Art History & Appreciation

There are works of art so inherently beautiful or stunning that anyone looking at them ends up choking back tears, or standing transfixed, or simply unable to breathe for several seconds. What you won't often hear is that those are the exceptions, that most paintings, buildings and sculptures require anterior knowledge to be fully appreciated.

Once you know what to look for, the once-abstruse and confusing world of chiaroscuro, Pre-Raphaelite, and oxidation fire becomes navigable and even a welcome place from the ho-hum mundanities of the everyday world. Though, of course, we'd be the last to encourage art appreciation for mere escapism—if a work can't reveal some element of human nature or help us understand things a little better, it isn't worth much.

This is one reason a lot of modern art can't really be considered art at all. It isn't intended to reveal anything, but simply to be "living commentary," a mere reflection, not of reality, but of the artist's inner conflict or angst. Sometimes it's not even that deep, and simply reflects the belief that there is no meaning in the world, that everything is empty, that nihilism is the only truth.

We reject those claims entirely. Everything is meaningful because Christ has made it so. Taken too far that idea is sometimes used to defend all kinds of non-art and just plain bad art, but all it really means is that everything is either consistent with or in rebellion against God's truth, and that artistic endeavours reveal which side the artist is on.

For Christians, understanding art from this perspective should be the primary motive in studying anything from the Sistine Chapel to Rembrandt's portraits to the illustrations of N.C. Wyeth. Art has the potential to entertain and delight, but it also affects the attitudes and thoughts of those who come in contact with it. Understanding a work's context and significance will immensely help us determine whether it's beneficial or pernicious.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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96 Items found Print
Active Filters: 9th grade (Ages 14-15)
102 Favorite Paintings By Norman Rockwell
by Norman Rockwell
from Crown Publishers
for 7th-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
American Art Bingo Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
for 3rd-10th grade
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$16.96
American Art History I - Bundle
by Kristin Draeger
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American Art History II - Bundle
by Kristin Draeger
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American Art History Volume I
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$33.96
American Art History Volume II
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$33.96 $27.00 (1 in stock)
Annotated Mona Lisa
by Carol Strickland
2nd edition from Andrews McMeel
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$16.00
Annotated Mona Lisa
by Carol Strickland
3rd edition from Andrews McMeel
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in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$29.99
Art Masterpieces to Color
by Marty Noble
from Dover Publications
for 5th-9th grade
in Fine Art Coloring Books (Location: COL-ART)
$10.95
Art of the Renaissance
by Peter and Linda Murray
1999 reprint from Thames and Hudson
for 9th-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Art: Over 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary
from DK Publishing
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
Artist of the Reformation
by Joyce McPherson
from Greenleaf Press
Biography for 5th-9th grade
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$12.95
At Home with Beatrix Potter
by Susan Denyer
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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Baby Blessing
by Welleran Poltarnees
from Laughing Elephant
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bible Picture Portfolios - Genesis
Bible Picture Portfolios
by Emily Kiser
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Carl Larsson's A Family
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
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Carl Larsson's A Farm
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
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Carl Larsson's A Home
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Coloring Paris
by Tomislav Tomic, illustrator
from Walter Foster
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Creative Drawing
by Howard J. Smagula
from Brown & Benchmark Publishers
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$10.00 (1 in stock)
Drawing American Art Volume II
by Kristin Draeger
from ArtK12
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$25.46 $20.00 (1 in stock)
Essential Claude Monet
by Catherine Morris
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
for 9th-12th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Francis W. Edmonds
by H. Nichols B. Clark
from Smithsonian Books
for 7th-12th grade
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
God & the History of Art - DVD
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
for 4th-12th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$29.95
God & the History of Art - Package
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
for 4th-12th grade
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$40.00 (1 in stock)
God & the History of Art - Paint & Marker Cards
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
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God & the History of Art - Postcards
by Barry Stebbing
from How Great Thou Art
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Great Artists - Great Composers: Portraits
from Amadeus Press
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in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Howard Pyle
by Henry C. Pitz, with illustrations by Howard Pyle
from Bramhall House
for 7th-Adult
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Illuminated Page
by Janet Backhouse
from University of Toronto Press
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Wordsworth's Guide to the Lakes
by William Wordsworth, Edited by Peter Bicknell
from Congdon & Weed Inc.
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$14.00 (1 in stock)
In August Company
from Morgan Library
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
In Search of Norman Rockwell's America
by Photography by Kevin Rivoli, Artwork by Norman Rockwell
from Howard Books
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
John James Audubon: Painting America's Wildlife
by Janet Stevenson, illustrated by Robert Boehmer
from Encyclopedia Britannica
for 7th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Kate Greenaway
by Rodney K. Engen
from Harmony
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Leonardo da Vinci
by Richard McLanathan
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Life & Times of Leonardo
by Liana Bortolon
from Curtis Publishing Co.
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Life & Times of Michelangelo
by Maria Luisa Rizzatti
