Art is… - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

What is art? This engaging book from The Metropolitan Museum of Art offers nearly 200 illustrated answers to that question, all presented in simple, concise observations about selected works in the Museum’s collection. For example, a Nigerian mask is symmetry, a Van Gogh still life is composition, a Babylonian lion is fierce, a Duccio portrait is tender. Some of the statements speak to technique, while others are descriptive or evocative. All are simple reflections that encourage readers to observe, to think, to debate, and to develop their own definitions of art. Reaching across all periods and media, from ancient statues to medieval tapestries to Baroque instruments to Impressionist painti...Read more