30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity Across Time and Space by Editors of Phaidon
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Book Reviews of 30,000 Years of Art: The Story of Human Creativity Across Time and Space
Book Review: Plan Your Museum Going for the Next 50 Years: Great Chronological Overview of Global Art from Prehistoric Times to Today
Summary: 5 Stars
30,000 Years of Art is a hard-to-beat collection of 1,000 works of art that will bring you in touch with hundreds of works that you've never seen before. It's like taking 50 trips to museums you've never visited before.
If you are used to seeing the art canon displayed in a certain way, this book will expand your horizons. I was amazed at how many prehistoric works are just as abstract and "modern" as works I see produced today. The repetition of themes (such as the ubiquitous pregnant female) across cultures was also fascinating.
One of the nice surprises was that small objects are illustrated to scale so you approximate the experience of seeing the object in a museum from one angle.
I was also pleased by the large page size that allows larger works to be represented in a way that made more detail available to see. The drawback to the book is that there are no foldouts which would have many many of the enormous screens and sculptures easier to see in detail.
I found the book to be most rewarding in showing me art from countries that I seldom see works from and for providing lots of prehistoric works.
From a religious point of view the book is pretty ecumenical in terms of the major religions (except those that frown on literally representing what's on Earth).
Don't think, however, that this book will replace buying other art books. Many obvious world favorites aren't in this book. I don't know if it was for reasons of economy (reproduction rights being costly for important works) or to expand our horizons. I mentally "looked" at those works where they fell in chronological order.
The photography and printing are excellent. Bravo!
The main drawback is that the book is very heavy. I found that I could most comfortably read it in a recliner with a pillow to help hold up the heavier side.
If you decide to give only one art book as a gift this year, this is the book to give!
Book Review: Massive and wonderful
Summary: 5 Stars
This amazing piece of work is sure to stand the test of time. A wonderful book it is a testament to the creative genious of humanity. This artwork in itself excells at presenting the history of art all over the world. While this may annoy some who want to see more European art, it will enlighten many. Every page has art from places one has never thought of, from far away Papau New Guinea to the ancient Americas. From sculpture to painting, to the most wonderful Japanese drawings, it includes everything and it a true history of the world of art in all its diversity and vastness.
Page by page offers the viewer a chronology of art beggining 30,000 years ago and ending up in the present. It is important to note just how much wonderful art is included in here that most people have never been exposed to.
But there are several slight problems. First of all the book includes far too much art from the United States in the last fifty years, missing out on interesting art being produced elsewhere, for instance in the Soviet Union. It is odd that the book strives so hard to include the most obscure places and then drops the ball at the end. The book also has the habit of lebelling art based on the modern country. Thus art from 500 A.D is said to come from Turkey, even though it is Byzantine. A piece of art from Hawaii is said to come from the U.S although it was produced in the mid 19th century. But most irking is the fact that a piece of art from Israel is said to have come from 'Palestine' thus seemingly changing the editors rule for this one country. Perhaps inadvertent, the labels are misleading.
Seth J. Frantzman
Book Review: You can toss your Janson away
Summary: 5 Stars
I remember as a little girl, I'd grab my big sister's copy of the Janson art book and peruse it for hours. As I got older I realized how much of the world the book missed. So imagine my surprise to find this among my birthday presents. I am not a professional artist or archaeologist, but have long enjoyed reading about both fields. This book more than fills my interest in both. What amazes me is the age of some of these pieces, and how the editors included these from around the world, not just western countries. I was also impressed by the text, giving just enough information, describing the piece and putting it in context with others. I'd recommend this to anyone interested in art history and world history. I'd also recommend this to anyone who knows little about art, but is still interested in it.
BTW I had to laugh at the last few examples, of 'art' in the 1990s. Dear lord, if in 30,000 years someone looks at those examples, they are going to think that we actually went backwards in our ability to express ourselves through artistic means.
Book Review: Museum in a Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
My son picked up "30,000 years of art" at our library because of his fascination with "big books." This 12" x 12" book with over 1000 pages certainly fits that description. Simply lifting this book counts as exercise. While that may be what attracted his seven year old self, I was excited about the topic. As an art lover, I was interested in this book's unique take on the subject. It presents art works from all over the world in chronological order, one per page. It allows one to easily compare what was going on in the development of art the world over at any given time. The major art works that one would expect are all included, but there are also interesting surprises. Relatively few people would be familiar with all the art works in this book. The descriptions of the art works are intelligent and informative. This book would be a wonderful foundation for a class, but it is just as easily suited to casual browsing curled up in a comfy chair. It is truly a museum in a book with stunning illustrations and quality content.
Book Review: 30,000 Years of Art
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a full color work on ancient artwork,
as well as modern art. The renditions date back
to 50,000 BC. Sample pieces are as follows:
o France- Dappled Horses of Pech at 25,000 BC
o Australia- Sash at 17,000 BC - rock pigments
o Spain- Altamira Bison limestone at 15,000 BC
o South Africa- Cold Stream Burial Stone
o Iraq- Samarra Plate at 5,000 BC
o Peru- Paracas Embroidered Mantle 50 BC
o Italy- Cubiculum Fresco at 19 BC - a colorful dress
o China- Watchtower at 100 AD
o Italy- Opus Sectile Panel of Christ (marble)
A beauty of this work is that readers can observe
Christian themes which coincide at or near the time
of Jesus Christ. In addition, a clear sense of the
people and fashions of the times is evident throughout.
The acquisition is worth the price of admission.
This book will have a wide constituency of readers
from business, academe and the arts.