Living With Art

Rating:
Summary: good sampling, bad literature
Review: As a textbook, it rambles. Could be shortend, or add more substance, like who influenced who, who created what, what legacy does this piece leave and most of all:
WHO MADE THIS ARTIST FAMOUS?
WHO FOUND OUT THIS ARTIST FOR THE FIRST TIME?
Over all a rambling book. Can anyone kindly introduce me a better book?

Rating:
Summary: Falls short of greatness.
Review: The coordination of the art and the text, "designing the layout so that all art appeared on or facing the page on which it was discussed," is superb! However, the basic structural organization of the book is confusing. It's hard to imagine that this book is so often recommended for beginning art students, since it seems to give a somewhat disjointed overview of the subject material, lacking in continuity. The focus is extremely conceptual rather than factual. For those already familiar with the basic principles, though, the examples provided and the layout of the text and images will be satisfying.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: The value of this wonderful book is far beyond the nice design and comprehensive coverage. For those who are interested in art but do not major or profession in it, like me, it introduces some fundamental questions, such as "what is art", as well as the basic concepts and facts you need to appreciate more from any form of art. (Question: Why does the 6th edition have a different author?)