2 reviews
Eagle-Tribune (December, 1997)
"Great Paintings of the Western World" is this year's triumph in fine art books. With 300 illustrations beginning with the mysterious frescoes of ancient Egypt to contemporary masters, the reader is taken on a tour of the world's finest museums. The authors also lead the reader down paths less traveled to discover hidden treasures shaped by political, religious and artistic forces over thousands of years. This is a great history of the world as told by the artist, from the early cave paintings in Spain and France in the period of 12,000 BC to the 20th century pop artist Andy Warhol and cartoonist Roy Lichtenstein.
The reader joins in the adventures of gods, goddesses, and heroes depicted on exquisite vases of classical Greece and Rome. The extraordinary impact of the rise of Christianity on art is traced from the early Roman catacombs to the splendidly illuminated manuscripts of medieval Europe to the stained windows of Gothic cathedrals.
The best-loved paintings for the Renaissance period include favorites by Michelangelo, da Vinci and Botticelli. The reader will find a revolution in 19th entury art as the world experiences great social and political upheavals. Landscapes are discovered, and one translated by the pastoral paintings of Constable, Turner and the Hudson River School, while the impressionists, led by Monet late in the century, revolutionize art in their then radical view of the natural world. The impressionists would be followed by the Post-Impressionists and successive generations of modernists such as Matisse, Dali, Picasso and de Kooning, who would redefine how we interpret the world through art.
The authors have written a concise, insightful text that enlightens the reader into the historical and social background of each period and how it was interpreted by the artists. Their insight reminds us that great art remains an exciting, changing expression of human feelings, thoughts and beliefs.
Alison Gallup, et.al.'s Great Paintings of the Western World will earn a spot in serious art library collections as well as in general public library holdings seeking a one-volume reference to painting history. 300 of the finest works of Western art are exhibited, from ancient Egypt to present. There's plenty of historical and artistic data, along with beautiful full-page illustrations.