Sister Wendy's Story of Painting (Enhanced and Expanded Edition)

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For those who've enjoyed the original, the good news is that the new edition of The Story of Painting has grown by more than 300 pages of photographs--magnified close-ups of details from nearly half the 450 paintings in the book. Fauvist paint strokes become mighty slabs; sparkling light on a Dutch still life is revealed as a series of tiny dots; the cheeks of a young man in an Italian Renaissance portrait betray a touch of five o'clock shadow. This kind of close looking is seductive, and it's an important part of Sister Wendy's direct, unpretentious approach to art.

As a history of painting, Sister Wendy's book has its strong points (works with religious or spiritual themes and those that lend themselves to psychological interpretation) as well as its lapses (a very skimpy discussion of Cubism and inadequate treatment of works from the late 20th century). Even the title is a bit of a misnomer. The painting in question is purely Western; there is nothing here about Indian or Persian miniatures, or the great tradition of Chinese landscapes.

But what Sister Wendy alone offers are vivid, personal interpretations that come from a deep well of emotional sympathy with works of art. Who else would notice the way the bagpiper in The Wedding Feast by Pieter Breughel "stares at the porridge with the longing of the truly hungry"? Who else would point out how Venus--the "older woman" pleading with "virile" Adonis not to go off to war in Titian's "Venus and Adonis"--shows us "her superb back and buttocks, beguilingly rounded, full of promise." Rather than portraying Western art as the dutiful production of "masterpieces," she revels in the physicality of paint and the variety of human experience these works represent. --Cathy Curtis

Book Description

New revised and expanded edition!

"The story of painting is one that is immensely rich in meaning, yet its value is all too often hidden from us by the complexities of its historians. We must forget the densities of 'history' and simply surrender to the wonder of the story." -Sister Wendy Beckett Internationally renowned art historian Sister Wendy Beckett brings her knowledge, her deep love of art, and her luminous insights to The Story of Painting- making a difficult subject accessible and stimulating to all. The Story of Painting features more than 450 masterpieces- all faithfully reproduced in rich, full color- chronicling the developments and movements in the history of painting over the past 800 years, from Gothic to Renaissance, Romanticism to Impressionism, Post-Impressionism to Modernism. Each movement is introduced by visual timelines to provide an instant overview of the significant artists and paintings of the era. This enhanced and expanded edition of The Story of Painting has almost doubled in size. It expands the existing 400 pages to 736, focusing on the approximately 450 paintings with facing pages of details for almost 200 of them. This classic art book presents the masterpieces in two ways: as the original painting appeared and, on double spread pages, as enlarged close-ups of the paintings' most pertinent details. Now the reader can study a painting as though standing in front of it in a museum, seeing the powerful effect of the whole and then studying the minutest details of brushstrokes, textures, quality of lines, and overlays of color.

Customer Reviews:

What awful reproductions!!!.......2006-01-10

The first purpose of an artbook is usually to showcase fine art with high quality reproductions. This book certainly packs in ample artwork, well supported by Sister Wendy's colourful commentary. However the image quality is horrendous, with a vast proportion of the reproductions being badly pixelated or blurred.If you like Sister Wendy, then buy her other books. This one is so sloppy that it is disrespectful to the artworks and is to be avoided.

Can't fail to please!.......2005-12-19

A 1¼ inch thick book with about 400 pages and more than 450 color illustrations of the most significant works of art in Western history can hardly fail to please anyone with an interest in art history. In Sister Wendy's Story of Painting, Sister Wendy provides an intellectual and somewhat passionate discussion on major art movements and sensitive analysis and interpretation of more than thirty paintings she showcases in the book. Enlargements of particular areas of these paintings are used to analyze techniques and identify symbolism. In the absence of ancient paintings that have survived, Sister Wendy uses other forms of art such as sculptures, friezes, tapestries and mosaics to illustrate the subject, composition, style and proportions used in paintings of that era. She treats all styles of art with equal reverence. Shortcomings in this book are few. Illustrated timelines that appear before each major section of the book could be improved by the addition of other historical milestones to help the reader achieve a better perspective. I would prefer less commentary about numerous paintings of a single artist and instead, more information on the cultural and political influences that shaped the development of painting. I would prefer less coverage of obscure artists such as the Nabis in favor of more on Victorian art and Art Nouveau. And I would wish for a more eloquent conclusion to the book. But the thing that was most lacking to me is a discussion on paint! Nowhere is the development of paint as a medium discussed with any depth. These aforementioned shortcomings, however, pale in comparison to what Sister Wendy has accomplished in her book -- the creation of a comprehensive and scholarly source of information on the history of painting that neither the newcomer nor the expert could fail to enjoy.

