The Renaissance Art Book : Discover Thirty Glorious Masterpieces by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Fra Angelico, Botticelli

Rating:
Summary: An art appreciation course on five Renaissance masters
Review: "The Renaissance Art Book" examines thirty masterpieces of the period by five Italian masters: Fra Angelico (e.g., "The Kiss of Judas"), Sandro Botticelli (e.g., "Birth of Venus"), Leonardo da Vinci (e.g., "Virgin of the Rocks"), Michelangelo Buonarroti (e.g., "The Last Judgment"), and Raphael Sanzio (e.g., "St. George and the Dragon"). Each artist is given equal treatment, allotted six works apiece, although, of course, in the case of Michelangelo this means an equal number of statues and paintings. Wenda O'Reilly begins the book with a background on the politics and art of the Middle Ages against which the Renaissance broke out in Italy. After short biographies of the five artists and a timeline of the Renaissance, all of which are profusely illustrated, O'Reilly devotes each 2-page spread to a specific work of art. What follows is not so much thirty lessons in art appreciation, in which we learn about artistic techniques specific to each artist, but rather an explication of the meaning of the various images and symbols in each painting. Consequently, we learn the story told by the panels in Fra Angelico's Annalena Altarpiece and the symbolism of the pomegranate in the hand of the infant Jesus in Botticelli's "Madonna of the Magnificat." But O'Reilly does provide some artistic insights to go along with the information, such as the ways in which Leonardo makes the lady and the ermine look alike in "Lady with an Ermine" and Raphael's use of forshortening in "St. George and the Dragon." The information outweighs the insights (Raphael painted Leonardo as Plato in "The School of Athens") but the important thing is that at the end of this colorful book you have a better understanding of over two dozen works of Renaissance art. By focusing on multiple works by just five artists O'Reilly is also able to engender a better understand of each artist's approach. Apparently this book is also sold as part of "The Renaissance Art Game," which allows you to engage in art appreciation by playing a pair of classical games of strategy and memory, Go Fish and Concentration (using cards of the 30 paintings). Sounds like fun to me.

Rating:
Summary: An art appreciation course on five Renaissance masters
Review: "The Renaissance Art Book" examines thirty masterpieces of the period by five Italian masters: Fra Angelico (e.g., "The Kiss of Judas"), Sandro Botticelli (e.g., "Birth of Venus"), Leonardo da Vinci (e.g., "Virgin of the Rocks"), Michelangelo Buonarroti (e.g., "The Last Judgment"), and Raphael Sanzio (e.g., "St. George and the Dragon"). Each artist is given equal treatment, allotted six works apiece, although, of course, in the case of Michelangelo this means an equal number of statues and paintings. Wenda O'Reilly begins the book with a background on the politics and art of the Middle Ages against which the Renaissance broke out in Italy. After short biographies of the five artists and a timeline of the Renaissance, all of which are profusely illustrated, O'Reilly devotes each 2-page spread to a specific work of art. What follows is not so much thirty lessons in art appreciation, in which we learn about artistic techniques specific to each artist, but rather an explication of the meaning of the various images and symbols in each painting. Consequently, we learn the story told by the panels in Fra Angelico's Annalena Altarpiece and the symbolism of the pomegranate in the hand of the infant Jesus in Botticelli's "Madonna of the Magnificat." But O'Reilly does provide some artistic insights to go along with the information, such as the ways in which Leonardo makes the lady and the ermine look alike in "Lady with an Ermine" and Raphael's use of forshortening in "St. George and the Dragon." The information outweighs the insights (Raphael painted Leonardo as Plato in "The School of Athens") but the important thing is that at the end of this colorful book you have a better understanding of over two dozen works of Renaissance art. By focusing on multiple works by just five artists O'Reilly is also able to engender a better understand of each artist's approach. Apparently this book is also sold as part of "The Renaissance Art Game," which allows you to engage in art appreciation by playing a pair of classical games of strategy and memory, Go Fish and Concentration (using cards of the 30 paintings). Sounds like fun to me.

Rating:
Summary: Read this with your child
Review: Only one thing to add to the previous review: this book is written for younger readers - and yet the information is so interesting that this makes wonderful "together reading" for an adult and a child. Together, you can discover five important Italian artists in a simple history that conveys their personalities and the circumstances under which they lived and made their art. You can pore over the paintings tgoether, and the book thoughtfully includes insets with details of the paintings for a closer look. This a great choice for family reading.

Rating:
Summary: Read this with your child
Review: Only one thing to add to the previous review: this book is written for younger readers - and yet the information is so interesting that this makes wonderful "together reading" for an adult and a child. Together, you can discover five important Italian artists in a simple history that conveys their personalities and the circumstances under which they lived and made their art. You can pore over the paintings tgoether, and the book thoughtfully includes insets with details of the paintings for a closer look. This a great choice for family reading.