Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Being an art lover but not an artist, I've read quite a few comprehensive books on art and it's a fact that most of them tend to be a little over-descriptive and drab. Their argument of being a proper document for art lovers/artists stands true but more books like this one by Chloe Ashby are very welcome. This is one of the 'cooler' books on art - described in a thoughtfully casual narration for all kinds of readers.
I loved the collection of artworks in this book - not all usuals, quite a few surprises and funny ones. It doesn't matter that it is the author's choice and doesn't go by the so-called norms of 'masterpieces'.
I had a digital copy from Netgalley, so couldn't appreciate the photos like in the hardcover, but I'd like to buy a copy someday soon.

Look at This If You Love Great Art: 100 Essential Artworks That Really Matter by Chloë Ashby
Format: Hardback, 224 Pages
ISBN: 9780711256064
Publisher: Ivy Press
Series: If You Love

Art is always a great consolation. In love, in malaise, in tragedy, in comedy.

This book contains 100 pieces of paintings, sculptures, and art installations with a short description, analysis, some interesting information about the artist, and an important endnote coaxing the onlooker to look more closely. Taking time to pause and channel the artist's inner workings along with your own feelings about the art. If you are just a beginner in art history and want to know more about myriad art movements this book is a nice start.
What set this collection by Chlöe Ashby for me was the accompanying tips about what to read next, where to visit more of that particular artist's art, what movie to watch or song to listen to, and what other artists should you try if you find a particular piece interesting. For someone like me who experiences moments of synesthesia from time to time (this is not a self-diagnosis but I do have moments of strong associations from two senses), this particular panel of curious suggestions pulled the book to a higher stratum in books about art.
The author juxtaposes Egon Schiele's The Scornful Woman with Medea by Euripides and the movie Gone Girl. Those are nifty little suggestions for the "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" theme. Similarly, Schubert's music follows Mark Rothko and David Hockney's groundbreaking work is in conjunction with Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous.
This concatenation of ancient paintings with other cultural media from modern times and vice versa goes to show the timeless nature of evocation that art inspires in human nature. You can appreciate Greek pottery along with a contemporary movie and feel a richer satisfaction than appreciating them in different mental spaces. That is what I have taken as a lesson from this lovely book which was provided by Netgalley as an ARC for review.

Art books are my weakness, I have so many yet I always feel like I should definitely add to my collection 😂

This one was great because it brought so many different artists together under the one roof and that is unusual as normally I find most art books like this, in this price bracket, only focus on one art style at a time, so it was wonderful getting to enjoy so many different styles in one go.

The author picked such great pieces to discuss in the book and I really enjoyed learning about the artists that I hasn’t heard of before as well.

Definitely a fun one to have out as a coffee table book too as it’s one that so many people would enjoy browsing through.

Here the blurb...
“Look At This If You Love Great Art is a must read for anyone with a passion for exceptional art. Featuring 100 of the best artworks ever produced, inside is a collection of insightful summaries on just what it is that makes each one so vital.

Art writer Chloë Ashby talks you through the pieces that resonate with her, revealing the fascinating stories behind them and offering her considered take on why each work should be regarded as a pinnacle of artistic endeavour. With entries curated to offer a unique juxtaposition of styles, mediums and schools of art, expect a contemporary take on classic artworks, where titans of art history cross paths with under-appreciated examples from outside the traditional canon, and where rebellious visionaries blaze trails that still influence today’s cutting-edge artists.

Covering all the most important genres of art –Abstraction, Pop Art, Surrealism, Renaissance art, Impressionism and more – this engaging summary only deals with artworks that really matter and the reasons why you have to see them.”

ARC from Netgalley✨

An interesting book. Obviously written with the author in mind (their choices). As an individual you may not agree with their choices but as you read you can understand why they made them.

Although somewhat expected, still a very Euro-centric selection of artworks. I did enjoy seeing artworks that aren't the best-known to the general public however and appreciated the author in acknowledging the troubling colonial gaze of certain artists.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

4/5 - Really liked it.

I don't consider myself an art expert, but I do love great art. I've been lucky to live all over the world and have seen my fair share of masterpieces - in breathless moments of adoration at the Tretyakovskaya Gallery or the Louvre, or simpler but more intimate encounters in cobblestoned art shops tucked into a more quiet part of the world.

Reading this book felt like encountering both. Ashby takes the reader on a carefully curated tour of some of the world's greatest art. She covers everything from the magnificent and splendid to the overlooked, with careful attention to female and non-Western artists, as well as less-known paintings by the commonly acknowledged "greats." Each painting is accompanied with a synopsis which highlights its history, cultural relevance, or details a viewer might miss. I especially enjoyed being exposed to art I might normally have overlooked. There are also recommendations for other artists, as well as similar music or reading material. To be honest, these recommendations were a little hit-or-miss for me (for example, when Life of Pi was recommended for lovers of Michelangelo's David - that felt like a stretch). But others are delightful - listening to the "Boogie Woogie Prayer" while looking at Piet Mondrian's "Broadway Boogie Woogie" made me appreciate the painting like never before.

Overall, I think this is a great book both for experts of art and casual fans. This is a book I can see myself coming back to frequently.

