The Informed Eye: Understanding Masterpieces of Western Art - Hardcover

Bruce Cole is Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts, Professor of Comparative Literature, and chairman of the Department of the History of Art at Indiana University. He has written widely on Italian Renaissance art, and his many books include The Renaissance Artist at Work and, most recently, Titian and Venetian Painting.

In Vaizey's Art: The Critics' Choice, art historians have selected their favorite works of Western art or those they deem the most influential from Antiquity through the present. Concise overviews of each period provide a good introduction for the novice and a handy brush-up for those familiar with the material. As with any personal "best of" listing, there's bound to be arguments over the merits of what was selected and what omitted. In general, however, most of the icons of Western art are presentAit's only when the authors move into the later 20th century that the choices become debatable. In contrast, Cole's The Informed Eye is the focused aesthetic opinion of a single art historian. Covering roughly the same time period, Cole provides rough thumbnail sketches of artists' lives and the creation of their work, which he then places in the larger context of Western art history. Cole builds persuasive arguments for each "masterpiece" he selects; as in Vaizey's work, there are no major surprises. Both volumes are appropriate for newcomers to art history seeking a quick introduction as well as for more seasoned viewers in search of an aesthetic debate, and they complement each other stylistically: Cole's train of thought is more coherent, while Vaizey's book presents more color illustrations in a larger format. Recommended particularly for public libraries with an interest in art and architecture.AMartin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, DC
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