February 2008
This is an initial booklist suitable as general background for library
resources for the Visual Arts course of the International Baccalaureate
Diploma Programme and also for any Senior Visual Arts course. Acknowledgement
and thanks go to Anthony Tilke, Librarian at the Yokahama Intl School,
who provided very helpful lists of books for a school newly starting
the IBDP. These suggestions formed the basis of this list. The
list is lightly annotated and hopefully teachers will find it helpful.
Please Note All prices are in Australian
dollars and include the 10% GST tax. However this GST does not
apply to exports from Australia.
If you would like to order any of the books on the list, send the orders
to Austral Ed by post, fax or by email. Payment can be made with
bank cheques in Australian dollars, by direct bank transfer or by Credit
card. Freight is sent by the most economical method within
Australia or overseas, depending on urgency.
Recommended
by Kate Shepherd and Ron Shapiro
Bang, Molly
Picture This: How Pictures Work pb $24.95
This is a striking book in which Molly Bang helps us understand how the
structure of a pictures affects our emotional response. She uses
simple cut-out shapes to tell the fairy story of Little Red Riding Hood
as a visual example of how varying shapes, colour and composition of
a picture make us feel differently about it. This is a truly original
and fascinating book. (11 years up)
Blazwick, Iwona and S Wilson
Tate Modern – The Handbook
T & H 2000 hardback $88.00 pb $60.00
This is a celebration of the opening of the Tate Modern and the transformation
of the old power station. Two hundred key works from the Tate Collection
are presented through the themes of the body, the environment, real life
and society. The second half of the books is an A – Z of
100 key artists within the collection. Each artist is represented
by one or more key works.
Cavallaro, Daniel
Art for Beginners
Writers & Readers Ltd 2000 pb $21.95
A book about art and artists for readers who don’t want to read
but who would rather be entertained by drawings, diagrams, cartoons,
etc all presented in a jocular fashion-reader-friendliness taken to a
further stage.
Cole, Alison
Perspective (Eyewitness Arts)
DK 2000 hardback $36.95
Contains many full colour reproductions of paintings and drawings showing
how artists over the centuries have responded to the problem of perspective. Extremely
interesting and well explained.
Cope, Peter
Creative Digital Photography: A Practical Guide to
Image Enhancement Techniques
Penguin 2005 pb $35.00
A very helpful guide for the beginner and the more accomplished. The
book takes a practical approach and explores image creation from both
a photographic and an artistic point of view.
Gombrich, E.H.
The Story of Art
Phaidon, 1995 hardback $89.95 pb $59.95
Originally published in 1950, this sixteenth edition (1995) was expanded
and redesigned. This is a classic work, much loved and respected. Written
in clear accessible language, it is acclaimed by many as the most important
history of art book available. There is a great emphasis on European
art but the book also covers the periods from Prehistoric times through
Egypt and Mesopotamia, Greece, the Romans, Buddhism, Islam and China.
History in Art series
Raintree 2005 hardback $38.50
Ancient China
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Greece
Ancient Rome
Islamic Empires
Middle Ages
Native Americans
An excellent series providing good introductory background information. Both Ancient
China and Islamic Empires have well written
texts and photos of a wide variety of art and architecture. Ancient
China uses examples of art and artefacts to show how these reveal
much about the history of this ancient civilisation and how people lived
in those times. In Islamic Empires there is a
greater emphasis on the architecture and historical records. In
each book, information panels provide additional information on historical
background and artistic techniques. There are maps, a timeline,
glossary and an index. Aimed particularly at upper middle school
level, it also provides helpful information for senior students.
Kleinert, Sylvia and Margo Neale ed
The Oxford Companion to Aboriginal Art and Culture
OUP 2000 hardback $140.00
A new comprehensive study of Aboriginal art and culture, in which the
emphasis is on visual art but also includes photography, sculpture, media,
film rock art, and body painting. It also includes individual biographies
of Aboriginal artists. Colour photographs are used extensively
throughout the text.
Marshall, Christopher
Interpreting Art
Macmillan student course book pb $62.95 teacher CD ROM 179.95
This is a student course book which is helpful in the development of
skills in understanding and interpreting art. There is a comparison
of art and society between the past and the present. It also looks
at the way in which art is produced and presented to the public. A
core group of works is examined throughout the text and reinterpreted
according to various frameworks including analysis of style and composition,
of materials and technique and of historical context.
Movements in Modern Art series
T & H p b $29.95 each title
Written by many different authors who are experts in their fields, this
series provides accessible introductions to key art movements of the
past 150 years. There are many colour photographs. Titles
are:
Abstract Art
Abstract Impressionism
Arte Povera
Cubism
Expressionism
Futurism
Minimalism
Modernism
Pop Art
Post-Impressionism
Postmodernism
Realism
Surrealism
Paul, Christiane
Digital Art
T & H 2003 pb $30.00
One of the many titles in the World of Art series, this title looks at
the developments in digital art from the 1980s to today.
