As an Art History minor, I thoroughly enjoy all things art- different styles, artists, periods. "The Elements of Art: Ten Ways to Decode the Masterpieces" offered a wonderful survey of the elements that make up art and features brief studies of some of the most famous works of art. I enjoyed the brief overviews of "medium," "movement," "light," and "color," to name a few, leading into a brief study of how those elements make up some of the most famous works of art, such as "The Kiss" by Gustav Klimt and "Guernica" by Pablo Picasso (two of my favorites).

This book is concise but very informative and is a great introduction to the world of art or a good touch up on concepts you may be familiar with but have not explored in some time.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This review was shared on Goodreads.

A great book, filled with information that is useful to anyone interested in art. Filled with interesting little tidbits.

A creatively designed book which reproduced works of art - this book is a great introduction to appreciating art in a deeper way. It is clearly written and could be both a beginning point and also a review guide for the seasoned art lover.

I thought this was a great read for those looking to deepen an interest in art. As an ex art history student I hold a greta passion for art, but a lot of my knowledge has slipped away.

This book was a lovely reintroduction and I think it would make a gret introduction for others too. It has a good balance of information and brevity to appeal to those with traveling plans to the great art museums of the world; feeling more informed when they arrive.

I enjoyed the layout with an overview at the start and then appllying those interpretations to specific art works.

It was also chockful of female artists, which isnt always the case and as far as I could tell a diverse group of artists too.

There were some repetitions within the writing that I would have liked to have been picked up at the editing stage, but they didnt take away from the overall impact of the book.

Thank you @netgalley and Francis Lincoln for the opportunity to read the earc.

I personally think that thisnis a good book for beginner artists who wants to learn the basic elements for art but if you are like me whose degree is under Fine Arts, this book is just a good refresher for you as well. Although I like the 2nd part where it shows well-known artworks and it discusses how the elements are used in each of them which I think helps you develope your eyes and analyzing artworks in the future.

Thank you Netgalley for the eARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own and I am leaving this review voluntarily 💙

A very beautiful book delving into the world of art - techniques, artists, paintings, details all done perfectly. The information is easily digestible and understandable managing to never overwhelm the reader no matter how new they might be either to a newbie in the art world or a newbie to reading non fiction. An absolute recommendation!

If you are a beginner to appreciating art in a manner further than just looking at a piece and going 'ooh pretty' then this is a perfect book for you. After the introduction that explains the various elements of art (I appreciated the brief segment on pigments, as a painter, paint maker, and collector of pigment information, the history of certain pigments being mentioned is always important.) it presents various pieces of art and demonstrates how to appreciate them using the elements discussed early on. I am a dabbler of art history and have read quite a few books on how to look at pieces of art, but they are universally advanced, I really appreciated how this is for the casual art fan who might go on to become a hardcore art historian nut. It makes art approachable! I also really liked how the art displayed is varied, it isn't just the European classics, you have some pieces from antiquity, modern pieces, photography, sculptures, performance art, and art instillations. I do wish there was a little more focus on art from outside of Europe and the Americas, but I am glad that there was some, a lot of books just completely overlook other cultures, so I was glad to see at least one piece each from China and Japan.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for letting me share my honest opinions of this eBook.

Compared to a lot of my other art books, this is a lot shorter read.

The book is divided into two parts, the first third covers ten topics (or elements) to improve one’s reading of artworks, each one ends with a series of questions to get the reader thinking. These topics range from scale to colour to artist.

The remaining third gives a generous example of artworks and demonstrates how to read it by focusing on a couple to a few of these elements. The last few pages have a timeline, glossary and index. Each chapter is accompanied with images and covers a lot of information succinctly.

And though I was reading an early eBook version that wasn’t working as well on my Nook than on Netgalley’s app, I could envisage how this could be a fun accessible way of reading artworks.

My favourite part of this read is the inclusion of many, many women artists.

This book also made me smile, almost ten years ago (shy of a couple of weeks) I got this kindle book Everything You Need to Know about Art to help me read artworks better. It is also by Susie Hodge. If this book, The Element of Art ... , was available back then then I would have got this one.

What a fun and educational read for aspiring art aficionados and curious life long learners alike. The first half of the book outlines ten key elements of composition -- scale, light, movement, medium, etc. The second half allows the readers to become observers and practice what they've learned in a mindful guided exploration of some of the greatest works of all time from Van Eyck to Picasso.

