Art The Definitive Visual Guide ~ Hardback ~ Andrew Graham-Dixon

The ultimate visual guide to paintings and sculpture from around the world. Bring a gallery of more than 2,500 of the world’s most influential paintings and sculptures ever created into your home and learn everything you need to know about art history. Peruse over 8,000 stunning works from 700 artists and explore the major milestones of art history from cave paintings to modern masterpieces. Learn how to ‘read’ composition, subject matter, technique and style as key paintings are examined in intricate detail to help you understand the artist’s inten­tions, style and method. Picture-packed pages explore common themes such as landscapes, nudes and animals. Created in collaboration with the biggest art library in the world, Bridgeman, this is a must-have for every family bookshelf. Reviews Winner of The Sunday Times UK Art Book of the Year “This staggeringly impressive, wonderfully well-designed book is almost what it claims to be. It's a guide to the world's painting and sculpture from prehistory to the present day, and with no fewer than 2,500 illustrations it's certainly visual, though words do play an important part as well. Pleasingly, too, this isn't just a chronologically arranged compendium bursting at the seams with reproductions; it also tells you about artistic movements, schools, techniques, materials and the achievements of individual artists. Even with the inclusion of some lightweight artists, it's a near-perfect overview of art history.” The Sunday Times “Gigantic but accessible… every family home should have one” The Bookseller ‘Anyone who appreciates art in its many forms will definitely want to have this book as part of their collection ! It''s 612 pages contain everything you could possibly want to know about art and then some. It is crammed full of glorious colour pictures of paintings and sculptures, ranging from the earliest cave paintings and sketches throughout history to the present day. It explains all the different media used to create a particular piece of artwork in terms that are understandable to everyone, and how artists achieve the finished work. The book profiles more than 700 artists including Leonardo da Vinci, the book looks at his painting of Mona Lisa (La Giaconda) as well as The Last Supper and explains their composition in detail. Art is a truly magnificent book and one I shall look at again and again! 10/10’ Louise Trewern