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The Art Institute of Chicago houses a world-renown collection of artwork that spans the complete and diverse spectrum of six centuries of painting. Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Master Paintings In The Art Institute Of Chicago organizes and showcases 149 major paintings (like the Insitute itself) into European, American, and Twentieth-Century categories. This outstanding introduction to the history of art in general, and the Art Insitute of Chicago's impressive collection in particular, would grace any personal, academic, or community library artbook collection.

This is a great coffee table book that includes many important paintings of Art Institute of Chicago. All the images are in color, and the story of each painting and the artist is given. Each painting is described on a single page, and therefore the pictures are sufficiently large and detailed. The book starts with 15th century religious paintings, and progresses to include well known impressionist paintings such as Seurat's Sunday on La Grande Jatte and Renoir's Two sisters. It also has a section on 20th century paintings. Not a substitute to seeing the actual works, but it is close...

Thirty-three paintings are presented, with information about the artist, the technique used, the subject, provenance and museum in which it is housed (including museum hours and admission fee!). A full-page reproduction of each painting fills out what has to be the most succinct introduction to the treasures of America's art museums in a book.

Wonderfully done.

This is an excellent book to gain knowledge of the artist's background, something about the history of the painting, i.e., who bought it and donated it to which museum. Beautiful color illustrations with fold-outs on each picture. Lovely for the coffee table.

Although the subject matter of this book initially appeared to be for an older child, it is clear that the text and illustrations appeal as strongly to the younger set. Ever since learning of Matthew the Mouse's determination to become a painter (in contravention of his parents desires that he become a M.D.) my two-year-old son (also named Matthew) has been wielding his paintbrush often and furiously. The illustrations are aesthetically pleasing and clarify the text perfectly. The text, while simple in form, provides excellent vocabulary builders (e.g., use of "embrace" rather than "hug") and also gives the reader the chance to discuss with the child many ideas and activities that take place inside and outside the home. All in all a wonderful find; a story that truly respects a child's right to follow his or her own dreams.

I have read this book to my son since he was born (he is now 3 months old). He loves it - coos and kicks his legs throughout the entire book. Very vivid colorful pictures and a great story. Can't wait to get more books from Lionni.

This book is the unveiling of Michelangelo's unappreciated genius. The glory of the cleaned and restored Sisten Chapel bursts forth in the high quality pictures throughout the book. Because it was written by an artist, there are lovely little bits and pieces one does not normally find (such as a page of faces . . .). I was so smitten with this book that I read it cover to cover in one evening. It is well written, clear, concise, and understandable without being condescending. This collection of picutres of the restored Sistine Chapel is wonderful. It surpassed all my expectations.

This book was illustrated after the Sistine Chapel was cleaned and Michelangelo's vibrant colors were brought back for us to enjoy. The author gives a short history of Michelangelo's life, places him in the context of the rennaisance that he was such a major part of. She shows some of his other works, but this is all unimportant. What is the grabbing point of this book are the photographs of the Sistine Chapel after the cleanning. The colors that glow from the paintings Michelangelo did are so beautiful and unexpected from what we have seen of the Chapel before the cleaning. Michelangelo's genuis shows through at last and this book gives you the chance to enjoy every bit of it. The photography is excellent and for such a small price the whole beauty of the ceiling is yours to enjoy over and over. I highly recommend this jewel of a book.

I have 4 CD-ROM multimedia titles concerning Michelangelo and this one is the best by far. The interface and graphics are superb. You can access information on this disk in a number of ways. For example you can step thru his life, year by year, or access specific works of art. Also, there are many pieces about other famous historical figures that had an influence on Michelangelo's life. It is very well written. I find myself popping the the CD into my computer from time to time and drifting back to the 1500's.

You will find everything about the Italian artist Michelangelo, his works, his life and at the same time the CD-Rom will teach you what the European Renaissance was. A great learning tool.

Young boys and girls will find this day of adventure in an Art museum a visual delight! The children I read it to (I'm a school Media Specialist) were enthralled and their enthusiam generated curiosity about the artists. They checked out other art books. The Art teacher has her own copy for her young child and she loves it! I highly recommend MOLLY MEETS MONA AND FRIENDS for the young reader. It is a quality exposure to great art for the young artist or the future art lover.

Molly chases Constable's rainbow, dances with Degas's ballerina, dodges Turner's train,plays guitar with Picasso's musicians, and floats on Monet's lily pad. This is a wonderful and fun way of introducing painting and sculpture into the lives of imaginative young readers

As neither an art historian nor an artist, I don't know how I was lucky enough to find this book. It is an intellecutally and aesthetically enriching experience from start to finish. The author presents Durer in a full historical context, dramatically explaining his importance in time and place. Many illustrations are included, the style is very readable, and the fascination of watching Durer emerge from the pages of the book and the mists of the Middle Ages in Germany, is just terrific! You will learn more than you perhaps thought possible about Durer and you may also wonder, as I did, why I had not appreciated his art more.

