Customer Reviews
See more :) - By: Belén, 15 Jul 2004 
I don't know much about art, & I wanted to learn a little bit more. That is the reason why I bought this book. Truth to be told, I was pleasantly surprised when I read it: it teachs you a lot, but it's also entertaining and... FUN TO READ. You end up wanting to read more about art, & from my point of view that's what makes a book successful, disregarding the subject matter.
"The annotated Mona Lisa" alllows you to appreciate paintings you have already seen in a new way (you must try to pay attention not only to de color & composition but also to the historical circumstances in which it was painted, & to the meaning hidden in the painting) & introduces you to new ones.
Carol Strickland, in the introduction to this book, tells us that "There is a world of difference between viewing a work of art & reallly seeing it - the difference between sight & insight". In "The annotated Mona Lisa" she tries to give us an insight into what art is reallly about, & in my opinion, she has a good deal of success.
What else can I say?... Recommended :)
Belen Alcat
Provides the basics to appreciating art to the fullest! - By: , 23 Jun 1999 In such a short book, compared to other Art History books such as Gardner's Art History, etc., one may begin to wonder what this book has omitted. The answer is basicallly NOTHING. The difference between Gardner's & this book is that this book is a wonderful introduction to anybody appreciative of art but lacks the basic skills at analyzing & appreciating art to the fullest. 1500pg Art History books serve as a wonderful reference but as a poor introduction. Enter "Annotated Mona Lisa" , giving readers an introduction to art combined with attention-grabbing description & prose with the history & background of several thousands of years of art from pre-historic to modern. This book can serve as a study guide to much larger books, especiallly for those who take college art history classes or the AP Art History class in High School. This is a genuine MUST HAVE for anyone vaguely familiar with the term "art."
Covers the History of Art from Prehistory to modernity - By: , 16 Dec 1998 This book is a must have to anyone studying history of art of the western world. Very useful for student of Advanced Placement History of Art. She (C. Strickland) explains the information in a way useful to study & remember. The text includes color images, tables, among other useful learning methods. I used this book to study for my AP Art History exam in May 98 & it was very useful. It is a great coffee table book too!! I highly recommend it.
Excellent overview of art. - By: , 02 Jun 1998 I used this book to successfully prepare for the humanities CLEP exam & passed with flying colors. The book takes often esoteric art terms & periods & makes them easily understandable. The succinct nature of the book makes it ideal for anyone wanting to "cut to the chase" when learning about art.
An outstanding guide to great art - By: , 02 Feb 1998 This one book will be your best companion in visiting the great art museums of the world. I purchased it before the first of two visits to St. Petersburg, Russia. During each stay I spent 5 or 6 days at the Hermitage Museum, where there were no catalogues in English to be found. I found that the rich descriptions of artists' styles, combined with key influences on each artist's work, was a virtual replacement for--I would say, even better than--a traditional museum-specific guidebook, let alone a superficial guided tour. I referred to it constantly as a walked from room to room. In fact, numerous people wanted to know where I got it! I probably could have sold a dozen of them. Before writing this review, I took a momemt to read the interview with one of the authors. There I discovered the following statement: "Just heard from a reader in California who took my book along to the Hermitage Museum in Russia. She said, "When everyone got too tired to go another step, we sat down & I gave us an art lesson from your book. Then we were off again." I am not THAT California reader, but I am certainly a very pleased OTHER reader from California. As I pack my books to ship off for my upcoming Fulbright in St. Petersburg, you can bet I am packing The Annotated Mona List.
