Reviews

1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die by Stephen Farthing

lucys_library's review

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informative reflective fast-paced

3.5

scottwoods's review against another edition

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5.0

An enormous, beautifully compiled collection of artwork whose title I couldn't agree with more. Filled with easily digested insights into some of the greatest artwork in history, this almost 1000-page book is great for people only mildly interested in art or for serious art-core types.
The pictures are lovely and there's just enough text to get you interested in someone new (or old) at every turn.

junelaurens's review against another edition

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4.0

Hmmmmmm, so before I die I am supposed to see these 1001 paintings then? Well...... I have seen about five in real-life so I guess that's only 996 to go.....

This is an interesting brick of a book - well laid out from showing paintings from as early as the pre-1400s until modern day. I have to admit as to not being a particular Renaissance art fan, so for me the more interesting parts of the book were from the nineteenth century onwards (which happened to be about one third of the way into the book).

I had intended to keep this on my coffee table - as one of these "intellectual" coffee-table type books to bamboozle visitors into believing their host as being a bit of a "culture vulture". However, with some of the paintings being......er......graphic.....and probably not very suitable for my two children to see (quite yet!), it currently resides in my bulging bookshelf; but it is always at hand should an art gallery visit be on the cards.

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