For beginners, art history can seem like a daunting subject with complex rules and impenetrable technical language. Even for more experienced art lovers, the question of how to think art is a perennial conundrum. Art Uncovered , by the English art historian, Matthew Wilson, is a resource for both audiences. Fifty key works of art from around the world are deconstructed with explanations, diagrams and close-ups to reveal the elements that make up a masterpiece.
From the earliest times to the present, the artworks under analysis are drawn from many cultures and cover all forms of visual media, including drawing, illustration, photography, printmaking and sculpture.
Matthew Wilson's simple approach, using established art historical methods, enables the reader to discover the fundamentals of art history, from considerations of function, historical context, iconography and artists' experience to broader questions of identity, including feminism, gender and post-colonialism.
Whether it's the Mask of Tutankhamun or Dorothea Lange's photograph Migrant Mother, Katsushika Hokusai's Great Wave or Kara Walker's Gone, each image is dissected on the page in a no-nonsense style with explanatory notes detailing the artists' sources of inspiration, associated styles and movements . The book is a dynamic visual resource that can inspire and trigger enjoyment of art in all its forms.
Matthew Wilson is an art historian, educator and author. He has written for numerous publications and media on art and culture and is a graduate specialist in art history. He is the author of Symbols in Art and The Hidden Language of Symbols.
Dimensions: 23.4 x 27.5 cm
Pages: 240, hardcover
Language: English
Author: Matthew Wilson
Publisher: T&H