1940-1960: Emotion and Expression

From The Critics

Explore history through the eyes of artists as they explain the world during (1940s-60s) as a time when fear of annihilation and consumerism created an unknown future. Artists were questioning the world around them through abstract expressionism, Art Brut and Pop Art. The book also includes full-color reproductions, brief biographies, references, glossary and websites. Part of the "20th Century Art" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens Publishing, $16.95. Ages 8 to 12. Reviewer: M. Thomas SOURCE: Parent Council Volume 8

Children's Literature

Fresh from Great Britain comes this new series, which covers contemporary art in the twentieth century in six volumes. This fourth volume deals primarily with the birth of the New York School and Abstract Expressionism. Pollock's drips, de Kooning's action painting and the color fields of Rothko are defined in the context of post World War II anxieties and the remaining influence of Surrealism. The books are bright and busy, with a mix of reproductions, photographs and sidebars about fringe figures such as art dealer Leo Castelli and avant-garde composer John Cage. A timeline (which includes world events, theater and books), glossary and index complete the back matter. The overall package is a reasonable basic introduction to the subject matter for middle school students. Part of the series "20th Century Art." 2001, Gareth Stevens, $22.60. Ages 8 to 14. Reviewer: Kathleen Karr

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-These titles are part of a series that introduces children to art movements spanning the past 100 years. The first book examines abstract expressionism; Art Brut; and the work of Jackson Pollock, Jasper Johns, and Robert Rauschenberg. Pop art, op art, conceptual art, and the minimalist movement are explored in 1960-80. Graffiti and computer-age art are among the styles considered in 1980-2000. In covering the work of British artists Chris Ofili and Damien Hirst, and French-born sculptor Louise Bourgeois, this title offers some material that might not be available in other surveys. Each slim volume covers topics and artists over two-page spreads sandwiched between brief discussions of historical and cultural events during the period and a chronology. While most of the movements discussed are Western-based, there are a couple of pages devoted to Australian art (not referenced in the index) and Latin American art in 1960-80. Unfortunately, precious space is occasionally given over to extraneous text and murky photos in all three volumes. In addition, there are only one or two poor-to-average quality reproductions that show the work of the most famous artists while some talents are mentioned with no pictorial examples. Linda Bolton's "Art Revolutions" series (Peter Bedrick) presents more focused and thorough discussions on some of the better- documented movements (Cubism, pop- art, etc.).-Ilene Abramson, Los Angeles Public Library Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.