Look! Seeing the Light in Art » (Reprint)

Beautifully printed on fine, glossy paper, this book introduces young readers to the enduring pleasures of art by showing how its makers use light. Author Gillian Wolfe draws on famous artists from various times and cultures, revealing how they depict dramatic light, mysterious light, cold light, hot light, dappled light, rainy light, light patterns, light shapes, and many more forms of light. Interactive exercises have readers look at a painting, unravel how the light was drawn, and give evidence for the conclusions they draw.

Children's Literature

Looking at light is the theme of this art book. It explains sixteen different ways artists use light in art. Dramatic light, mysterious light, cold and hot light, dappled light, stormy, and calm light are just a few of the artistic depictions of light that are explored. Each spread includes a famous painting that demonstrates a particular use of light. The text that accompanies each painting explains the technique as it is related to a situation in everyday life, then details how the artist utilized the technique in the particular painting. Each spread also includes a tip for a budding artist to try, and this is related to the type of light portrayed in the painting. This short book teaches young artists a tremendous amount of information about using light to make a painting stand out. However, the text is not boring. It speaks to the reader as a teacher sitting in the room would, trying to make it real. This book is recommended for young artists, art teachers, and anyone who appreciates art. The backmatter features more information about each painting reproduced in the book, including when it was painted, who painted it and a short bibliographic paragraph about the artist. Reviewer: Marcie Flinchum Atkins