Cave Paintings to Picasso: The Inside Scoop on 50 Art Masterpieces

by Henry M. Sayre

From prehistoric cave paintings to the Mona Lisa , from Nefertiti to Andy Warhol's Big Campbell's Soup Can 19 , this book pairs full-color reproductions of 50 of the world's most celebrated masterpieces with brief, kid-accessible stories about how they were made, who made them and where they fit in the fascinating history of art. Featuring art from Europe, Africa, Asia, and America, organized chronologically, and including timelines and a glossary...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 081183767X
• ISBN13: 9780811837675
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 10.0" x 10.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and under
• Grade Range: Preschool to Grade 7

Customer Reviews

Amazing

This book was an amazing tool for use in my art class room. Wonderful description of artists and examples of artwork.

Wonderful book on works of art!

This is phenomenal. I am reading the whole thing! Beautiful too!

Great art history introduction

The other two reviewers of this book both mention that this book is for middle school children and above, but I would have to respectfuly disagree. I think this book is definately appropriate, and designed for, elementary age children. In the introduction, the author talks about poring over his parent's books about art, just staring at the pictures, and says that he set out to create a similar source. I think he has done so quite well. Each 2-page spread has a large, full-color picture of an important work of art, starting with prehistoric sculpture and going right up to Magritte. There is also a page of clear, simple text about the piece. The text is, of course, very useful... but I think that plenty of enjoyment can be had just examining the pictures. (I know that everyone who looks at this book probably has a "they didn't include...!" gripe, but I am upset that the Arnolfini Wedding Portrait isn't included). Otherwise, the pieces are very well chosen. I think that this is a great book for all ages. I hope that it will be introduced to elementary school children, so that by the time they are in middle school they are ready for a little more depth and structure in their art history curriculum.

Read this book WITH your kids

The title of this book introduces it as "the inside scoop on 50 art masterpieces". Rather than gaining an inside scoop, I found myself introduced to art which I was unfamiliar with, as well as a reintroduction to many pieces I had seen before. The writing style is clearly geared for adolescents / middle school students. As one who has not had much exposure to art I did find this book an enjoyable, easy read. I think the book could best be used to introduce school age kids (or middle schoool kids) to the world of art. When my children get old enough, I plan to read this book with them.

Great art history book for middle school and up

I love the line in the section on Rene Magritte: "Magritte's paintings never answer questions. They just ask them." This line captures what is so unique about Cave Paintings to Picasso: analysis that provokes readers' critical thinking skills. As an art student, I read so many tired art history books that did little to inspire or even entertain. This book does both, and somehow manages to cover a lot of facts about 50 masterworks of art. The beautifully-written description of the art and artist is chronologically organized, with sidebars on each page visually portraying the artist's timeline. In addition, each work of art is briefly described as to media and size (information that is not easily gleaned from other art history texts). There is a brief, but helpful glossary in the back of the book, and the book is well indexed. The text is easy to read and very interesting; it would easily engage the interest of students grades 6 and up.