The Annotated Mona Lisa: Amazon.ca: Carol Strickland: Books

Product Description

Book Description

A layman's guide to art history free from bogged down, convoluted theories provides the reader with a basic working knowledge of art and its influence on society, from ancient times to today. Simultaneous.

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First Sentence
Art was born around 25,000 years ago, when the subhuman Neanderthal evolved into our human ancestor, Cro-Magnon man. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
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Average Customer Review

4.8 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book !!!, Jan 7 2003

By

M. B. Alcat "Curiosity killed the cat, but sa... (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Annotated Mona Lisa (Paperback)

I don't know much about art, and I wanted to learn a little bit more. That is the reason why I bought this book. Truth to be told, I was pleasantly surprised when I read it: it teachs you a lot, but it's also entertaining and... FUN TO READ. You end up wanting to read more about art, and from my point of view that's what makes a book successful, disregarding the subject matter.

"The annotated Mona Lisa" allows you to appreciate paintings you have already seen in a new way (you must try to pay attention not only to de color and composition but also to the historical circumstances in which it was painted, and to the meaning hidden in the painting) and introduces you to new ones.

Carol Strickland, in the introduction to this book, tells us that "There is a world of difference between viewing a work of art and really seeing it - the difference between sight and insight". In "The annotated Mona Lisa" she tries to give us an insight into what art is really about, and in my opinion, she has a good deal of success.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Too much fun, May 31 2004

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"the_patrick" (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Annotated Mona Lisa (Paperback)

Sadly, I have to thank this book for sparking my interest in art history. Now that I know more about the subject, of course, I can see how simple and inadequate "The Annotated Mona Lisa" really is, but for anyone who is grossly unfamiliar with art, as I once was, this is a fine place to start. The book's coverage of pre-Renaissance art and non-Western art is limited, but the sections on 19th- and 20th-century art are fairly thorough, and certainly entertaining--you've gotta love those gossipy stories the author throws with her descriptions of every artist.

I heard somewhere that someone read this book and then scored a 5 on the Art History AP exam without doing any other work, but having just taken the test I very much doubt this is true. Art History students might benefit from reading the chapter on modern art, since the AP doesn't require much knowledge about 20th century art movements beyond their general characteristics, which "The Annotated Mona Lisa" provides. The rest of the book, however, is guilty of dangerous oversimplification, and probably wouldn't be useful to serious students, though it is still way too much fun.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great source, Jan 20 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Annotated Mona Lisa (Paperback)

I use the Annotated Mona Lisa in my 8th grade Art History class. Throughout my years of using it I have seen this as my most reliable source of information. Each period or movement is well introduced and there is a lot of information on each major artist. It is filled with many colorful quotes, all coming from people of the time period. Overall I consider this a great source and I recomend it to any aspiring art historians. im 14

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful introduction
The Annotated Mona Lisa is a fabulous introduction to the history of western art from pre-history to the Post-Modern era. Read more

Published on Dec 21 2003 by doc peterson

5.0 out of 5 stars Art History made Easy
You will find no easier way to get an overview of Art History. Despite the casual looking approach of the book, after reading it, you could hold your own with any art buff by... Read more

Published on Mar 2 2003 by waiting2bdeleted