A review by ladyreading365
The Secrets of Art: Hidden Messages, Meanings and Mysteries by Debra N. Mancoff

4.0

I throughly enjoyed reading this book and learnt so much from it. I loved the pictures of the artwork selected . They were very clear and very beautiful. Then each photo of the art work areas were highlighted and zoomed in to look in detail with descriptions of why the artists had added this detail. Also why sections where painted over as the artists changed their minds using some of arts latest science to discover interesting details. I loved learning about there different techniques, styles and if they were influenced by other artists. The layout really made this book brilliant. The sections are colour coded making it really easy to navigate through. The text supporting each piece of artwork showed it was well researched and wrote. I appreciate art but am not an artist or well read on the subject and it seemed as if this book had been wrote just for me helping me understand the artists thought processes while producing the wonderful piece of artwork. There was a vast and diverse choice of pieces to view in this book. I really enjoyed its diversity. I especially enjoyed reading about the Banksy at the end of the book the picture that was shredded at the end of the auction.
So much praise to the author and publishing team for bringing us such a wonderful and insightful book helping readers enjoy and understand a diverse range of artwork.