A History of Pictures for Children: From Cave Paintings to Computer Drawings

by David Hockney, Martin Gayford

Overview

A History of Pictures for Children takes young readers on an adventure through art history.

From cave paintings to video games, this book shows how and why pictures have been made, linking art to the human experience. David Hockney and Martin Gayford explain each piece of art in the book, helping young minds to grasp difficult concepts. The book tracks the many twists and turns toward artistic invention, allowing readers to fully appreciate how and why art has changed and includes an illustrated timeline of inventions. Original illustrations by Rose Blake add a personal perspective on a wide variety of images.

A History of Pictures for Children will inspire creative minds and help them to understand the legacy of the pictures we see today. The book also includes a bibliography and index.

“A brilliant, knockout collaboration—one that will continue to excite, provoke, and engage kids and their grown-ups.” —Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419732119
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	468,483
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

David Hockney is one of the world’s most popular painters and the author of the bestselling Secret Knowledge: Rediscovering the Lost Techniques of the Old Masters (2001).

Editorial Reviews

Like all the best children's books, A History of Pictures for Children…is as interesting for adults as it is for their charges. It turns out that in addition to painting California pools, Hockney has a gift for communicating his kidlike enthusiasm for works of art that many of us have seen so many times we don't really see them anymore…The book jam-packs information on every spread, but everything is broken down into digestible chunks. It's the kind of book you want lying around in the TV room, welcoming kids to dip in and out or just flip through and familiarize themselves with some of the most famous works of art in history.

The New York Times Book Review - Jenny Rosenstrach

★ 10/15/2018
Artist Hockney and art critic Gayford take a conceptual approach to art history, moving between topics (why we make art, what makes art interesting) rather than presenting a linear overview of art movements and eras. Descriptive headings and guiding questions open the sections, which include “Watch this Space: How do artists set the scene?” and “Mirrors and Reflections: How do artists play with light?” Blake integrates original illustrations, which include playful representations of the collaborators (and Hockney’s pets). The authors also ask questions, explore historical context, address the psychological dimensions of works, and, refreshingly, share their own associations and perspectives on the pieces. The rich volume urges readers to think of art history as a living communication between artists past, present, and future. Ages 10–14. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"Contemporary British artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford join forces to look at art using a fresh spin . . . This is an appealing new way of looking at artwork."

School Library Connection

"A History of Pictures for Children offers a captivating survey of art that ranges from cave painting to Neolithic times to the modern self. Blake's engaging design forms the background—great works of art constitute the foreground—for an accessible yet highbrow conversation between artist David Hockney and art critics Martin Gayford."

The Wall Street Journal

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A lively, curious, and deeply informative book about art"

The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Famed contemporary painter Hockney, along with art critic Gayford, offer an inviting, pleasant stroll through art history in this colorful, winsomely illustrated volume . . . Blake’s genial, bright cartoonish art, scattered throughout the page, adds to the welcoming atmosphere . . . the tools Hockney and Gayford use to talk about everything from prehistoric handprints to iPhone photography will spark kids thinking about what constitutes art."

Booklist

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A brilliant, knockout collaboration—one that will continue to excite, provoke, and engage kids and their grown-ups."—Kirkus Reviews

**STARRED REVIEW**
"A lively, curious, and deeply informative book about art"—The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"The authors’ knowledge and insight, shared in clear, straightforward language, helps readers understand how various artistic techniques and tools have been similar through the ages."—School Library Journal

"Famed contemporary painter Hockney, along with art critic Gayford, offer an inviting, pleasant stroll through art history in this colorful, winsomely illustrated volume . . . Blake’s genial, bright cartoonish art, scattered throughout the page, adds to the welcoming atmosphere . . . the tools Hockney and Gayford use to talk about everything from prehistoric handprints to iPhone photography will spark kids thinking about what constitutes art."—Booklist

"Contemporary British artist David Hockney and art critic Martin Gayford join forces to look at art using a fresh spin . . . This is an appealing new way of looking at artwork."—School Library Connection

"A History of Pictures for Children offers a captivating survey of art that ranges from cave painting to Neolithic times to the modern self. Blake's engaging design forms the background—great works of art constitute the foreground—for an accessible yet highbrow conversation between artist David Hockney and art critics Martin Gayford."—The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher

"Famed contemporary painter Hockney, along with art critic Gayford, offer an inviting, pleasant stroll through art history in this colorful, winsomely illustrated volume . . . Blake’s genial, bright cartoonish art, scattered throughout the page, adds to the welcoming atmosphere . . . the tools Hockney and Gayford use to talk about everything from prehistoric handprints to iPhone photography will spark kids thinking about what constitutes art."

Booklist

08/01/2018
Gr 5 Up—Famed artist Hockney and British art critic Gayford team up to have "conversations" about "pictures" created throughout history. The works shown, a number of which are by Hockney, include cave art, paintings, photographs, movies, and computer-generated drawings. Though this art history survey doesn't take a strictly linear, chronological approach, the authors' knowledge and insight, shared in clear, straightforward language, helps readers understand how various artistic techniques and tools have been similar through the ages; are interconnected in some ways; and have served as influences on each other, though separated by geography and eras. Topics include the basics of picture creation: making marks, light and shadows, using space (perspective and telling stories through pictures), mirrors and reflections, painting and photography, and moving pictures. The text has a freewheeling, meandering tone. The majority of the included pieces and artists are Western; few women are represented, even as subjects. The book's design is attractive and colorful. Each speaker is identified by first name and a different typeface, and the pages are enhanced by illustrations that provide witty commentaries throughout. VERDICT Recommended for large public library and school library collections. In art classes, challenge students to make art, inspired by Hockney or other artists herein.—Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2018-07-30

Iconic British postwar realist painter Hockney and art critic Gayford have reimagined their art-history survey for adults, A History of Pictures (2016), with judicious, kid-friendly editing, inventive design, clever pacing, smart and spot-on examples, and the bright, fresh illustrations of fellow Brit Blake.

Best experienced as a practiced and delightfully immersive conversation between friends who love to think, talk, argue, teach, and most of all, really look at pictures and make art, this edition includes eight well-organized and provocatively themed chapters, ranging from "making marks" to "light and shadows," from "mirrors and reflections" to photography, movies, and, finally, computer art. (Hockney is both an expert on lenses as painting tools used by the Old Masters and a modern master of iPad paintings.) Blake's contributions on each page act as a visual descant of sorts, adding notes of color and whimsy. A winding path takes cartoon characters (all white) from The Last Supper to Nighthawks to demonstrate their storytelling similarities, for instance. Her abundant full-page and spot art includes portraits of the artist and the critic exploring the real world and the world of art. Hockney's famous dogs, Stanley and Boodgie, also have cameos. Examples are heavy on the Europeans, but select East Asian examples expand the scope somewhat.

A brilliant, knockout collaboration—one that will continue to excite, provoke, and engage kids and their grown-ups. (timeline of inventions, glossary, notes, bibliography, list of illustrations, index) (Nonfiction. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews