Art History & Appreciation

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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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	Art and Civilization: Ancient Rome Art and Civilization by Giovanni Di Pasquale & Matilde Bardi from Peter Bedrick Books Roman History Reference for 4th-6th grade in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	Art for Children: Renaissance Invention of Perspective Art for Children by Lillo Canto from Chelsea House Publishing Art Appreciation for 4th-6th grade in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN) $20.00 $9.00 (1 in stock)
	Art of the Southeastern Indians by Shirley Glubok from Macmillan for 3rd-6th grade in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	At Home with Beatrix Potter by Susan Denyer from Harry N. Abrams, Inc. for 6th-9th grade in Peter Rabbit & Friends (Location: FIC-PETER)
	Baby Blessing by Welleran Poltarnees from Laughing Elephant for Kindergarten-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry & Wesley Dennis from Bobbs-Merril Co Biography for 1st-6th grade in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
	Carl Larsson's A Family by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom from G.P. Putnam's Sons for 3rd-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Carl Larsson's A Farm by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom from G.P. Putnam's Sons for 3rd-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Carl Larsson's A Home by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom from G.P. Putnam's Sons for 3rd-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Child's Introduction to Art The World's Greatest Paintings and Sculptures by Heather Alexander, illustrated by Meredith Hamilton from Black Dog & Leventhal for 3rd-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	First Starry Night by Joan Shaddox Isom from Charlesbridge for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Girl Who Drew Butterflies How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science by Joyce Sidman from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for 3rd-8th grade 2019 Robert F. Sibert Medal winner in Biographies (Location: BIO) $17.99
	Great Artists - Great Composers: Portraits from Amadeus Press for 6th-Adult in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Painters by Piero Ventura First edition. from Putnam Juvenile for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	History of France through Art by Jillian Powell from Wayland for 3rd-6th grade in France (Location: HISMC-FRA)
	How Artists See Feelings by Colleen Carroll 1st Library Ed from Abbeville Press for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	How Artists See the Elements by Colleen Carroll from Abbeville Press for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $5.00 (2 in stock)
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño 1994 Printing from Farrar, Straus and Giroux Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	In Search of Norman Rockwell's America by Photography by Kevin Rivoli, Artwork by Norman Rockwell from Howard Books for 3rd-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Kate Greenaway by Rodney K. Engen from Harmony for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Leonardo da Vinci World Landmark #27 by Emily Hahn from Random House for 5th-8th grade in World Landmark Books (Location: VIN-LAN)
	Leonardo da Vinci by Jay Williams from Horizon Books for 5th-8th grade in Horizon Caravel Books (Location: VIN-HOR)
	Leonardo da Vinci by Ernest Raboff for 3rd-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Lives of the Artists by M. B. Goffstein from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 3rd-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Matisse: Painter of the Essential Art for Children by Yolande Baillet from Chelsea House Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $7.00 (1 in stock)
	N.C. Wyeth by N. C. Wyeth, introduction by Kate F. Jennings from Crescent Books for 4th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Norman Rockwell's America by Christopher Finch, Illustrated by Norman Rockwell from Reader's Digest for 3rd-Adult in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Norman Rockwell: Storyteller with a Brush by Beverly Gherman from Atheneum for 3rd-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Rousseu: Still Voyages Art For Children by Didier Grosjean and Claudine Roland, illustrated by Francine De Boeck, translated by John Goodman from Chelsea House Publishing for 3rd-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Self-Portrait: Trina Schart Hyman from Harper & Row for 4th-Adult in Biographies (Location: BIO)
	Story of Dan Beard Founder of America's Boy Scouts 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)
	Talking to the Sun An Illustrated Anthology of Poems for Young People by Selected by Kenneth Koch and Kate Farrell from Henry Holt and Company in Poetry for Children (Location: POET-CHIL) $12.00 (1 in stock)
	The Arts by Hendrik Willem Van Loon from Simon and Schuster for 6th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $12.00 (2 in stock)
	This is M. Sasek The Extraordinary Life and Travels of the Beloved Children's Book Illustrator by Olga Cerna, Pavel Ryska, and Martin Salisbury from Universe Publishing for 1st-6th grade in Oversized Picture Books (Location: PIC-OVER)
	Usborne Book of Famous Paintings by Rosie Dickens from Usborne for 2nd-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Usborne Children's Book of Art by Rosie Dickins from Usborne for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Usborne Children's Book of Art An Introduction to Famous Paintings by Rosie Dickins from Scholastic Press for 4th-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $7.50 (2 in stock)
	Usborne Introduction to Art Usborne Internet-Linked from Usborne for 4th-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	Usborne Introduction to Modern Art by Rosie Dickins from Scholastic Press for 3rd-6th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Vincent Van Gogh Portrait of an Artist by Jan Greenberg, Sandra Jordan from Delacorte Press for 3rd-6th grade 2002 Robert F. Sibert Honor Book in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Vincent Van Gogh Art for Young People by Peter Harrison from Sterling Publishing Co. for 4th-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Wit and Whimsy of Mary Engelbreit by Mary Engelbreit from Andrews McMeel for 3rd-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $6.00 (1 in stock)
	Young People's Story of Fine Art (No. 2) The Last Two Hundred Years by Virgil M. Hillyer & E. G. Huey from Meredith Press for 4th-10th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)

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