Art: The Definitive Visual Guide (DK Definitive Cultural Histories)

This book is comprehensive and well written, with lots of quality images. The pages are laid out in a way that is easy to understand and read, and the book's cover and pages are great quality. The book starts from cave paintings all the way to the modern age, and is so wide-ranging that it makes the perfect book for any art enthusiasts looking for an enjoyable, educational way to learn more about art. As someone who is fairly newly into art, this book was perfect for me to pick up and read a little every day about art history, and the photos and explanations really help with that. If you are an art lover, whether you know a lot or a little, I'm sure this book will help you to learn something new!

What I like about all DK education books is their just-right blend of images and text on each page presenting information in easily digestible chunks, clearly organised so that info is easy to find, and adroitly structured so the "journey" is clearly laid out, one topic building on the previous. The book itself is printed on high-quality paper, very appealing in both cover and throughout, and if it's not for studying or reference, then it would be a lovely coffee table book or gift for an art/history-lover. DK's Art: Definitive Visual Guide is organised from "The Beginning" of art (pre-history, eg cave paintings and mysterious artefacts) - through the 20th c. and ending with a glimpse at each continent's creative output "today" (up to end of 2017 at least). Thankfully, they do cover the world's other regions besides "Western" art with equal care. This book works for me because my learning style is highly-visual (as is about 75% of the population) and personally, I struggle to maintain concentration for long periods of time. The way this book is formatted, I can concentrate on one page or section without getting overwhelmed with info, or I can easily pick out and focus on one idea at a time. ps. I'm using this as a companion alongside an online art history course (smarthist**y.org), which It goes extremely well with Smarthist**y's similar format of videos, images, and text in short presentations of around 10-20 minutes each for each topic. My only complaint is that there's not a Kindle version so I can read on an iPad! It's bleedin' too HEAVY to carry around as something to make the commute more enjoyable. ;)

I bought this as a gift but I’m tempted to keep it for myself! It’s a visually stunning book and I’ve been dipping into it since it arrived. Hardback and over 600pp with a shocking pink cover, it looks and feels exciting. I’m no artist or art expert. I was looking for a book which would cover the works of most notable artists and perhaps explain a little about some well known works. This book does that and much, much more. As an overview which looks at cave paintings every art movement since, it’s actually a stroll through culture, world history alongside artistic movements and techniques. It’s difficult to imagine how much detail is packed on every page. And better than that, it’s easy to understand and the colour and detail of the pictures is astonishing. I love this book. One to treasure and a great reference or starting point for whatever subject whets further interest. Very highly recommended.

Fabulous book. Buy one.

One of the best reference books on art I've seen. It has good academic commentary in neat, digestible chunks, combined with a really nice selection of images - mixing large and small format, all slotted together in an attractive layout that is genuinely informative and highly readable. It's very well-organised, placing artists into the context of their historical period, grouping them in the various art movements, analysing pictures with little sketches, commenting on the significance of their works and why they're important. It's also well-written, with no inflated "art-speak". Got to be one of my favourite art books - a comprehensive reference that's also an enjoyable page-turner.

What a superb book. Not only does it explain how to get the most out of viewing a painting looking at techniques, presentation, and meaning, but it also covers just about any painter I could name, and an awful lot I didn't know! Beautifully produced with excellent quality reproductions, it also has in-depth looks at artists such as Van Gogh, and Bosch. It also covers art from all continents from 3000BCE to 2005AD. I'm presently doing an Open University art history course, and it is invaluable. However even if I wasn't I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves art, and I am going to get many hours of pleasure browsing through it.

This is a big glossy comprehensive book of art and art analysis. Lots of pictures and seems very accessible. Would make a good coffee table book. I'm looking forward to browsing the chapters and learning more. Packaging was fine. Collection from local post office was smooth and simple.

Beautiful book now sitting pride of place on my coffee table. Each page is filled with beautiful artwork and detailed information on the artists and their works. This definitive guide takes you on a journey around the world, over thousands of years, to bring you a stunning visual guide to the history of art.

El libro es una chulada DK rara vez decepciona en cuanto a contenido y calidad. El único pero es el estado fisco en el cual llega el producto, llega sin embalaje y con señas visibles de maltrato. Quien vende debe entender que estos productos son de colección por lo tanto el buen estado en el que lleguen es esencial, Usen embalajes y verifiquen el estado antes de enviar o tendrán devoluciones.

Veio amassado

Good quality of paper and a lot of information

Sanata giriş için çok güzel

Third time I ordered this book. Ordered it for school libraries where I worked and now for myself. I find it useful to have a resource book on art to refresh my memory and my neighbours in the art studios where I work in Cairo also like to use it. Money well spent.