1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die

This is the best of all the Best before you die books so far for me. I am meaning the design of the book. Meaning the infuriating index system, the worst so far being. (actually what damn index system)As for the actual book it is a wonderful piece of work. And very well made. Actually you cannot say " some paintings to enjoy and some to avoid." I have seen some ( I cannot even call them paintings.) know people who will pay millions of pounds for a canvas with two colours on it worth more than a Caravaggio. This book will give you 1001 paintings that you love as an art fan. The pictures are different sizes with informative information. Actually more information in some cases than an actual book on the artist. The price these books are from AMAZON is most probably better than any price of CD, DVD, BOOK or LP. The most expensive being £14 and a recent book on 1001 fo £7 yes £7.These books, here meaning the books on art, are very informative and useful for those starting out on the subject. Like I started many years ago by finding a painting I loved and looked for more of the artists work. This book is ideal for finding the era you love and falling in love.For those who are professionals among you preaching to you is pointless so all I have to say is a book of around 960 pages it is a book worth having for around £12-14 and at least have a peak! It is fun to read other people's views and that goes for the views on MOVIES which I will review next.P. SPlease note Paintings. Art and Music is strictly my views. All forms of art are in fact strictly in the Eye and Ear of the beholder.... Have funSee you on the other side.

A tremendous reference book of paintings. The selection by age - a chapter per century - works really well. The descriptions include short biographies of artists as well as a commentary on their paintings. There is a later edition but as far as I can tell there are very few additions. The choice is obviously personal but the selection seems fairly representative of the thousands of paintings from which the choice could have been made. Some of these I would not bother to seek out, particularly many of the modern abstract paintings which are shallow and soul-less, concealing rather than revealing, the artist's acknowledged skill, often seeming to display the artist's desire merely to shock, confuse or bemuse for the sake of novelty or self-expression. Some seem mainly to represent a measure of the artist's own mental confusion. Where Van Gogh's mental state produced work of great beauty, Rothko's work seems to express his depression and transmit it to the observer. The breadth of the book tempts the reader to try identify the common characteristics of 'Great Art'. Though much must lie in the eye of the beholder, I was left with the feeling that the most important characteristic is the ability to produce a sense of awe, both through the subject chosen and the evident skill of the artist. Would I yearn to see this painting, or better still, hang it on my wall? Many of these paintings pass that test with flying colours: some fail miserably. Sadly many wonderful artists are unaccountably missing from this book. On the whole, however, the choice by Stephen Farthing is broad and comprehensive and as a result the the book is a delight to be endlessly enjoyed.

I was pleasantly suprised by the quality of the prints selected for this book..The information supplied with each picture is informative without being too academic. I finished my B.A. in Art History, at New York University in 1981; however, my vast collection of Art books is at my father's house 2,000 miles away in Long Island, N.Y- I'm in London. This book encompasses the contents of many of them,for a fraction of the cost. Also the Editor's juxtaposition of Eastern works of art with Western adds another dimention to what this book has to offer.. the most 'important' pictures sit side by side to some less known 'gems'-each given equal space... I would recommend this to scholars, and to the public at large. Totally [large total, all 1001 of them] brilliant... Even if one has a phobia of anything considered too 'highbrow', this book is for you.

Read Geoff Dyers preface first. This makes you want to begin an odyssey to visit all the great galleries of the world and tick off the list. This is a great reference document which I will keep to hand for years to come.

Perhaps the thing that excites most about an art book is the images themselves. The only problem with this is that quite a lot of the reproductions are too small in this book to be enjoyed properly, with text instead taking up the page as a commentary to each work. However when it works it works because the images are just big enough then - what's also good is that although some works are familiar, many are perhaps not and seeing works that are new to me is what an art book is all about. great

But some of the pictures are specialised not what I would say was a top 1000 and 1

Beautiful book, bought as a gift for art teacher auntie

This is a big book. I was hoping to see some amazing paintings that I'd never seen before, but unfortunately I didn't. I'm glad I decided to buy a used copy. I'd of been disappointed if I'd paid full price for a new copy. It is an interesting book, but not a book I'd recommend. The more modern art in it is terrible. I just don't get it and much prefer the older beautiful paintings that tell a story.I have given 3 stars because I don't like it, but respect the amount of content and information.

Love it

The media could not be loaded.  The book came really fast and in perfect condition!!Does not look used! Thank you

Great collection....great book

I am so happy with my recent book purchase from amazon.ca. The book: 1001 Paintings You Must See Before You Die: Revised and Updated contains numerous quality painting reproductions of famous paintings...I enjoy looking at these paintings...they are so beautifully reproduced, and so exquisite...I recommend this book for art lovers and for people who have an appreciation of art...this book, which is so affordable thanks to amazon.ca, is a treasure for me...it allows me to see many paintings I have seen before but knew nothing about...now, I can see the reproductions in the book and read about them...it has been amazing for me to do this...a whole world of art has been opening up to me...I am learning things from this book that I wanted to know but never had the opportunity to do so...this book perfectly complements my art gallery membership...in the last few years, my local art gallery has been bringing famous paintings from Europe for special art exhibitions...I, now, can be knowledgeable about these famous paintings...

古い時代の作品群に見たことのないものも多かったし 近現代の作品あまり目にすることがないので 全体を通して新鮮でした。