Wonderful, quality photos.......2005-09-09

I am very excited about using this book to study art with my children. The photos are top quality, showing close ups of interesting details in the paintings. I have a collection of art books, but this is by far the best. Worth every penny!

Much of art history IS associated with religious images.......2005-05-22

If you study art history at all, you know that the Roman Catholic Church (in particular various popes such as Julius and the Medici family-line popes)were great patrons of the arts in order to glorify both the Church (Christianity) and their pontificate. Michaelangelo, Rafael, etc. were commissioned by the Church to produce magnificent works of art, and indeed they did, hence the Sistine Chapel and The School of Athens in the papal apartments. If Mr. Jin looks at the numerous Annunciation paintings and reads history, he will realize that they are reflections of "popular culture"--Christianity was the HUGE influence at that time. Popular culture at any given time reflects what is on the "minds of the people"--hence the name POPULAR that comes from POPULATION. Today's "culture" reflects the obssession with celebrities, hence the plethora of celebrity gossip magazines.

Anyway, the book IS magnificent and so assessible to the common person. As much as I love art history and have 15 college credits in it, I don't want to read the dry stuff either. This edition with its close-ups is magnificently done, and the copy is easily digested. I think Sister Wendy did the art world a favor, and this is how art should be presented instead of pretentiously overdone by "experts" who want to impress each other. By the way, I'm probably the only person who prefers Rafael to Michaelangelo (though he can't be TOUCHED in sculpture), I think that everyone should check out "The School of Athens"--what a masterpiece! And Picasso's "Guernica" is a haunting portrayal of the horrors of war. Knowing the stories behind the paintings and not worrying about the "methods" the artists used (which should be relegated to a techniques-type book) makes the paintings so much more meaningful to an audience. I don't care for Cubism until I know that it's influenced by stylized African art and that Picasso was reacting the 1937 bombing of Guernica. Live on, Sister Wendy!

Great for historians, fantastic for the many.......2005-03-19

I'd just like to comment on how some reviewers found Sister Wendy to "narrow" and focused on Christian paintings. These people should look at the whole of art history and how influential Christian art has been over the years. the "minor" artisits she devoted so much time to are in fact huge in the art world and Van Gogh got four pages which is a lot and hes only one aspect, just because hes main stream dosnt mean she should devote more time to him. The Christian religion had a huge impact on the art world over a very long period of time, this should be taken into consideration.

Sister Wendy's Story of Christmas (Adventures in Art)

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Sister Wendy's Story of Christmas (Adventures in Art)
Wendy Beckett
Manufacturer: Prestel Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Religious | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 379131887X

Book Description

Sister Wendy's skill and experience teaching children are clearly evident as she infectiously communicates her love of paintings in this charming yet informative book. In her Story of Christmas, Sister Wendy opens the eyes of young readers to the very different ways twenty artists have depicted elements of the Nativity over a period of 800 years, drawing the reader into the scene and adding glimpses into the artists' lives and backgrounds.

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The Story of Painting
Sister Wendy Beckett
Manufacturer: DK Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N6ANIK

The Story of Painting, Enhanced and Expanded Edition

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The Story of Painting, Enhanced and Expanded Edition
Sister Wendy Beckett
Manufacturer: DK Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K1FE9G

Product Description

Jump right in doing art with toddlers and twos is fun,rewarding, and a wonderful learning experience. Children discover their world as they explore the 75 fun-filled art adventures in First Art. They will joyfully squeeze a rainbow, make their own (safe) beads to string, and create their very own painted paper quilt. First Art starts children on a journey full of exploration and creativity! Ages 3-6

Customer Reviews:

Toddler Fun!.......2007-09-13

My then 18 month old and I took "My First Art Class" at our local community center this past summer--it's a class created by the author's of the book. She had a great time with many of the activities and now that I'm back at work for the school year, I wanted to be able to continue her art experiences. This book is very easy to read, breaks down all the activities so you know how long it will take, if it's messy, etc. We made homemade playdough and have great plans for the other projects. Lots of neat ideas!

