The Annotated Mona Lisa, Third Edition: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to the Present (Annotated Series) (Volume 3) - Softcover

Strickland, Carol

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1449482139 ISBN 13: 9781449482138

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2018

Synopsis

An illustrated tutorial of prehistoric to contemporary world art, from cave paintings to video art installations to digital and Internet media in an easy-to-understand format.
 

This heavily illustrated crash course in art history is revised and updated from the second edition published in 2007, including a new chapter about recent artists and movements. Featuring succinct page-length essays, instructive sidebars, and more than 300 photographs, The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to the Present takes art education out of the realm of dreary textbooks, demystifies jargon and theory, and makes the history of art movements accessible to beginning art museum-goers – even at a cursory reading. From Stonehenge to the Guggenheim and from African art to Warhol, more than 25,000 years of art is distilled into five sections (prehistoric and medieval, renaissance and baroque, the nineteenth century, modern art, and contemporary art) covering a little more than 230 pages.

About this title

From the Author:

Carol Strickland has written six books on art, architecture and literature, including The Annotated Mona Lisa: A Crash Course in Art History from Prehistoric to the Present. This popular introduction to art history is now in its 3rd, updated edition. Her two enhanced eBooks, released by Erudition Digital, are Impressionism: A Legacy of Light and The Eagle and the Swan, a historical novel portraying the life of Empress Theodora in sixth-century Constantinople. Strickland has a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and, as a cultural journalist, has contributed feature stories to The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Art in America, and MOMUS. She writes a monthly column on art and politics for www.clydefitchreport.com. 

From the Back Cover:

It's a paradox of American culture. Throughout the country, in every major city, art museums stand as our proudest, most venerated public institutions - the world's great art, there for all to see. Yet for many Americans, the world of "Art" remains inaccessible, lost in a fog of jargon and theories that can make the artwork itself seem hopelessly remote. The Annotated Mona Lisa demystifies art history. It's a brisk, clearly stated survey, from cave painting to conceptual art, that doesn't talk down to its reader and doesn't assume a prior art education. And, most important, it never bores. Dynamic design, with succinct, page-length essays, frequent sidebars, and abundant color illustrations incorporated into the text, make The Annotated Mona Lisa a browser's delight, as well as an authoritative reference that can be read from cover to cover. Sections on ancient and medieval art emphasize context and historical relevance: What kind of people did it take to build the Egyptian pyramids? How has their work influenced the architecture of today? Sections on Renaissance and Baroque art, the nineteenth century, and the modern era touch on all the major figures of the times, while continuing to explain the cultural context out of which the art evolved. A time line at the beginning of each section ties it all together, noting the significant historical events that shaped the art world and the world at large.

About this edition

• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1449482139
• ISBN 13: 9781449482138
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 232