Artists: 2 Volume set
Category: Books,Biographies & Memoirs,Arts & Literature
Artists: 2 Volume set Details
From Booklist This set both updates and expands the first two volumes, published in 1995, which contain entries on 62 architects, designers, illustrators, painters, and photographers from the Renaissance to the present day. Of the 60 entries in the new volumes, 10 are updated and 50 are new. Among the artists who have been added are Sandro Botticelli, Julia Margaret Cameron, Edgar Degas, Yoko Ono, Norman Rockwell, Jan Vermeer, and Grant Wood.As is typical with UXL titles, coverage is representative rather than comprehensive. Although the choices of who is profiled and who is overlooked may be questionable, the entries are well written, with sidebars labeled "Masterworks" listing each individual's important works. Entries average seven pages in length, and a brief bibliography of both print and Web sites appears at the end of each. A picture is provided for most artists, often a self-portrait. All artwork is reproduced in black and white; it is unfortunate that no color plates are included.Problems begin with the subtitle, which implies a chronological arrangement of artists, yet in the text, they appear alphabetically. Several artists that predate Michelangelo are covered. The fact that these two books are labeled volumes 3 and 4 is also confusing because they are not integrated with volumes 1 and 2. This fragmentation between the two sets requires users to refer to the general index or the index of "Artists by Field and Media" in volumes 3 and 4 to locate information scattered throughout the four books.If additional volumes are being prepared, the publisher might want to consider reissuing all the volumes into a more cohesive work that will be easier for students to use. Most libraries can pass on purchasing this set unless they already possess volumes 1 and 2. For the same young adult audience, Oxford's Encyclopedia of Artists [RBB My 1 01] covers 223 individuals in entries that are shorter and less detailed but do offer color reproductions of artwork. RBBCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Read more Review "Galens and Swartz present a lot of useful information and deal with complex art forms in a manner that students ought easily to understand...Recommended." -- "Book Report" (May 2002) Read more
Reviews
I really enjoyed this book because it has really good biographies on the artists. It's true that it doesn't go in-depth with specific works of art, but if you want a good biography to supplement artists' background, it is a good short read. I use the biographies with middle school children when introducing artists to them.