The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to Post-Modern

As the author says in the introduction, in this book 25,000 years of art history have been condensed into 208 pages. It certainly meets the author’s stated goal of quickly providing some of the necessary skills and knowledge to understand art. The book is divided into five sections: prehistoric through medieval; renaissance and baroque; the nineteenth century's birth of isms (impressionism, fauvism, cubism, etc…); 20th century; and contemporary art.

It is easy to use - full of timelines, sidebars, and definitions. Informative boxes tell you how to tell apart movements, like neoclassicism versus romanticism, or artists, such as Gainsborough versus Reynolds.

While there are no big glossy images such as a coffee table book would have, show more there are plenty of thumbnail prints, and enough information to direct readers to other sources, such as google, to offer further illumination on the subjects.

This is an ideal guide for those new to art, for those looking to round out their home libraries, or those who are taking courses in college and want a reference for review and quick analyses. show less

I have perused this book often over the years. It is a simple history of art that shows the progression of art from primitive to sophisticated discussing the varied forms that have taken place in painting, architecture and sculpture. There are 5 main sections that cover lengthy periods of time: prehistoric through medieval, renaissance and baroque, the nineteenth century's birth of isms (impressionism, cubism, etc...), 20th century and contemporary art. The subsections consist of 2-4 pages describing each new movement in art along with the artists who practiced them and charts on the distinctive characteristics of each movement. In addition, there are plenty of photographs and charts on how to tell particular artists apart.

The show more introduction may have been the most important section for me. It shows you how to look at a painting, discussing the importance of color, composition, mood and lighting. I found this helpful when visiting my local art museum. I have photocopied the introduction and taken it with me to the museum as an aid in understanding the paintings within. There is no way I would have learned what little I know about art from any other art history book. The other books I have seen are written for students with highly technical written information. As such, I highly recommend The Annotated Mona Lisa to every layperson. show less

I wanted an overview of the history of the art. This could have been great, except that it often described works of art and then showed no photo. Or, it would describe a work in which color was a key element and then show it in black and white. Also, many of the images were shown so small it was difficult to make out the detail.

I wanted an overview of the history of the art. This could have been great, except that it often described works of art and then showed no photo. Or, it would describe a work in which color was a key element and then show it in black and white. Also, many of the images were shown so small it was difficult to make out the detail.

This was one of a small collection, used at least partly as a reference for crossword puzzle solving.

Concise accurate copy on definitions of art...