A Guide to the Understanding of Painting

It is the purpose of this book to suggest ways of looking at paintings in order to understand them and derive enjoyment from them. Enjoyment refers to the pleasure which paintings give to the eye, while understanding rewards us with knowledge of how artists have expressed their own natures, their view of the world, and how they have gone about creating their ever changing, fascinating imagery. The author discusses and compares paintings by different artists, from different countries, and from every period, and in doing so explains the various factors, circumstances, and aims that go to their making. Throughout the book, these comparisons are illuminated and given further point by the plates.