Francisco Goya (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists)

Rating:
Summary: A great introduction to kids of the art of Francisco Goya
Review: Hopefully young readers will come away with more of an understanding of the art of Francisco Goya from Mike Venezia's book than the fact he started painting witches and other strange creatures in his final years. Of course, Venezia emphasizes much more than that, such as Goya's gift for showing not only how people looked but what kind of people they were in real life. Several of the almost 20 works of art by Goya included in this Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists volume evidence that point. It is much harder for Venezia to show how Goya did not always paint with brushes, but used small sticks or reeds to paint. Venezia does a nice job of covering the various phases of Goya's career; I find the paintings he did as models for tapestries to be as fascinating as his drawings. As always, Venezia uses his own cartoons to illustrate the artist's life and provides basic art appreciation for many of Goya's most famous works, such as "The Colossus," "Third of May," and "Don Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga." Not only young readers but any adults who stumble across this fun series will enjoy finding out about these famous artists.

Rating:
Summary: "Goya" Review
Review: This book, like the others in the series, is enjoyable and educational for young and old alike. The artwork selected shows a variety of styles and the accomanying cartoons are very entertaining. Venezia gives simple insight into the painintgs to help kids connect the man with the art and creates a mini artist history lesson.