Joseph Leo Koerner must rank as one of the most able and compelling figures writing in the field of Art History today. As with his previous work on Caspar David Friedrich this work is a masterpiece of interpretative criticism and research. Koerner proceeds always from close readings of individual works, but then sets them at the centre of a nexus of complex philosophical and socio historical questions. He invokes not only the writings of Durer's contemporaries, but such figures as Foucault and Adorno in drawing out the profoundest implications from the works cited. If proof were neeeded that art history can be urgent and disturbing rather than pedantic and arcane, then this book should offer it. As one reaches the end of this book one understands that the complex issues of identity which Durer and his circle grappled with are as vital and disturbing at the turn of the millenium as the were when Durer worked on the brink of the half millenium.

There seems to be very limited information available on the technique of monotype. This book fills that void by demonstrating the incredible variety of effects possible using the monotype method. There are no projects, per se, rather it teaches techniques that help you create your own masterpieces. Many pieces of example artwork are found throughout the book.

A monotype is a one-of-a-kind print made by transferring a painted image to paper. The book starts out with an introduction to materials including plates, mediums, solvents, panting tools and paper as well as hand and press transfer equipment. It also covers studio safety and finding workshop facilities.

Techniques are next including working into a light or dark field and both hand and press transfer.
These include step-by-step instructions accompanied by demonstration photos. Working in specific mediums including watercolor, acrylics, water-soluble writing instruments, monoprint paints (Createx), oil paints, water-based oils and alkyds follows. A section discussing special oil-based printing inks for lithography, etching, printing and serigraphy is also here. There is even a chapter on special techniques including using masks & stencils, embossing and creating collages.

The final chapter gives an overview of monoprints, which combine monotype with other print making processes, and mixed-media monotypes. This includes intaglio, drypoint and engraving, as well as linocut and collagraphic monoprints.

There is a nice list of suppliers as well as interesting biographical notes on the artists featured in the back. This is a great book that displays the great diversity in mediums and results available with monotype.

This book is a valuable resource of methods used in making monotypes. Ms. Ayres reviews every aspect of making a monotype from the tools, the ink or paint, and the process of transferring the image. All the printmaking terms used when describing this art are expertly explained and illustrated. It is clearly not a medium restricted to artists familiar with printmaking. The work of many artists are presented along with the ingenuity they have used to transfer their work. A very valuable resource book both for the artist and those wishing to learn more about this art form.

The Manual is a great collection of elements of classical Landscape painting, demonstrating compositions & brush strokes in woodcut examples from the work of former masters in a society in which the boundary between writing & art - in technique, subject & spirit - was undefined & irrelevant, by comparison to Western tradition. But the commentary on the examples seeks not only to open the artist's eye but also the mind to the relation between long observation & drill, abstract improvisation of image, & a spiritual process of self-examination. Despite its emphasis on practice, drill & imitation of the masters, the Manual repeatedly calls upon reliance upon nature for instruction - & for an awakened spirit. There is Taoist influence on the text's allusive & visionary discussion. A delight

This is a classic book about Chinese painting. Loaded with examples and commentary about painting technique, this is a good book for someone interested in Asian brush painting or for the art enthusast.

Compiled and edited by art historian and expert James Timothy Voorhies, My Dear Stieglitz: Letters Of Marsden Hartley And Alfred Stieglitz 1912-1915 is an informative and intrinsically interesting collection of previously unpublished correspondence between America artist Marsden Hartley and avant-garde impresario, editor, and photographer Alfred Stieglitz chronicling Hartley's three year European sojourn before and just at the inception of World War I. The letters begin with Hartley's 1912 arrival in Paris and provides invaluable commentary on Gertrude Stein's salons, the paintings of Picasso, Cezanne, and Matisse, and his encounters with many of the leading lights of the European world of artists, art dealers, and gallery owners. Hartley continues in 1913 to write an informative correspondence about the Expressionist artists and art trends that he encountered in Germany. This amazing body of correspondence concludes with Hartley's late 1915 return to an America seasoned by the influx of pre-war modern art. My Dear Stieglitz is a welcome and invaluable contribution to 20th Century Art History reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

I loved this collection of letters because the correspondence is so succint, complete, and filled with emotion and drama. The letters really gave me a sense of what the artist was going through at this time in his life.

Also, the editor did a great job with the appendices and the footnotes - they are as entertaining and informative as the letters themselves.