Book Description

A comprehensive, profusely illustrated guide to the world of art for young adults, this six-volume set is a fact-packed introduction to the masters and concepts of Western art. Featuring painters, sculptors, and printmakers from the Middle Ages through the present, the series has been produced through the exacting efforts of leading art historians and written in vivid, engrossing style that will be easily accessible to teenage readers. The first five books in the set contain biographical entries on 222 artists in the familiar A-Z format. Each double-page entry follows a consistent pattern. Its centerpiece is a brief essay focusing on the distinguishing characteristics of the artist's life and work. The essay is supplemented with a quick-reference biography sidebar and a feature box on the artist's style. Each profile is illustrated in color with up to two color reproductions of the works that best define the artist's style and contributions to the art of the time. Cross-references to other artists and movements follow each entry. Every volume features a timeline spanning the major movements of Western art. The final volume collects entries on the major schools and movements in art--from Abstraction through Barbizon school and dada to Vorticism--as well as a series index and a glossary with suggestions for further reading. Equally conducive to both serious research and browsing, this elegant set offers consistent visual treatment of the artists and multiple points of comparison. Young adult art aficionados will discover that an attractive page design coupled with lucid, energetic writing and exquisite scholarship hold the key to discovering the greatest talents in history and their artistic legacy.