30-Second Great Art

The great painting and sculpture of the past is the indispensable backbone ofmost people's visual library, but wrangling centuries of wonderful works bythousands of artists into a digestible form that allows you tofocus ontheir detail and direction can be tough. Enter 30-Second Great Art. It takesreaders on an engrossing tour of 50 top-flight works by artists fromGiotto to Marlene Dumas, including a full-page reproduction ofeach one,accompanied by text that puts it in the context of the world in which itwas created, and adds another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of the history of art.Along the way, special spreads will offer insights intothe collectors andcritics of the past, as well as its creators, and a glossary for eachchapter will explain specialist terms. Succinct, lively descriptions make forspeedy and enjoyable reading; it's like taking a tripround the world'sgreatest art gallery.