Super vitriolic and subjective in a chapter of the book where the author's personal opinions are least required given that it's very much supposed to be a teaching section. This book is not a specialized look at one particular period or a handful of canonized artists, but devotes a good amount of space to artists we are not as familiar with, placed in context with other artists and works we are more familiar with. A visual timeline of key works gives an overview of the scope of each major movement, and each era and art movement is introduced with key information, placing art in the context of its time.

Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH). There's also odd stuff sprinkled in about how certain ethnicities have different artistic preferences like that "Europeans are obsessed with light" or that "Egyptians have no interest in 3-dimensional representation" which may be true in a broader historical context but was clumsily worded.

Linger over 8,000 stunning works from 700 artists and explore the major milestones, from cave paintings to modern masterpieces. I fear that any young person into whose hands this volume falls (once they've received the appropriate medical attention) would flick through this tome saying yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, tick, tick - done the Renaissance then. He has written a number of acclaimed books, on subjects ranging from medieval painting and sculpture to the art of the present, including Caravaggio: A Life Sacred and Profane, Art: The Definitive Visual Guide, and Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel.

Gain a better understanding of key artworks through detailed close-up examinations that explore and explain the artist's intentions and techniques, while picture-packed gallery pages explore common artistic themes such as landscapes, nudes and animals.The ultimate introduction to global art, presenting 30,000 years of creativity in one lavishly illustrated book. For more than twenty years he has published a weekly column on art, first in the Independent and, more recently, in the Sunday Telegraph.

Identity politics-based quips in a section ostensibly about explaining to the audience the basics of art was unexpected and came across as angry squawking in amongst an otherwise detached presentation which is cleanly carried out through the rest of the book. An enjoyable read packed-full of visual guides and brief commentaries on some of the World's best and most recognised art; from paintings to sculptures, pottery to woodblocks.If you ever just feel the need to look at art, this is the book to pick up; the photography is crisp and the art chosen is encyclopedic in its range.

When you claim to be the "definitive visual guide" of art itself there is always going to be room to point out where such-and-such a thing wasn't included.Not surprising and obviously there's space reasons for not going too wide but still it's a big omission. Picture-packed pages help you to identify the characteristics of each artist’s work, and follow how it changed through his or her lifetime.