Susan Woodford

Almost the book I'm looking for.?á I'm beginning to think that such a book cannot exist, because I have a son taking a sequence of art (appreciation, principles, creation, a bit of history) courses in college, and there is a *lot* to learn.?á At least Woodford attempts to offer some general ideas, some things to look for in a variety of different works.?á And this book is very short, can't begin to cover everything but at least can be read by any interested novice.

Unfortunately (for library patrons, not buyers) not many works are in color.?á Also, little attention is paid to the scale of the work, and (imnsho) it matters a lot whether the figures are life-sized and the work is meant for a larger room, a richer patron, or the work is small enough for a ladies' drawing room....?á Also unfortunately, the works are indeed 'pictures' and moreover they are all by males, almost all long- dead white Europeans.?á?á African sculptures and Japanese garden installations, that kind of thing, would have been welcome.?á Also, I wish there had been a 'for further reading' section... but maybe that's implied by the list of other books in the series of The Cambridge Introduction to Art."

One tip I learned is that the upright hand, that often looks like the figure is signaling 'stop' or is even beginning to perform a blessing, that is often seen in works of some many centuries ago depicting Biblical scenes, is an iconographic representation of awe.?á It's supposed to show the figure saying 'wow' not 'whoa.'

The introduction of this is actually the best part of it.?á It very simply points out that there are specific and distinct ways of looking at pictures... perspective lenses from which to view creations.?á For example:
1. What was it's purpose??á To adorn a patron's home, to educate a congregation, to express the artist's political views...?
2.?á What does it tell us about the culture that produced it??á Does that culture value direct representation, or does it welcome intriguing metaphors, or does it prefer the viewer choose her own message?
3. How realistic is the work??á How well crafted??á Is the craftsmanship relevant??á Does the artist focus on details to make the image more real, or does he focus on certain design elements, certain features, at the expense of realism?
4. How are the elements of design applied??á Are the colors more warm or cool??á Are the outlines more linear or more painterly??á How relevant is perspective??á Are the borders more open or closed?"… (more)