Phaidon
The American Art Book
Phaidon 1995, hardback $79.95, pb $16.95
An excellent guide to the most influential and best loved American artists
from Colonial times to the present. The book covers three centuries,
from the Puritans to modern times and includes paintings, photos,
videos and digital works. Three hundred artists are each represented
by a colour plate of a significant work, accompanied by text placing
the artist in the context of contemporary movements and preceding traditions.
Phaidon
The Art Book
Phaidon 1994 hardback $79.95 pb $39.95
A well known and distinctive art book which presents memorable images
of art works from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. Five
hundred artists are each represented by a full-colour plate of a key
work. Reflecting all the periods, schools and styles that make up our
artistic heritage, these works of art come together in surprising combinations
with every turn of the page. Each entry includes a short biography, and
a series of chronological charts at the end of the book provides a historical
perspective
Phaidon Colour Library series pb 16.95 each title
This series provides a good introduction to the works of many key artists
and movements in art history. Each book has a detailed introduction
to the artist’s life and his work, forty-eight full page colour
plates accompanied by notes giving some background and insight into
each art work and there are also black and white illustrations. Titles
are:
Bonnard, Bruegel, Canaletto, Caravaggio, Cezanne, Chagall, Chardin,
Constable, Cubism, Dali, Degas, Durer, Dutch Painting, Ernst, Fra Angelico,
Gainsborough, Gaugin, Goya, Holbein, Impressionism, Italian Renaissance Painting,
Japanese Colour Prints, Klee, Klimt, Magritte, Manet, Matisse, Modigliani,
Monet, Munch, Picasso, Pissarro, Pop Art, The Pre-Raphaelites, Rembrandt, Renoir,
Rossetti, Schiele, Sisley, Surrealist Painting, Toulouse-Lautrec, Turner, Van
Gogh, Vermeer and Whistler
Read, Herbert
Modern Sculpture: A Concise History
T & H 1970 pb $30.00
Describes the development of modern sculpture from Rodin to the 1970s
and also describes the development of the many styles and techniques
during this period. Black and white and some colour illustrations. Part
of the World of Art series.
Simpson, Colin and Donald Williams
Art Now: Contemporary Art Post 1970 Book
1 and Book 2
McGraw-Hill pb $68.95 each book
This is an introductory art text written for senior art students and
looks at more than 100 contemporary International and Australian artists
working since 1970. It discusses particular themes or issues
of concern such as the environment, or war. Book 2 has a strong
photographic and new technologies bias and includes information about
the artists often through interviews. A chapter is also included
on Asian art and artists. There is also a Slide Kit which accompanies
Art Now Book2 Cost is $102.95.
Stangos, Nikos
Dictionary of Art and Artists
T & H 1994 pb $28.00
A very useful dictionary with brief information on over 2,500 entries
on the fine arts. Updated in 1994 with black and white illustrations. Part
of the World of Art series.
Williams, Donald
In Our Own Image: Story of Australian Art 1788 - 1989
McGraw-Hill 2001 pb $62.95
A very readable and interesting outline of the development of Australian
painting, sculpture and architecture from European settlement to the
present day. It also looks at traditional and contemporary Aboriginal
art. It is a textbook but also is a good reference. Many
colour reproductions and fascinating examples given.
World Art and Culture series
Raintree 2003 hardback $42.95 each
African Art and Culture
Chinese Art and Culture
Indian Art and Culture
Islamic Art and Culture
Japanese Art and Culture
Mexican Art and Culture
Native American Art and Culture
A wide-ranging look at the diverse culture of these countries through
their architecture and art and crafts over the ages. Each
book endeavours to use a wide variety of art and craft to reflect something
of the culture, including the history, technology, beliefs and daily
life of each country. (11 - 16 years)
Posters and Prints
Australian Indigenous Art Pack Notes by Kate Hart $71.95
A
pack of 12 full colour A3 prints of artworks from three Indigenous artists,
Jack Wunuwun, Michael Nelson Jagamara and Lin Onus. On
the reverse side of each image are a number of art activities for each
work (a mixture of modern and more traditional works). There is
also background information on each artist and on each image.
Australian Landscapes Art pack 1788 - 21st century $65.95
This art pack contains 12 A3 art prints of a variety of Australian landscapes
by Australian artists, including well known artists such as Albert Namatjira,
Russell Drysdale, and Fred Williams. The prints show interesting changes
in the way artists viewed and portrayed the often stark Australian landscape. Teachers’ notes
on the back of each print include information on the artist and work as well
as activity ideas.
If you would like to order any of the above books, send
orders to Austral Ed by fax, post or email. All
prices are in Australian dollars and include GST of 10% which is
not applicable for overseas schools.
For additional lists of recommended books and newsletters from
Austral Ed, visit our website www.australed.iinet.net
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