A great gift for any art lover in your life!

Susie Hodge is author of more than 100 books on art history, artists, and art appreciation. These books range from introductions to art for all ages to stories of artists and their works. This book falls under the category of art appreciation- a term I dislike because it implies that you can’t “appreciate” art without learning something about it. But rather than talking down to the reader (as, alas, many do), Hodge speaks in a practical yet sophisticated voice that gives readers some of the tools they need to delve deeper into works of art.

The first section of the book is devoted to discussing ten elements that make up all art: scale, color, light, movement, medium, technique, content, location, time, and artist. Some of these can be studied without knowing much historical context or art techniques, but all of them can deepen understanding when you know more.

The second section of the book examines specific works of art against these ten elements. I was impressed at the diverse array of works chosen; included are female, male (and most likely non-binary) artists, works from several historical periods, and different cultures. Well known artists like Michelangelo and Andy Warhol are included, but so are Amrita Sher-Gil and Jenny Saville. She takes an exploratory approach rather than simply telling the reader what to think.

The one criticism I have of the book is that, although it states that its intention is to make “the casual gallery visitor” understand and get more out of a trip to a museum, a lot of what she shares only proves that knowing context and artistic techniques is necessary in order to fully understand art. For example, she explains Jan Van Eck’s “The Arnolfini Portrait” by informing the reader of the rich symbolism that is contained in the painting that would have been known to the people of the time. Interesting stuff for sure, but how is a “casual gallery visitor” supposed to discover these things without additional study or taking extra time to listen to audio commentary as they proceed through an exhibit?

As a professor who has taught arts “appreciation” for over 20 years, I very much appreciate this book. I’m still trying to discover, however, how we break through the barriers for preventing more people from enjoying the wonder of art.

Thanks to Quarto and NetGalley for the opportunity to examine this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A fascinating guide on how to look at and analyse a painting, including elements that can be used such as colour, medium, movement, technique, content, location, and the artist’s life. Thirty artworks were chosen as samples, ranging from a landscape painted in the 12th century all the way to an installation set up in the 21st century. I found the short snippets about the artist’s life particularly interesting as it can influence the way they paint or the subjects they choose.

This would be useful for artists and/or people who just like to look at paintings. They will be able to talk about them intelligently at least!

5 stars.

This is an excellent resource for art lovers, art students, and artists. Susie Hodge includes aspects of art history and science in ways that are easily understood by the layperson and vastly interesting. I found the second half of the book especially interesting to me as an artist. It's helped me better understand how to improve my own paintings and to review them critically.

I'm passionate about art and have no problem pointing out which works I like and which I don't. Until now, however, I have never been able to give a substantive reason for why I find some works of art appealing and others not. "Elements of Art by Susie Hodge has been very helpful in this regard. The author clearly discusses all the components of a work of art - scale, colour, light, movement, technique - and suggests what to look for when analysing. In addition, the book contains very interesting examples of completed analyses of dozens of works of art in various genres, from paintings to sculptures. Everything is presented in a very reader-friendly way, and even a person with little idea of art will be able to grasp the basics of art criticism. I highly recommend this book to anyone who lacks their own arguments in discussions about art and would like to learn how to analyse it more professionally.

I learned so much from this book. It’s really one that you could take your time and digest. I especially enjoyed the example artwork toward then end with the biography about the artists. It’s so interesting to learn where these amazing pieces of art came from. This is a great introduction to artistic elements and will definitely be a great reference to anybody getting started in this field.
Thank you for the eARC! I learned so much!

Part One of this concise book gives you an ultra-condensed art history and the elements by which to consider an artist’s offering, sweeping the vast plain from stone age to early 20thC in a few paragraphs. It remains in the realm of “safe” or buzzword artists, from Leonardo da Vinci to Damien Hirst.

Examples given are many, however, firmly weighted towards the early 20th C and onward.
There are no critical voices offered, the views are merely descriptive.
The “Consider this” inserts could be an interesting way for the reader/viewer to question their approach, but sadly they do come across as mildly patronising.

