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Heavily based on the 1983 two-volume reference work by Prentice-Hall, Encyclopedia of Visual Art, also edited by the late painter and art historian Gowing, Facts On File Encyclopedia of Art adds minor updates to the original, mostly found in the chapters on contemporary art. The additional text is usually tacked on to the end of the original article and ranges in length from two paragraphs to several pages. Divided into five volumes-starting with the volume on Paleolithic and Etruscan art and ending with the volume on Realism and South African art-the set features 54 chapters altogether, organized by era and geographic region and written by art historians, curators, and archivists. Ranging in length from five pages ("International Style") to 35 pages ("Gothic Art"), the chapters cover not only aesthetics but social and cultural context as well and not only Western arts (which do seem to dominate) but arts from other parts of the world. The most striking feature is the vivid, full-color photography on nearly every page, with three-dimensional objects ranging from Aegean armor to a Japanese Zen temple particularly well treated. The Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists is similarly a minor revision and update of the Encyclopedia of Visual Art, although the lack of an introduction makes it difficult to spot what has been changed. The unsigned entries range from a paragraph to three pages in length and are complemented by many color photos. The artists covered include Laurie Anderson, Frank Gehry, Anselm Kiefer, Jan Vermeer, and Andy Warhol, to name just a few. A visual chronology of artists by country and era functions as an index to artists, and an alphabetical artist/subject index concludes the work. Bottom Line If your library owns the Encyclopedia of Visual Art, you may want to pass over the new version. If not, this Facts On File work is an important addition to any high school, academic, or public library. Even libraries that own the monumental Grove's Dictionary of Art or classic world art surveys such as Gardner's Art Through the Ages will find that this work complements their collection. The Biographical Encyclopedia is mostly recommended for libraries that don't have a comprehensive collection of art biographies.-Nadine Cohen, Athens, GA Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Product Details
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