Great Art in 30 Seconds

May 1, 2018

Gr 5 Up-This compact and precise history presents mostly Eurocentric art movements in small doses and is meant to be read quickly and revisited often. Thirty topics ranging from centuries ago to contemporary times are divided into browsable chapter headings of "Early Art," "Renaissance to Rococo," "Neoclassicism to Post-Impressionism," "Modern Art," and "Contemporary Art." The text offers an understanding of the practitioners, the characteristics of the artwork, and the time and place it was generally practiced. The main points are summarized in an illustration, but the "3-second sum-up," included at the bottom of a page, is almost too vague to be useful to unfamiliar readers. Art projects, called a "3-minute mission," are also included. The book may be best approached one artistic style or chapter heading at a time or perused all at once. The abundant illustrations are colorful and cartoony in contrast to the smaller photographic examples of the actual art works from the time periods. VERDICT A supplemental purchase for large art history collections.-Jessica Cline, New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2018
Readers are treated to a whirlwind tour of art history from prehistoric art to new media.The guide is divided into six sections (an introduction to the very basics, then the history in five chapters from early art to contemporary), and each section includes an introductory glossary. Of the 27 art movements detailed (ancient Greek, northern Renaissance, baroque, postimpressionism, etc.), only four are expressly not of a European or American tradition: prehistoric art, ancient Egyptian, Aztec, and Ukiyo-e. Each double-page spread includes a 30-second rundown of the art movement, a small reproduction of at least one exemplary piece of art, a "3-second sum-up," and a "3-minute" creative exercise, leaving pages busy but never overwhelming. Cheery mixed-media illustrations create engaging scenes surrounding the famous exemplars: For example, Robins illustrates Van Gogh in the act of painting Sunflowers juxtaposed with a scene of museum visitors examining a reproduction. The visual depiction of real-life artists is almost exclusively of white men, but Robins does include a diversity of skin tones and implied genders in the more general illustrations. One image of a Plains Indian in stereotypical headdress and war paint (the only American Indian presence) is placed next to a garbage can in a most unfortunate combination. A list of resources to "discover more" includes age-appropriate fiction and nonfiction titles, apps, and websites.Although the book primarily reinforces the Western art history canon, readers will happily breeze through Hodge's creative introduction and, hopefully, be inspired to seek out more art history knowledge. (Nonfiction. 8-12)

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June 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 True to the title, these installments in the Kids 30 Seconds series boast two-page chapters on a wide range of subjects that can be read in about a half a minute. Great Art in 30 Seconds offers a pretty thorough overview of mostly Western art. Arranged chronologically, the sections helpfully put art movements in context, emphasizing how movements or styles grew out of admiration for or critique of earlier art movements. Though few artists are named, and each section only shows one or two representative paintings (mostly by white men), the concepts are clearly articulated and easily digestible. Additionally, nearly every chapter includes an activity, though the instructions are brief enough that some kids might be stymied. Each volume is generously illustrated with blocky, cartoonish illustrations, and sidebars, inset boxes, and glossaries are plentiful. Although these volumes are far from comprehensive, the broad scope and inviting tone should help direct students to deeper research elsewhere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)