Get These Books
I got these last week, both published by Phaidon:
The Art Book ($5-ish used)
The American Art Book ($6-ish used)
And 20th Century Art: Museum Ludwig Cologne, published by Taschen.
($1.77 used! Go get one!) This one's a little thicker, but all three books are pretty portable.
My art history knowledge, some of you will be unsurprised to hear, is limited. To one semester, specifically, back when Kajagoogoo roamed the earth (hey, I just looked, and they're back together. Good for them); my one painting class was a year or so later. Full disclosure: I have a graphic design degree, not that you'd know it from looking at my site. I am impatient, and this does not mesh well with any goal of approaching graphic perfection (see unsurprised, etc. above).
It's been kind of fun basically teaching myself art history the last couple of years, finding someone I like (and/or can steal from) and then looking 'em up and seeing who else did similar stuff, etc. and etc.
The thing that's interesting about these books is that the artists are listed alphabetically insead of by movement or year. So everybody's all mishmoshed together and you stumble across pictures in succession that no one in their right mind would place together. Which is, of course, why it appeals to me. Also, the text is short and sweet (especially in the two Phaidon books--a paragraph per artist) and mercifully light on art-world jibba jabba, which I have no stomach for whatsoever.
El Rey says check 'em out.
(PS. Ooh, Phaidon also did The 20th Century Art Book. I'll probably get that, too.
The Art Book ($5-ish used)
The American Art Book ($6-ish used)
And 20th Century Art: Museum Ludwig Cologne, published by Taschen.
($1.77 used! Go get one!) This one's a little thicker, but all three books are pretty portable.
My art history knowledge, some of you will be unsurprised to hear, is limited. To one semester, specifically, back when Kajagoogoo roamed the earth (hey, I just looked, and they're back together. Good for them); my one painting class was a year or so later. Full disclosure: I have a graphic design degree, not that you'd know it from looking at my site. I am impatient, and this does not mesh well with any goal of approaching graphic perfection (see unsurprised, etc. above).
It's been kind of fun basically teaching myself art history the last couple of years, finding someone I like (and/or can steal from) and then looking 'em up and seeing who else did similar stuff, etc. and etc.
The thing that's interesting about these books is that the artists are listed alphabetically insead of by movement or year. So everybody's all mishmoshed together and you stumble across pictures in succession that no one in their right mind would place together. Which is, of course, why it appeals to me. Also, the text is short and sweet (especially in the two Phaidon books--a paragraph per artist) and mercifully light on art-world jibba jabba, which I have no stomach for whatsoever.
El Rey says check 'em out.
(PS. Ooh, Phaidon also did The 20th Century Art Book. I'll probably get that, too.
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