How to look at a painting

Justin Paton, art curator at Australia's Art Gallery New South Wales, is the host of this 12-episode New Zealand-based series that takes viewers to museums and artist's studios to provide a fresh perspective on understanding art. In the first episode, -Paton describes his childhood and how his views on art were developed. Each sub-sequent half-hour episode explores a different theme (i.e., landscape, portrait, political, religious) as Paton interviews contemporary New Zealand artists to learn their motivations, inspirations, and the techniques they use to get their imagination onto canvas. Bonus features include the documentary What Is Beauty?, which analyzes the ten factors that make artwork beautiful. VERDICT The flashy editing, eclectic sound track, and sometimes quirky presentation should appeal to students who might not otherwise be interested in the subject. This educational series should appeal particularly to students, educators, and art lovers.-Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.