Awesome resource!.......2007-08-29

I am a Stay at Home Mom who likes to keep her toddler busy and who hosts playgroup craft days. This books is WONDERFUL! It has so many good ideas that are actually usable for toddlers. I have read so many art books geared toward toddlers that more suited for preschoolers (this art book would be good for preschoolers too) but this book is great. My number one art resource!

Awesome book!.......2006-12-07

What an excellent idea for a book! I have only used 2 of the recipes in here, the feely goop and the stretchy dough. But, my 2 year old loved both of them. They were easy to make-with things I usually have around the house. Although, I have since begun buying things that are used in some of the other recipes in here. The stretchy dough is similar to playdough-I think it's better, myself. But, the author says kids won't eat it once they have one bite because it's SOOOO salty. My daughter, however, tried to eat it several times-and said yummy after her first bite. So, to each his/her own I guess. Nevertheless a great resource for parents of the toddlers and twos set.

I think this book will help me find the true Zen of parenting.......2006-07-06

I love this book. I checked book after book of toddler crafts and toddler play out of the library, but most of them made me think, "hmm, anyone could have thought of that." This is not one of those books.

I know this sounds ridiculous, but this book is helping me be a better parent. There is nothing like the total absorption of an art project to help me be fully present with my daughter. Other times I might physically be with her, but my mind is at least partly elsewhere, thinking adult thoughts, worrying mostly, I suppose, but while doing these art projects, I truly am with her in the moment, and smiling and laughing more than I have in ages.

The author encourages the parent or teacher to present the art materials to the child and accept whatever way the child chooses to use them. That was a very helpful suggestion. It reminded me that there is no goal except exploration here.

The first project we did was finger- and sponge- painting. My daughter (19 months) made paintings, and I showed her that she could make prints of them by putting another piece of paper over them and pressing. I also provided her with some circular objects from around the house for printing on her art. Although it wasn't the goal, it's helping her learn her colors, and now she knows the shape "circle." The little paintings are also lovely, much freer and more asymmetric than I would do as an adult.

Yesterday, I was inspired for us to make "rubbery flubbery dough." It involves cooking salt and water on the stove and adding a cornstarch/water mixture, and then cooking some more. I didn't have enough salt, and I didn't have food coloring, either, but I had read the recipe for "feelie goop," made with jell-o, so I added a packet of sugar-free green jell-o for color and extra goopiness. Oh my gosh, the stuff was SO goopy, stretchy, sticky, green, funny, and fun. My 19-month-old daughter felt it, smeared it, stretched it, flung it, rubbed it on her dress, and wiped it on my back. (We did the whole project outside on a hot summer day so we could hose off after). My husband took a video of us, and I must say, I haven't seen a happier video of ME in a long time. Oh, my daughter liked it, too. We were so excited that we went to the discount store and bought 25 lbs of salt, a couple pounds of cornstarch, 25 lbs of flour, 4 big bottles of food coloring, and ran right home to make the "rubbery flubbery dough" properly, including coloring it and scenting it as the author suggests. I can't wait to pick my daughter up at preschool today to play with it.

Great for everyone who knows a toddler!.......2006-06-25

I love this book - it offers wonderful open-ended art experiences for young children. The art ideas are all developmentally appropriate and engaging for ones and twos. Every toddler classroom could use this as a guidebook. I have given it to teachers to help them begin the journey away from product oriented art to experiencial art.

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Financial Management (UK), published by Thomson Gale on February 1, 2006. The length of the article is 1556 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Alison Woodhams FCMA Chief operating officer, BBC World Service.(ONE2ONE)(Cover story)
Publication: Financial Management (UK) (Magazine/Journal)
Date: February 1, 2006
Publisher: Thomson Gale
Page: 10(3)

Article Type: Cover story

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Andrew Jackson FCMA Chief financial officer, UK Atomic Energy Authority.(ONE2ONE)(Fellow Chartered Management Accountant)(Interview): An article from: Financial Management (UK)

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Andrew Jackson FCMA Chief financial officer, UK Atomic Energy Authority.(ONE2ONE)(Fellow Chartered Management Accountant)(Interview): An article from: Financial Management (UK)
Andrew Jackson
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital