Book Review: The Art Book for Children
An Enjoyable Introduction to Classic and Modern Artists and Artwork
Feb 13, 2008
The Art Book for Children (Phaidon, 2005) is the perfect art book resource for parents or teachers wishing to introduce school-aged children to art and famous artists.
Thirty works of art are held up for examination. Art forms vary from paintings to sculptures and performance art and both classic and modern artists are showcased.
Thinking About Art
With each of the featured artworks, a brief one-page collection of questions and art discussion ideas is provided. The text is in first person with questions then asked of the reader directly. For example, after a discussion about the Mona Lisa and the significance of the painting to Da Vinci, the text asks “Why do you think this picture was so important to Da Vinci?” When discussing Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, children are asked what kind of flowers they would paint and how they would sign their name to their painting.
Throughout the book, the reader is prompted to consider how different paintings make them feel, how colours are used, what effect repeated shapes or images create and what might have caused an artist to choose a particular art form. A variety of different artistic styles and art forms are discussed, encouraging children to view art as more than simply paintings hanging on a wall.
Great for Teachers, Home Schooling and Parents
The Art Book for Children is a wonderful introduction into the complex and diverse world of art. Artists from a range of cultures, styles and periods of history are sampled and the text is conversational, making art appreciation more approachable. A very useful resource for parents looking for home schooling art lesson ideas. From an art history viewpoint, only the year and place of each artists birth and death are listed.
Artworks
The following artists and artworks are included:
- Battle of Alexander at Issus by Altdorfer
- Spring, Simmer, Autumn, Winter by Arcimboldo
- The Animals Entering the Ark by Bassano
- Spring by Botticelli
- Peasant Wedding Feast by Bruegel
- Two Venetion Ladies on a Balcony by Carpaccio
- The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Paris; Surrounded Islands, Biscayne Bay by Christo and Jeanne-Claude
- The Rehearsal by Degas
- The Arnolfini Portrait by Van Eyck
- Walking Man by Giacometti
- Thumbing; The Singing Sculpture by Gilbert & George
- Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear; Sunflowers by Van Gogh
- Mount Fuji with Cranes; Mount Fuji with Fisherman; Mount Fuji and Three Men on Horseback; Red Fuji; The Great Wave; Mount Fuji with a Timber Yard; Mount Fuji with a Kite by Hokusai
- The Ambassadors by Holbein
- Desk Set; Untitled,1993; Concrete Works by Judd
- Puppy by Koons
- Mona Lisa by da Vinci
- The Annunciation by Martini
- Women, Bird by Moonlight by Miro
- Waterlily Pond by Monet
- Weeping Woman by Picasso
- Autumn Rhythm: Number 30 by Pollock
- Jacob Blessing; Self Portrait by Rembrandt
- Cataract 3; Fall; Fission by Riley
- The Monkeys by Rousseau
- Untitled, 1990; Untitiled, 2003; Untitled No. 137; Untitled No. 96; Untitled No. 210; Unititled No. 416, Untitled Film Still No. 35; Untitled No. 119 by Sherman
- The Shipwreck; Snowstorm: Steamboat off a Harbour’s Mouth by Turner
- Les Meninas (Maids of Honour) by Valazquez
- Marilyn; Two Marilyns; Lemon Marilyn; Red Marilyn; Blue Marilyn; Peach Marilyn; Round Marilyn; Liquorice Marilyn by Warhol
- American Gothic by Wood
The Art Book for Children is more than a simple collection of famous paintings, it is an introduction to art appreciation for children and anyone wanting to think more deeply about art for the first time. UK and US versions are available.
Related articles:
Book Review: The Art Book for Children (Book 2)
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