Painting and Sculpture (The Arts)

Grade 7 Up-- Two surveys that capably cover their broad subject areas. Painting and Sculpture begins with a short treatise on images and art's power to convey ideas, moods, and social change. Powell briefly examines the art of ancient civilizations, tribal cultures, and of the Orient. Major movements in western art are explored in varying detail with modern art receiving the most attention. A final chapter provides information on techniques and materials, a list of major museums around the world, and realistic, although brief, career options in art. Architecture follows a similar pattern, beginning with a discussion of the impact of good and bad building design on our daily lives. The distinctive features of each period from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome through the modern movement are clearly detailed. Van Zandt concludes with a checklist for evaluating a building and information on careers in architecture. Both books include excellent glossaries and refer readers to more advanced books on specific topics. The abundant color and black-and-white illustrations represent a broad cross section of the best examples of the subjects and add to the reference value of the series. Although the books' brevity implies a younger readership, the concepts, vocabulary, and bibliography are definitely geared to older audiences. Clear writing and excellent organization ensure high usage in both library collections. --Jeanette Larson, Mesquite Public Library,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.