Description
Book SynopsisA down-to-earth, visual guidebook that shows how to âreadâ, understand and get the most out of art. For beginners, art history might seem a daunting subject with complex rules and impenetrable technical language. Even for more seasoned art lovers the question of how to think about art is a perennial riddle. Art Unpacked is the perfect resource for both audiences: an engaging, visual primer for the general reader, as well as educators. Designed like an instruction manual, fifty key artworks from around the world are deconstructed with pithy explanations, diagrams and close-ups, in order to reveal the elements that make up a masterpiece. Dating from the earliest times to the present, the artworks under analysis are drawn from many cultures, and cover all forms of visual media including: drawing, illustration, photography, prints and sculpture. Matthew Wilsonâs simplicity of approach, using established art historical methods, enables the reader to discover the fundamentals of art
Table of ContentsIntroduction: How Art Works
1. The Roots of Art: 30,000 BCE to 1399 CE
2. The Growth of Knowledge: 1400–1599
3. The Expansion of Vision: 1600–1799
4. The Modern World: 1800–1945
5. New Practices and Beyond: 1945–onwards
