From Giotto to Cezanne: A Concise History of Painting

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Painting
Review: I have owned this book for many years and regard it as a treasured old friend. Accordingly, I have been moved to write a review of this book in an attempt to correct the unreasonable calumnies put upon it in the earlier customer review. 'Frpm Giotto to Cezanne' is probably the best introduction to the history of painting that anybody could have. It also has the added bonus that Levey's prose is lucid and intelligent. Criticising this book because it doesn't deal with more female artists is a silly canard. I'm sick and tired of people thinking that we have to be politically correct in our attitude to the past. This book isn't meant to be a detailed history of painting but a concise introduction to the most important artists and their works. Artemisia Gentileschi is simply not important or good enough to be included. Neither were most of the American artists of the period, when the US was a cultural backwater.

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Painting
Review: I have owned this book for many years and regard it as a treasured old friend. Accordingly, I have been moved to write a review of this book in an attempt to correct the unreasonable calumnies put upon it in the earlier customer review. 'Frpm Giotto to Cezanne' is probably the best introduction to the history of painting that anybody could have. It also has the added bonus that Levey's prose is lucid and intelligent. Criticising this book because it doesn't deal with more female artists is a silly canard. I'm sick and tired of people thinking that we have to be politically correct in our attitude to the past. This book isn't meant to be a detailed history of painting but a concise introduction to the most important artists and their works. Artemisia Gentileschi is simply not important or good enough to be included. Neither were most of the American artists of the period, when the US was a cultural backwater.

Rating:
Summary: A Concise History of Painting by Levey
Review: This book contains many famous paintings in full color.
For this reason alone, it is worth the price. (You) imagine
having a replication of the "Creation of Adam" by
Michelangelo. There is a detailed critique which accompanies
each picture. This book would be very helpful for serious
art students and patrons of the fine arts. It would be a gem
for any student doing a book report. The work would be
invaluable for any art patron preparing to visit a local museum
to view some of the pieces depicted . The purchase is
a worthy addition to any history of art collection or
portion thereof.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of illustrations, but not good as a history book
Review: This book has many, many illustrations. You get so many reproductions of paintings in so few pages. Unfortunately, Levey leaves out female painters like Artemisia Gentileschi and Rosa Bonheur. He also leaves out the Russian painter Ilya Repin and completely ignores Bouguereau and Gerome, who have been reevaluated recently and are included in such primary art history books as Gardner's Art Through the Ages. Even more blatant is the fact that the Hudson River School painters are left out along with many other very significant American painters such as Benjamin West, whose Death of General Wolfe appears in every major art history book. I also found the quality of the illustrations rather poor, with the colors not being faithful to the actual paintings. The Sistine chapel photos are from before Michelangelo's frescos were cleaned up, and he cuts off the top half of Raphael's School of Athens. If the book was 30 to 40 pages longer and included more American and female painters and the publisher made an attempt to improve the quality of the reproductions, it would be a much better reference on the history of painting. Otherwise, it's just a nice way to get photos of many famous paintings, the reason I bought the book. Besides, most books about the history of painting include some pictures of drawings by the painters in order to illustrate their work methods, etc. No drawings in this book at all!