chart to indicate how/when the various movement occurred in relation to each other. Overall, it is a good little reference, but be wary of which terms you use when in the company of those educated in art history.
This is a handy dandy little book that serves as a quick reference guide for art movements. It, however, has a few shortcomings. The first is that the author makes up a few of the »isms.« The terms he makes up are marked--sort of, but are still hard to keep straight. The book progresses in chronological order, but it is confusing when the author delves into trends within movements. This book would benefit tremendously from a foldout timeline and some sort of chart to indicate how/when the various movement occurred in relation to each other. Overall, it is a good little reference, but be wary of which terms you use when in the company of those educated in art history.
Very brief but can be useful
This book is a quick reference of major styles of visual arts with a very brief descriptions, most known artists and works. Because of it's small size, the reproductions are tiny and the descriptions usually are just a few lines long. Sounds like a not very useful book to you, doestn't it? Well, actually it has it's niche. Let's say you want to take your girlfriend (ok, let's say your kid) to an art museum and look smart. Or you want to buy some painting for your office and need to decide about style. Or you've been just always curious how visual art can be categorized. So this is one of those things like a street map or a sticker with a few phone numbers on your fridge. Yes, you can get better information from other sources, but sometimes you don't want to go deep into details and just want have something handy.
This book is a quick reference of major styles of visual arts with a very brief descriptions, most known artists and works. Because of it's small size, the reproductions are tiny and the descriptions usually are just a few lines long. Sounds like a not very useful book to you, doestn't it? Well, actually it has it's niche. Let's say you want to take your girlfriend (ok, let's say your kid) to an art museum and look smart. Or you want to buy some painting for your office and need to decide about style. Or you've been just always curious how visual art can be categorized. So this is one of those things like a street map or a sticker with a few phone numbers on your fridge. Yes, you can get better information from other sources, but sometimes you don't want to go deep into details and just want have something handy.
An Immediately Indispensable Aid
Stephen Little has created a brief, succinct, thorough, and portable little book that provides a much-needed resource. No matter where you are with art, be it novice, museum visitor, gallery wanderer, artist, teacher, collector, writer, essayist, advanced art historian who makes frequent speeches, this book is so well done it is as valuable as a dictionary or a thesaurus. Little has addressed the problem we all have: he has provided information with visual examples for all the periods and trends of art throughout history that can be confusing at best, contradictory at worst. Some of these periods are vague both in reality and in Little's book, but they are nonetheless defined in a scholarly, reader-friendly way. From trying to remember Baroque vs Rococo, Mannerism vs Symbolism, Impressionism vs Post Impressionism, Modernism, Cubism, Fauvism, Conceptualism vs Neo Conceptualism, Surrealism vs Illusionism, etc etc etc – it is all here: instant information regarding definition, time frame of each ism, list of artists of that ilk, and full color images of examples. The book is written in chronological order and does not linger on any one period, but instead maintains the speedy accessible overview of information we all should have at hand. Recommendation? Buy this book. No matter your degree of interest or level of expertise, this is truly a valuable little volume of beautiful information. Highly Recommended! Grady Harp, January 06
Stephen Little has created a brief, succinct, thorough, and portable little book that provides a much-needed resource. No matter where you are with art, be it novice, museum visitor, gallery wanderer, artist, teacher, collector, writer, essayist, advanced art historian who makes frequent speeches, this book is so well done it is as valuable as a dictionary or a thesaurus. Little has addressed the problem we all have: he has provided information with visual examples for all the periods and trends of art throughout history that can be confusing at best, contradictory at worst. Some of these periods are vague both in reality and in Little's book, but they are nonetheless defined in a scholarly, reader-friendly way. From trying to remember Baroque vs Rococo, Mannerism vs Symbolism, Impressionism vs Post Impressionism, Modernism, Cubism, Fauvism, Conceptualism vs Neo Conceptualism, Surrealism vs Illusionism, etc etc etc – it is all here: instant information regarding definition, time frame of each ism, list of artists of that ilk, and full color images of examples. The book is written in chronological order and does not linger on any one period, but instead maintains the speedy accessible overview of information we all should have at hand. Recommendation? Buy this book. No matter your degree of interest or level of expertise, this is truly a valuable little volume of beautiful information. Highly Recommended! Grady Harp, January 06
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© 1994–2010 Sascha Hendel
last update: 3/21/2010
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