Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* This is a wonderfully enticing introduction to the Renaissance via the lives of five artists: Michelangelo, da Vinci, Titian, Botticelli, and Raphael. An accessible introduction offers a concise overview of just what exactly the Renaissance was, establishing social and historical context, and then five chapters explore the contributions and lasting impact of each painter. The heavily illustrated text covers basic biographical information family background, training, relationships (including sexual orientation), and even personal appearance and grooming. It also delves into artistic style, early influences, techniques, innovations, major works, public reaction, and so on. Sidebars abound, from brief sketches of other artists, including women, to blurbs on where masterpieces are currently located, and updates on what was going on concurrently in other parts of the world (Afghanistan, Mali, Japan, Mexico). Pages are peppered with reflective questions, topics for further exploration, and invitations to compare works of art using identified criteria. Each chapter ends with a variety of STEAM projects: make this, analyze that, check out this Khan Academy clip and so on. There are time lines, quotes, clues to figuring out unfamiliar vocabulary terms (plus a glossary in the back), and further resources, both print and digital (videos, museum websites, and QR codes). This appealing package will attract browsers and be a boon to student researchers and their teachers.--Kathleen McBroom Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Five famous artists of the RenaissanceBotticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Titianare introduced in a format aimed at getting young readers to think.Taylor begins by defining the Renaissance and humanism before comparing medieval art to Renaissance art. Then a chapter is devoted to each artist, with color reproductions of many examples of their work, descriptions of their subjects and influences, and information about their personal lives and work habits. "Wonder why?" featurettes encourage readers to ponder art and its meaning ("Is it important for art to be realistic?"). "Connect" inserts offer codes to scan to discover related interviews and videos online. Other sidebars introduce women artists of the Renaissance as well as art and artists from other contemporaneous cultures, such as the Persian artist Kamal al-din Bihzad and the statue of Coatlicue in Mexico. Vocabulary "Words of Wonder" such as "tondo" and "posterity" are listed for readers to try to figure out or to look up in the glossary. Projects at the end of each chapter offer "Compare and Contrast" exercises with medieval art of comparable subjects as well as other exercises to learn from, analyze, and respond to works of art. The tone is conversational and provokes curiosity over fact mastery and passive consumption. A conscientious examination of the subject that encourages critical thinking, application, and broad perspective. (resources) (Nonfiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