from Curtis Publishing Co.
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M.C. Escher Kaleidocycles
Box from Purple Pomegranate Productions
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$20.00 (1 in stock)
Marvelous to Behold
by Jennifer Courtney
from Classical Conversations
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$31.99
Mathew Brady
by James D. Horan
from Bonanza Books
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Michaelangelo
Masters of Art
by Gabriella di Cagno
from Peter Bedrick Books
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
N.C. Wyeth
by N. C. Wyeth, introduction by Kate F. Jennings
from Crescent Books
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N.C. Wyeth's Wild West
by N. C. Wyeth
from Brandywine River Museum
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Natural Way to Draw
by Kimon Nicolaides
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Norman Rockwell's America
by Christopher Finch, Illustrated by Norman Rockwell
from Reader's Digest
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$8.00 (1 in stock)
Passion for the Impossible
by Miriam Huffman Rockness
from Discovery House Publishers
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Picture Study Portfolio Extra Print Pack: Millet (1814-1875)
by Emily Kiser
from Simply Charlotte Mason
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Picture Study Portfolio Extra Print Pack: Rafael (1483-1520)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Constable (1776-1837)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: da Vinci (1452-1519)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Dürer (1471-1528)
by Emily Cottrill
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Picture Study Portfolios: Fra Angelico (1395-1455)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Gainsborough
by Emily Cottrill
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Picture Study Portfolios: Giotto
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Michelangelo
by Emily Cottrill
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Picture Study Portfolios: Millet (1814-1875)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Monet
by Emily Kiser
from Simply Charlotte Mason
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Picture Study Portfolios: Rafael (1483-1520)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Rembrandt
by Emily Cottrill
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Picture Study Portfolios: Titian (1488-1576)
by Emily Kiser
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Picture Study Portfolios: Van Gogh (1853-1890)
by Emily Kiser
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Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien
by Christopher Tolkien (editor and text), illustrations by J.R.R. Tolkien
2021 Reissue from William Morrow & Company
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in Lord of the Rings (Location: LIR-LOTR)
$35.00
Randolph Caldecott
by Leonard S. Marcus
from Frances Foster Books
for 7th-Adult
Raphael: Painter of the Renaissance
Immortals of Art
by Henry S. Gillette
from Franklin Watts
for 7th-Adult
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Rembrandt: Master of the Portrait
by Pascal Bonafoux, translated by Alexandra Campbell
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Robert Bateman: An Artist in Nature
by Robert Bateman, text by Rick Archbold
from Random House
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
Self-Portrait: Trina Schart Hyman
from Harper & Row
for 4th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China
by Robert L. Thorpe
First Edition from Son of Heaven Press
for 6th-12th grade
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$4.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Dan Beard
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #43
by Robert N. Webb, illustrated by Everett Raymond Kinstler
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
Story of John J. Audubon
Grosset & Dunlap Signature #27
by Joan Howard, illustrated by Federico (Fred) Castellon
from Grosset & Dunlap
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Grosset & Dunlap Signature Books (Location: VIN-SIG)
The Arts
by Hendrik Willem Van Loon
from Simon and Schuster
for 6th-10th grade
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$12.00 (2 in stock)
The Story of Painting: From Cave Painting to Modern Times
by Dora Janson
from Random House
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The Story of Painting: From Cave Painting to Modern Times
by H.W. Janson and Dora Jane Janson
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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The Story of Painting: From Cave Painting to Modern Times
by H.W. Janson and Dora Jane Janson
from Harry N. Abrams, Inc.
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$12.00 (1 in stock)
Trails Plowed Under
by Charles M. Russell
from Doubleday & Company
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$6.50 (1 in stock)
Wit and Whimsy of Mary Engelbreit
by Mary Engelbreit
from Andrews McMeel
for 3rd-Adult
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$6.00 (1 in stock)
World of Bernini
1973 printing from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Bruegel
Revised, 1975 printing from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Cezanne
Revised, 1974 printing from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Delacroix
by Tom Prideaux
Revised, 1975 printing from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Gainsborough
from Time-Life Books
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in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Leonardo
by Robert Wallace
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
World of Manet
from Time-Life Books
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in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Michelangelo
by Robert Coughlan
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
World of Rembrandt
from Time-Life Books
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in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Rubens
by C. V. Wedgwood
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
World of Titian
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Turner
Time-Life Library of Art
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Van Gogh
from Time-Life Books
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in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Velazquez
Time-Life Library of Art
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
World of Vermeer
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
World of Watteau
Time-Life Library of Art
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
World of Whistler
from Time-Life Books
for 9th-Adult
in Time-Life Library of Art (Location: VIN-ARTBIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Young People's Story of Fine Art (No. 1)
by Virgil M. Hillyer
for 4th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
Young People's Story of Fine Art (No. 2)
by Virgil M. Hillyer & E. G. Huey
from Meredith Press
for 4th-10th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)