Still Life (Start With Art) - Hardcover

Lacey, Sue

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761311661 ISBN 13: 9780761311669

Publisher: Copper Beech Books, 2000

Synopsis

Complete with an exploration of various types of artwork, including mosaics and sketchings, this colorful book introduces young readers to the fundamentals of drawing still life through a review of the various techniques used.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

Grade 3-5-Double-page spreads focus on different aspects of creating an object or still life. Each colorful spread also features a work by a well-known artist (Leonardo da Vinci, Pablo Picasso) or lesser-known one (Kurt Schwitters, Odilon Redon), along with a suggested project. The term still life is used loosely as the author includes a Henry Moore sculpture and an aboriginal artifact as two of the examples in the book. Very brief descriptions of the artists lead to sweeping overgeneralizations ("[C zanne's] work was always admired"). The featured reproductions are surrounded by little cartoon figures that often seem to be pointing at nothing in particular. The projects generally utilize readily available items and have clear instructions. The activities range from the commonplace (drawing in a sketchbook) to the unusual (making an "ice pop" from fuzzy fabric). The table of contents is overly busy, including artists, topics, and descriptions of each two-page chapter. The index contains such vague entries as "objects" (with 12 of the book's 32 pages listed) and "shapes," and doesn't include artists' names. This book falls somewhere between the "Art School" series (DK) and "First Discovery Art" books (Scholastic). Thus, it may fill a gap in collections needing materials that approach art techniques through art history. However, this is not enough to recommend Still Life as a primary purchase.
Laura Santoro, Coventry Library, Cleveland Heights, OH
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Copper Beech Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0761311661
• ISBN 13: 9780761311669
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Shone Rob