From Booklist
Reviewed with Mike Venezia's Winslow Homer.Gr. 1-3. These two titles in Venezia's long-running Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists series offer biographical information as well as some basic art history. In Diego Velazquez, for instance, children will learn that seventeenth-century patrons often relied on portraits to "show off [their] power and wealth," a fact that may help them better appreciate the lavish attire and glittery jewels on display in many of the artist's major works. Winslow Homer puts the engraver turned painter in context of the nineteenth-century art scene, contrasting his rustic, naturalistic style with the mannered classicism preferred by other painters of the day. The absence of a glossary and an index in the books may frustrate report writers, and statements such as "Winslow didn't care what critics thought" seem a bit bold without source citations. However, the unusually abundant full-color reproductions more than justify this series' longevity, as do Venezia's lighthearted cartoons, which foster welcome associations between "art appreciation" and "fun." Jennifer Mattson
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