Description
Each artist is introduced with bulleted facts including their country of origin, most famous works, the greatest challenges they faced in creating their art, background information, the movement they belonged to, and techniques they employed. This overview is expanded with further insight into who these artists were and how they changed the course of art. Here are Michelangelo and the High Renaissance; Bruegel and his paintings of everyday peasant life; Manet and the shock of Impressionism; and Duchamp and the Dada revolution. Children can also read the real-life stories of artists, such as Caravaggio, Jan Vermeer, Henri Rousseau, Vincent van Gogh, Wassily Kandinsky, and Frida Kahlo, who dared to imagine new ways of depicting the world.
Reviews
wonderful for budding artists of any age
— Picture Book Depot
an exceptionally informative art book
— San Francisco Book Review
In the fourth book in a series that includes Eureka! and Genius!, Richards profiles 20 well-known visual artists, moving chronologically from Michelangelo to Warhol. After a brief overview of ancient art, Richards devotes four pages to each artist, providing sketches of their backgrounds and artistic goals, full-page reproductions of some of their best-known works, a few paragraphs on their upbringings and careers, and supplemental images, timelines, sidebars, and tidbits. Succinct writing provides clear snapshots of the artists' struggles, beliefs, and influence.
— Publishers Weekly
Arranged chronologically, each chapter features a single artist who bucked convention… Plentiful reproductions make each chapter visually appealing, and a few activities sprinkled throughout help drive home the importance of the artists' stylistic innovations…The approachable tone, dossier-style pages, and plentiful visual aids will make this an easy pick for students hoping to become better acquainted with famous artists.
— Booklist
in format and editorial approach, [it] is an engaging art history discussion with a contemporary feel that may well capture a young reader's interest….Even the title Splat! has a seductive buzz.
— New York Journal of Books
Contributors
Mary Richards
Author
Mary Richards is an award-winning art publisher, writer, and illustrator. She adapted and edited David Hockney’s bestselling A History of Pictures for Children and is the author of Splat! The Most Exciting Artists of All Time.
