30-second great art : from Giotto to Warhol, 50 artworks that changed the way we see things

The great painting and sculpture of the past is the indispensable backbone of most people’s visual library, but wrangling centuries of wonderful works by thousands of artists into a digestible form that allows you to focus on their detail and direction can be tough. Enter 30-Second Great Art. It takes readers on an engrossing tour of 50 top-flight works by artists from Giotto to Marlene Dumas, including a full-page reproduction of each one, accompanied by text that puts it in the context of the world in which it was created, and adds another piece to the jigsaw puzzle of the history of art. Along the way, special spreads will offer insights into the collectors and critics of the past, as well as its creators, and a glossary for each chapter will explain specialist terms. Succinct, lively descriptions make for speedy and enjoyable reading; it’s like taking a trip round the world’s greatest art gallery. There's a world of great paintings and sculptures to admire and appreciate, but where do you start? How did art develop from the Classical harmony of the Renaissance to the fragmentation of Cubism? Who were the pioneering artists who broke with the past, finding new ways to convey nature, emotion and the human form? 30-Second Great Art answers these questions and many more by looking at 50 key works from Western Art. Each entry can be digested in just 30 seconds, using 300 words and a single picture to explore the context in which a painting or sculpture was created, highlight its notable features, and explain its influence on the world of art. Discover what makes Michelangelo's sculptures stand out, how the impressionists captured the quality of light, and how abstract art changed everything. It's like taking a trip round the worlds's greatest art gallery.