The Story of Art

I have a lot of catching up to do - we'll see how far I get tonight. :)

The Story of Art by Ernst Hans Gombrich is a readable overview of the history of world art. As is the case with many introductory art history texts, this book also mostly focuses on art developments in Western Europe, the Mediterranean, and United States. As an introductory text, however - especially for a layperson interested in the topic, this is a very self-explanatory book. Someone with more background in art history probably will be familiar with most of the concepts, but may enjoy it for its readability-factor. Gombrich moves from one artist, period, or technique to the next without jarring breaks or a lot of dry jargon.

I highly recommend The Story of Art especially for lifelong learners interested in rounding out their education and for high school or college students who want an idea of what all this art stuff is about!