[.ca] Sculpture (ISBN 3822850802)

Magnum Opus!:
SCULPTURE FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT DAY is a huge and beautiful book published originally in four volumes, but here those volumes are compounded into one heavy but articulate book. The writing is varied yet for the most part not only informed but readable and the number of illustrations is overwhelming. Both in black and white and in color, they are sharp and color-corrected and accompany the writing with specificity. The book is divided as follows: Part 1 - THE GREAT ART OF ANTIQUITY From the Eighth Century BC to the Fifth Century AD; Part 2 THE GREAT ART OF THE MIDDLE AGES From the Fifth Century to the Fifteenth Century; Part 3 THE GREAT TRADITION OF SCULPTURE From the Fifteenth Century to the Eighteenth Century; Part 4 THE ADVENTURE OF MODERN SCULPTURE In the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Each period is examined with scholarly precision but at the same time the essayists are allowed subjective response, a factor that makes the reading more enjoyable. For the artist and art lover who are looking for a fine reference book on Sculpture through the ages, this is a very fine work - and very affordable. One minor complaint: though Picture Credits are listed, there is no Index for the works in the book. If you are looking for a particular work to review you must know the era in which it was created and then work your way through that section until you happen on it. Were it not for this frustrating omission, this would definitely be a 5 star recommendation.