The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern (Volume 1) (Annotated Series) - Softcover

Strickland, Carol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0740768727 ISBN 13: 9780740768729

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2007

Synopsis

Carol Strickland's The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern offers an illustrated tutorial of prehistoric to post-modern art, from cave paintings to video art installations to digital and Internet media.

"Like music, art is a universal language. Although looking at works of art is a pleasurable enough experience, to appreciate them fully requires certain skills and knowledge."--Carol Strickland, from the introduction to The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern

This heavily illustrated crash course in art history is revised and updated. Featuring succinct page-length essays, instructive sidebars, and more than 300 photographs, The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern takes art education out of the realm of dreary textbooks, demystifies jargon and theory, and makes the history of art movements accessible to beginning art museum-goers – even at a cursory reading. From Stonehenge to the Guggenheim and from African art to Warhol, more than 25,000 years of art is distilled into five sections (prehistoric and medieval, renaissance and baroque, the nineteenth century, modern art, and contemporary art) covering a little more than 200 pages.

About this title

From the Back Cover:

It's a paradox of American culture. Throughout the country, in every major city, art museums stand as our proudest, most venerated public institutions - the world's great art, there for all to see. Yet for many Americans, the world of "Art" remains inaccessible, lost in a fog of jargon and theories that can make the artwork itself seem hopelessly remote. The Annotated Mona Lisa demystifies art history. It's a brisk, clearly stated survey, from cave painting to conceptual art, that doesn't talk down to its reader and doesn't assume a prior art education. And, most important, it never bores. Dynamic design, with succinct, page-length essays, frequent sidebars, and abundant color illustrations incorporated into the text, make The Annotated Mona Lisa a browser's delight, as well as an authoritative reference that can be read from cover to cover. Sections on ancient and medieval art emphasize context and historical relevance: What kind of people did it take to build the Egyptian pyramids? How has their work influenced the architecture of today? Sections on Renaissance and Baroque art, the nineteenth century, and the modern era touch on all the major figures of the times, while continuing to explain the cultural context out of which the art evolved. A time line at the beginning of each section ties it all together, noting the significant historical events that shaped the art world and the world at large.

About the Author:

Carol Strickland has a doctorate in American culture from the University of Michigan. She is theChristian Science Monitor's art critic and contributes feature stories on the arts to theNew York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Art and Antiques. She is the author ofThe Annotated Arch: A Crash Course in the History of Architecture,The Illustrated Timeline of Art History, and numerous artists' monographs. Carol lives in New York City and Long Island.

About this edition

• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 0740768727
• ISBN 13: 9780740768729
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 216