Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-7. In less than 100 pages, Sayre manages to present a lavishly illustrated world tour of art, from a prehistoric figurine carved from a wooly mammoth tusk to Andy Warhol's watershed 1962 painting of a Campbell's tomato soup can. Printed on thick paper, each spread features a sharply reproduced image of an individual artwork, a time line placing the work in history, and a story about the artist, the medium, or the piece's origins. Unfortunately, several typos and at least one factual error (a reference to carbon monoxide in human breath, rather than carbon dioxide) undermine the text, and, just as frustrating, there are no notes or bibliography. Still, despite these reservations, this is an accessible, visually engaging, multicultural survey of art, a rarity for this age group, and young readers will come away with a better understanding of the complex societies, across the ages and continents, that responded to their worlds through art. Keeping in mind the cautions mentioned above, suggest this to teachers, as a versatile resource for classroom sharing across the curriculum. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Future art majors can rejoice in a pair of new titles. Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Masterpieces by Henry Sayre chronicles major artistic achievements from prehistory to modernity. A running timeline marks the edges of each spread, which begins with the Woman from Brassempouy, "the earliest known representation of a human face," carved from the tusk of a wooly mammoth (c. 22,000 B.C.), and continues through such works as Andy Warhol's Campbell Soup Can paintings and Ren? Magritte's The Son of Man (1964). Crisp photos reproduce the artwork alongside accessible commentary. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-10-The history of art is long and complex, yet Sayre has managed to show 50 major works of art from 22,000 B.C. to A.D. 1964 and successfully summarize the background of each one, the artist, and its social and historical context as well as the reason(s) it is important. The masterpieces discussed begin with Woman from Brassempouy and conclude with Ren? Magritte's The Son of Man. The author's breezy style captures interest early on and is easy enough for beginning art students while remaining informative for teens. Many of the world's cultures are represented and a variety of techniques are explained: woodblock printing, painting, tapestries, primitive carving, sculpture, and more. The full-color reproductions are at least a quarter-page in size, though most are larger. A funky, framed inset box gives the title, medium, size, artist, and year the work was created. Though some pages seem a little crowded, the layout is energetic enough to forgive the loss of white space. A time line runs along the outside edge of the pages, with an asterisk marking the date of the depicted pieces. A dazzling and accessible introduction to art history.-Heather E. Miller, Homewood Public Library, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This overview of the history of art offers fifty masterpieces arranged chronologically from a prehistoric figurine to a Magritte oil painting. The text includes commentary on the works' cultural context, media, and symbolism. The author's interpretations are incisive. A clean design, united by a running timeline, preserves the focus on the art. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Leading an idiosyncratic tour through the history of fine and decorative art, Sayre invites young readers to pause before 50 exemplars while he fills in historical background and symbolic significance. He presents the works in chronological order, beginning with the 24,000-year-old Woman from Brassempouy, a bit of mammoth ivory carved into the earliest known representation of a human face, and ending with Magritte's 1964 Son of Man. In between, he offers a multicultural mix that ranges from such usual suspects as the Bayeux Tapestry and Michelangelo's David to a Mogul miniature, Easter Island heads, a Moche pitcher, a Mandan hide robe, and several ancient Chinese paintings. With a few exceptions, the photos are merely adequate; some are actually details of larger works, and several are reduced to less than quarter-page size--far too small to pick out details. Sayre also loads his gallery with Impressionists, but save for one still life from 1611, skips over the 17th- and 18th-century European scenes. Still, his lively commentary adds some thought-provoking insight, and the art itself will exert its pull on viewers. (index) (Nonfiction. 10-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
