About this title: Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes, and motifs that often eludes modern museum-goers. The intimate knowledge of Christian theology, Greek and Roman mythology, and folklore that was so vivid in the minds of viewers during the Renaissance is rarely part of the preparation the ...
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Edition: First English Language Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, New York
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780810955769ISBN:0810955768
Description: Near Fine. Small 4to, 383 pp, near fine in flexible boards. Lavishly illustrated in color. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
Date Published: 2004-12-07
ISBN-13:9780810955769ISBN:0810955768
Description: NEW. Hardcover. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9780810955769. read more
Binding: Hardback
Publisher: Harry N Abrams Inc
Date Published: 2004
ISBN-13:9780810955769ISBN:0810955768
Description: New. Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes, and motifs that often eludes modern museum-goers. The intimate knowledge of Christian theology, Greek and Roman mythology, and folklore that was... read more
Description: New. Clues to the meaning of many of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes and motifs that often elude modern museum-goers. read more
Description: Clues to the meaning of the masterpieces of art history lie in a rich system of symbols, themes and motifs that often elude the modern eye. Without the intimate knowledge of Greek and Roman mythology, folklore and Christian theology so vivid in the minds of the artists and familiar to their public, we often miss the visual hints that gave contemporary meaning to a painting. 'How to Read a Painting' draws our attention to the imagery and the wonderful, apparently inconsequential details in ... read more
"This was quite an interesting concept for a book. It takes a hundred or so paintings (older stuff, no modern/post-modern here) and delves into the symbolism of the details inside the works, things you've probably wondered about from time to time, but had no idea where to reference it. Well, it's here. It's an easy read, engaging and is full of full color paintings and painting details."
"A nice book for art snobs such as myself who can never know enough about old paintings. Each painting gets two pages explaining the symbolism of certain objects, who the people represent, why the painter arranged the scene a certain way, the Biblical/mythological influences, etc. There's a wide range of paintings in the book, from very famous (of course The Mona Lisa is in here, because people can't stop wetting their pants over the damn thing), to the more obscure. The book starts with Maesta by Duccio di Buoninsegna (roughly 1255 AD) and ends with The Third of May, 1808 by Francisco de Goya. The descriptions and background information on the paintings and artists could probably stand to be a little more in-depth, but the book works well as a nice crash-course in fine art.
(modern art, obviously, is not included in the book, which as far as I'm concerned is a huge plus. Duchamp and his stupid toilet can go to hell.)"
By Mark,
Edinburgh, Mid Lothian, The United Kingdom
"Not at all what I expected. The paintingsa re all laid out one by one and there is little learnign invlved. Simply a show and tell, that said the information was of interest and certainly helpful in many of the paintings. Not too portable should you wish to carry the book to a gallery and enjoy the full picture, if you pardon the pun."
"It's just nice knowing this book exists. It's a beautiful series of paintings - each painting takes two pages and you get little close-ups from each one. De Rynck shows you what to look for, and explains all those obscure symbols no one understands, like fruits and musical instruments as symbols of lust and satan. Who would have guessed? It's just a beautiful beautiful book with artists you know, like El Greco, and ones you don't, like Lippi. You would miss so very much in these paintings without this book -- not only symbols, but also explanations of how the artist solved problems in his concepts, why something is particularly well done etc."
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