Looking at pictures can be a delightful, exciting or moving experience, but some pictures - and these are often the most rewarding - require some explanation before they can be fully understood. Delving into the origins, designs and themes of over 100 pictures from different periods and places, this book illuminates the art of looking at - and talking about - pictures. Woodford shows how you can read a picture by examining the formal and stylistic devices used by an artist, and explores popular themes and subject matters, and the relationship of pictures to the societies that produced them. The book is supplemented by a glossary of key terms, ranging from art movements and technical terms to religious and classical terminology, to give readers all the information they need at their fingertips.

Autorentext
Susan Woodford was born and educated in the USA (BA Harvard; MA and PhD Columbia). Since moving to London, she has taught art history and lectured at the British Museum. She has published many books and articles on Greek and Roman art and has also written Looking at Pictures in the Art Essentials series.

Klappentext

Exploring the origins, designs and themes of over one hundred pictures from different periods and places, Susan Woodford artfully expands our appreciation of pictures. Woodford's riveting prose compares different artistic approaches, questions assumptions and introduces us to a wide range of stimulating ideas. Whether looking at a Japanese woodcut, Leonardo's Last Supper or Picasso's Guernica, Looking at Pictures will develop your eye as well as your confidence. This essential guide concludes with a glossary and invaluable suggestions for further reading.

Inhalt

Introduction 1. Ways of Looking at Pictures 2. Land and Sea 3. Portraits 4. Everyday Things 5. History and Mythology 6. The Christian World 7. Creating Patterns on Flat Surfaces 8. Tradition 9. Design and Organization 10. The Depiction of Space 11. Formal Analysis 12. Hidden Meanings 13. Quality