Great Art Explained The Stories Behind the World's Greatest Masterpieces

Payne's essays—exploring each artwork, its social and political milieu, and the influences of its creator—feature lively writing and lots of visuals to capture readers’ interest, plus endnotes referencing art historical scholarship.

— Library Journal

Author and publisher are brilliantly matched in a book of exceptional merit. Great Art Explained will surely please Payne's YouTube audience, as well as readers who have yet to tune in to his series. Great Art Explained succeeds on every level of art scholarship and appreciation—and sheer enjoyment… Payne surveys these thirty masterpieces with a judicious blend of story-telling, technical analysis and social commentary. An amazing number of little known facts are added to the mix, which enable readers to see these works of art in a new light.

— Art Eyewitness

James Payne's YouTube Channel "Great Art Explained" gained a huge and appreciative worldwide audience. This beautifully put-together book is simply the best introduction to the lifelong pleasure and rewards of looking at pictures since Gombrich. An instant classic.

— Stephen Fry

A delightfully informative and colorful addition to your [book]shelves. With in-depth explorations of 30 masterpieces from around the world, it delivers a robust understanding of some of history’s most essential paintings.

— Observer

Like walking through an ambitious museum … in which visual examples are accompanied by a gifted narrator who provides a voice-over which gives information picture-by-picture… What I find most masterful in Payne's account is his uncanny ability to move swiftly from one example to the next one, in a way that builds upon the support of full large, excellent color plates. In his hands, thirty works provide an instructive perspective on world art history, as it is seen now.

— David Carrier, CounterPunch

[A] colorful survey of 30 artworks… The breadth of works highlighted, combined with Payne's knack for condensing massive amounts of biographical, historical, and technical information, makes this an excellent introduction. Art lovers will be entranced.

— Publishers Weekly

A beautifully persuasive work to remind you to look a little longer and to be enchanted by the stories each painting can hold—it tells us not to be afraid of art and what it can do to us—this book will transform the walls around you.

— BBC Radio 4

The book follows the same plain-speaking approach as his films, steering clear of jargon and academic detours. Instead, Payne aims to explain why certain works have endured, and how they continue to resonate across cultures and centuries.

— Art Plugged

James Payne is the creator of the fantastic YouTube channel where art masterpieces are clearly explained. It's now in book form as he writes about the context and art historical significance of masterpieces by J. M. W. Turner, Frida Kahlo, Hokusai, Hilma Af Klint, and many more.

— FAD Magazine

Art history without pretension—insightful, engaging, and addictive… This fascinating new book reveals the stories behind 30 of the world’s most iconic paintings and sculptures…in a straightforward, engaging way without any confusing or off-putting art jargon… Each chapter delves into not only the art itself but also the artist’s life, as well as the work’s place in their wider oeuvre; in other words, why it should be considered 'great…' An excellent combination of scholarship and accessibility, making complex art history clear, human and utterly compelling—a must-have addition to any art lover’s bookshelf.

— Joanne Shurvell, Forbes

Lavishly illustrated and with reference to related artists as well as its chosen artists, the book delivers an introduction to the history of art that is engaging and, on occasions, revelatory.

— Jonathan Evens, International Times