The second part - interpreting 30 individual artworks - fared better in my esteem, although it is a shame that the whole artworld up to the year 1900 is crammed into just 13 artworks out of those 30. Where are the Minoan and Roman artists, the Greek artists, where the medieval painters and sculptors, the Byzantine artists? Rococo is missing entirely. No historism or Victorian genre painting, no Neo-Classicism, no Biedermeier.
Again, a whiff of quota-filling (gotta have a lot of female artists (15 out of 30!) and at least one representative of non-Western art) and dealing mostly with the usual suspects.

Having said all that, in general I enjoyed the info on the artists and the interpretation of the artworks.

“Art is anything you can get away with”, a quote by Andy Warhol.
Never a truer word…

Breaking down the visual elements of art and using them to discuss art historical works are a big part of my curriculum. This book is written and designed in such a way that it is easy to digest for those who may not be as well-versed in the terminology and are just beginning their journey exploring Art History. I found the layout helpful where it isn't just pages of text, which can be intimidating for a lot of my students. As someone who already knows about a lot of the facts and elements mentioned in the book, I did find some of the facts repetitive from other books and didn't find a lot of new material compared to the rest. However, I still found it refreshing and I will be recommending this as an intro book to students who want to further their journey looking at Art History outside of my class.

The Elements of Art by Susie Hodge is an excellent introduction to art interpretation for those new to the subject. The first section breaks down the key elements to consider and these are then put into practice in the second section with look at specific works of art of all types. I found it very interesting, very easy to follow and the illustrations are beautiful. An excellent reference work to come back to again and again.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

Sumptuously stunning in its presentation of magnificent, lush, full-color art masterpieces and equally rich in succulent bite-sized educational content worthy of a lifetime of art history and appreciation classes compressed into easily understandable and accessible content, Susie Hodge’s “The Elements of Art—Ten Ways to Decode the Masterpieces,” is a triumph of functionality that embraces and demystifies the variances of aesthetic forms.

Hodges broadens readers’ horizons and imaginations beyond the core artistic fundamentals of line, shape, color, value, form, texture and the spaces that creative works exhibit by forcing viewers to become emotionally invested in each work that they evaluate.

She looks at classical art masterpieces throughout the ages and dissects them according to additional elements that offer a more personal reflection of the artist’s vision for that particular work: project scale/size; palette choices/colors selected; light and darkness (chiaroscuro); movement and flow; medium (oil, acrylic, marble, bronze, wood, etc.); technique (pointillism, photorealistic, impressionistic, etc.); content (what’s included with focal subject); location (place); time; and the artist.

Via those aspects Hodges’ encourages art connoisseurs, and wanna bees, to delve deeper into each art subject by considering each of these unique characteristics.

She asks viewers to think about why the artist chose a particular medium and material to use? Why did they use a particular composition and the included elements in the work? Why was the place chosen? Is there symbolism inherent in the art piece that an untrained person may not recognize?

These are all fabulous techniques for exploring the dynamic nature of art while broadening one’s understanding, perspective, and artistic vision—all critical elements in the educational process.

I love this gorgeous book because it challenges us to explore art beyond its framework and pushes us beyond own limitless understanding—past any of our pre-conceived boundaries, so that we can become one with art in a fully immersive manner.

JoyReaderGirl1 graciously thanks NetGalley, Author Susie Hodges, and Quarto Publishing for this advanced reader’s copy (ARC) for review.

Susie Hodge has written a number of books about museums and art. I have found all of the ones that I have read to be interesting and informative. That is again the case here with Ms. Hodge again sharing her insights and ways of looking at things.

This title is well organized. There are ten elements of art explored in these pages. These include scale, colour, light, movement, medium, technique, content, location, time and, the artist. After explaining each of these in a clear way, Hodge moves on to explore a number of paintings. Just some of these works are The Arnolfini Portrait (van Eyck), The Serenade (Judith Lester), The Monk by the Sea (Caspar David Fridrich), Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Katushika Hokusai), The Starry Night (Vincent Van Gogh), and Guernica (Pablo Picasso). There are too many to list but all are engaging and worth a look.

There are works here that readers will recognize and look at anew and those that will be getting a first glance. In each case, it is terrific to read what Hodge has to say.

Highly recommended to art lover experienced and un. Note the many gorgeous reproductions as the pages turn.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

This is a must-have resource! It is full of great ways to learn more about and appreciate art. This is one I'll return to again and again. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.