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hecman111's review
3.0
There’s a lot covered in this intro to art history, and that’s a good thing. I enjoyed learning about new pieces and some of the ways in which art (and the concept of art) has evolved over time. The pacing and organization felt a little scattered at times, but this is understandable given the vast amount of history being covered. What was most distracting, however, was the self-promotion throughout; I frequently felt that I was being sold on the author’s other works and his ingenuity. It was quite annoying. Still, I appreciate the effort and like that it gives people an entry to the field.
milkshakevoid's review
5.0
I’ve been pecking away at this book for a few weeks and it was delightful. An absolute treasure trove. Equal parts brilliance, humor, knowledge, and entertainment, this had no right being as cool as it was.
I highly recommend this to anyone with any passing interest in art. Not just because it introduces, or reintroduces the reader to art techniques and terms, but because of all the weird little art facts that you probably will never hear about unless you dedicate some serious time to study art history. This was like one really satisfying dip into the vast ocean of art history and I loved every minute of it.
The only critique I have, if you can even call it that, is that by design this book is streamlined so it doesn’t have photos of the vast majority of works spoken about. The author does give plenty of satisfactory and realistic reasons for this but I would love a companion book with all of the images in order to look through at the same time, rather than having to stop and google several works per page. Beyond that though this book is amazing.
I highly recommend this to anyone with any passing interest in art. Not just because it introduces, or reintroduces the reader to art techniques and terms, but because of all the weird little art facts that you probably will never hear about unless you dedicate some serious time to study art history. This was like one really satisfying dip into the vast ocean of art history and I loved every minute of it.
The only critique I have, if you can even call it that, is that by design this book is streamlined so it doesn’t have photos of the vast majority of works spoken about. The author does give plenty of satisfactory and realistic reasons for this but I would love a companion book with all of the images in order to look through at the same time, rather than having to stop and google several works per page. Beyond that though this book is amazing.
juliana_aldous's review
5.0
The 12-Hour Art Expert has all the things that make a simple how-to book readable and enjoyable. If you know something about art or nothing about art, you will learn something here, and you will be entertained along the way.
The author, Dr. Noah Charney teaches art history (specializing in art crime!). He also won a Pulitzer for Biography and has authored a dozen books. Here he explores the basics of what you'll want to know about art--including history, "isms", collection, restoration,...
I wish I had this book back when I took my first humanities course because it would have beat the textbook we used and some terms that were explained dryly in that text are light and digestible here.
I also like how the art and works are presented. I had the book in ebook format, but could easily find the art referenced online to spend some time with.
Taking a complex subject and breaking it down for the average person to understand is itself an art and this book does it well.
The author, Dr. Noah Charney teaches art history (specializing in art crime!). He also won a Pulitzer for Biography and has authored a dozen books. Here he explores the basics of what you'll want to know about art--including history, "isms", collection, restoration,...
I wish I had this book back when I took my first humanities course because it would have beat the textbook we used and some terms that were explained dryly in that text are light and digestible here.
I also like how the art and works are presented. I had the book in ebook format, but could easily find the art referenced online to spend some time with.
Taking a complex subject and breaking it down for the average person to understand is itself an art and this book does it well.
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