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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In-Stock Books & Materials

	All About Maps from Gingko Press for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.00 (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 from ArtK12 for 3rd-10th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	American Art History II - Bundle by Kristin Draeger from ArtK12 for 3rd-10th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
	American Art History Volume I by Kristin Draeger from ArtK12 for 3rd-10th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $33.96
	American Art History Volume II by Kristin Draeger from ArtK12 for 3rd-10th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $33.96 $21.60 (1 in stock)
	An Introduction to Medieval Ivory Carvings Victoria & Albert Museum by Paul Williamson from Her Majesty's Stationery Office for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Annotated Mona Lisa A Crash Course in Art History From Prehistoric to Post-Modern by Carol Strickland 3^rd edition from Andrews McMeel for 5th-12th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $25.49
	Annotated Mona Lisa (old) A Crash Course in Art History From Prehistoric to Post-Modern by Carol Strickland 2^nd edition from Andrews McMeel for 5th-12th grade in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART) $16.00 $10.00 (1 in stock)
	Art Masterpieces to Color 60 Great Paintings From Botticelli to Picasso by Marty Noble from Dover Publications for 5th-9th grade in Fine Art Coloring Books (Location: COL-ART) $11.04 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Art Smart: Spot the Details and Find Out the Facts Act from Dover Publications for 1st-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.49 $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Baby Blessing by Welleran Poltarnees from Laughing Elephant for Kindergarten-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	BFB Art Appreciation Family Study Pack from Beautiful Feet Books for 2nd-12th grade in Beautiful Feet Books (Location: HISCUR-BFB) $109.95
	BFB Art Appreciation Family Study Pack from Beautiful Feet Books for 2nd-12th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $109.95
	Bill Peet An Autobiography by Bill Peet from Houghton Mifflin Biography for 4th-8th grade 1990 Caldecott Honor Book in Picture Books (Location: PICTURE) $16.99
	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) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Drawing American Art Volume II by Kristin Draeger from ArtK12 for 3rd-10th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $25.46 $16.00 (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)
	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) $18.69
	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 - Postcards by Barry Stebbing from How Great Thou Art for 4th-12th grade in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA) $5.00 (1 in stock)
	Gospel Figures in Art by Stefano Zuffi, translated by Thomas Michael Hartmann from Getty Publications for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Great Composers - Great Artists: Portraits by Stewart Buettner and Reinhard Pauly from Amadeus Press for 6th-Adult in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	History of Art - Flashcards Creation to Contemporary from Veritas Press for 2nd-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $29.00 $17.50 (1 in stock)
	History of Art - Workbook Creation to Contemporary 1^st edition from Veritas Press for 2nd-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $49.00
	I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Treviño from Square Fish Publishing Realistic Fiction/Slavery for 5th-8th grade 1966 Newbery Medal winner in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF) $8.49
	Illuminated Page Ten Centuries of Manuscript Painting by Janet Backhouse from University of Toronto Press for 7th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $9.60 (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) $6.40 (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) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Kate Greenaway by Rodney K. Engen from Harmony for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Kindergarten Art Posters from Memoria Press for Kindergarten-12th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $20.00 (1 in stock)
	Knights of Art Stories of the Italian Painters by Amy Steedman from Living Book Press for 4th-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $13.59
	Leonardo da Vinci by Emily Hahn from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd. for 5th-8th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Leonardo da Vinci for Kids His Life and Ideas by Janis Herbert from Chicago Review Press Biography/Activity Book for 3rd-8th grade in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN) $17.95
	Lives of the Artists by M. B. Goffstein from Farrar, Straus and Giroux for 3rd-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $4.80 (1 in stock)
	Looking at Painting: Families by Peggy Roalf from Hyperion/Madison Press for 3rd-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $3.20 (1 in stock)
	M.C. Escher Kaleidocycles Box from Purple Pomegranate Productions for 6th-Adult in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $16.00 (1 in stock)
	Marvelous to Behold by Jennifer Courtney from Classical Conversations for 7th-12th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $31.79
	Mathew Brady: Photographing History by Manual Komroff, with photographs by Mathew Brady from Encyclopedia Britannica for 5th-8th grade in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Norman Rockwell's America by Christopher Finch, Illustrated by Norman Rockwell from Reader's Digest for 3rd-Adult in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $6.40 (1 in stock)
	Norman Rockwell: Storyteller with a Brush by Beverly Gherman from Atheneum for 3rd-7th grade in Biographies (Location: BIO) $8.00 (1 in stock)
	Old Testament Figures in Art by Chiara de Capoa, edited by Stefano Zuffi, translated by Thomas Michael Hartmann from Getty Publications for 6th-Adult in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $9.60 (1 in stock)
	Short Lessons in Art History by Phyllis Clausen Barker Revised and Updated from Walch Publishing for 5th-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $17.60 (1 in stock)
	Son of Heaven: Imperial Arts of China by Robert L. Thorpe First Edition from Son of Heaven Press for 6th-12th grade in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS) $4.00 (1 in stock)
	Spot the Differences Book 3 by Susan L. Rattiner, ed. from Dover Publications for 3rd-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $9.34
	Spot the Differences Book 4 Art Masterpiece Mysteries (Dover Children's Activity Books) by Alan Weller from Dover Publications for 3rd-7th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $9.34
	Stories of the Painters by Amy Steedman from Yesterday's Classics for 4th-8th grade in Artists & Illustrators (Location: ELE-ARTISTS) $36.51
	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) $9.60 (2 in stock)
	Understanding Modern Art by Monica Bohm-Duchen and Janet Cook, illustrated by David Gillingwater from Usborne for 4th-8th grade in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS) $3.20 (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) $4.80 (1 in stock)

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