Elephant-in-the-room thing first: list books are always going to include things that the reader doesn't agree with, there will always be the question of why did the author include that/not include this? Lists are subjective, just put on your big kid pants and don't take it as a personal affront, okay?
Having said that, I didn't feel like Ashby was presenting these works as anything but her personal choices, she set that up pretty well in her introduction. Also, I never found her tone patronizing, or falling into that annoying "you must feel as I feel, for I am the expert" thing- I found Ashby's tone very inviting and inclusive. I liked the way this book is set up- ten chapters of ten works of art, each chapter being tied together by a theme rather than an art movement or time period, which was a fun way to experience the works. Each piece came with a side bar with suggestions of complimentary books, movies, books/short stories/essays, music, or other artworks to compare and contrast, as well as suggested artists to look up if the artist in question tickled your fancy. I appreciated Ashby's efforts to include artists that weren't white dudes- they're in there, of course, but they aren't the only aren't the only artists featured. I learned some really interesting tidbits about art, looked at familiar works with a new eye, and met some new-to-me artists, and isn't that the goal of a book like this? There were pieces I didn't care for, and that's fine with me- art is for everyone, not just people with my tastes. It was still interesting seeing these works, and learning why they're considered important. Overall, I greatly enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone wanting to take an imaginary art tour.

#LookAtThisIfYouLoveGreatArt #NetGalley

Whether you are already an art lover or just beginning to explore the genre this book is an easy to follow look at some of the worlds greatest painters. Chloe Ashby does a great job of selecting a variety of artists and styles to look into. Both modern art and earlier subjects are depicted to give you a glimpse into how extensive the art world can be. I enjoyed the layout immensely and appreciated the quick and to the point summaries of each piece and artist. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a short dive into painting and sculpture.

Look At This If You Love Great Art is an amazing reference book compiled of the greatest art pieces throughout history. It includes most famous works of art in every time period and style. With every work of Art, an in depth look into the history and meaning of the artwork is provided, as well as the artists bio, places to visit, reading materials, and similar artist recommendations. I loved reading about all of my favorite works of art and Look At This If You Love Great Art not only expanded my knowledge of the art and the artist, but provided me with more resources to read and places to discover.

No matter if you’re obsessed with art museums or you don’t know a Manet from Monet or if you think your 4 year old nephew could do the same thing, you 👏🏼 will 👏🏼 like 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 book. 👏🏼

This book chooses one piece from 100 of the most iconic artists and shows you exactly why these works are so amazing. Each page features gorgeous pictures of the art work and a quick rundown of notable things about the artist and the piece. To go beyond that, there are also sidebars on each page to give you movie, book, artist, music, and museum recommendations based on each work. So extra!!

The absolute best thing about this book is the amount of FEMALE artists! When you’re used to reading the same old, same old in art history books about male European masters, this book is a complete breath of fresh air. I learned about some women that I’d never even heard of before that I’m for sure looking more into. A third of this book is made up of females, which is still too small a percentage, but when it’s usually closer to 5%, you notice the jump!

This book is super accessible for any art lover level and doesn’t come across as snooty. You’ve got your big name artists as well as lesser known folks too, from the Renaissance to current artists.

Bottom line: If this is sitting on your coffee table, you’re going to look all bougie and cultured. Plus if you read up on this before your next museum trip, you will for sure impress your partner. And isn’t that our main goal in life?

I thought it would be fun to see how many pieces of art in this book were the featured art in Animal Crossing New Horizons.

1 of the 13 statues from ACNH is in this collections (not a surprise that it is Michelangelo's David), and 4 of the 29 (30 for the folding screen's two sides...) paintings. Just some trivia my mind needed to know after coming across one of the paintings.

Anyway, this is a solid book for those with an interest in art. My interest is very novice level, I like looking at nice art, I like going to museums, but I don't know anything about art history outside of what I've learnt from pop culture. Links to other resources for each piece of art was really novel and was a great addition to the book.

This would be a lovely coffee table book to give or receive as a present for anyone who has a little interest in art.

I am upset at myself that I didn't know this was a series of books, and hope to get to read the others once I'm able to request books from my library again...

A brilliant starting point and introduction to art. This is a great book for those new to art or simply curious, but not really for anyone with a strong knowledge of art looking to expand their knowledge. I would recommend this book.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

This book contains art from an amazing range of artists, time periods and styles, from the traditional white male canon such as van Gogh, Monet, Lowry and Degas to lesser-known female and BAME artists such as Carington, , Kauffman, Kasuma and Himid. I came across old favourites and new artists to explore. I loved the side panels with suggestions of places to visit, books and music that link to the artist and painting and similar artists. The book is organised into interesting categories. The commentary on the art is insightful without becoming pretentious. I read a free digital advance copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review, but this is a book that I will be purchasing to go back to again and again.

This is one of the few art books I have ever read that could work well for people who know nothing about art and a lot about art.
I have visited many art museums (before Covid), and have been lucky to have seen some of the works in the book (or other works by the same artist).
The text is straight forward, filled with info. Like the store function, when you buy something "you might like...", Chloe does with artists, which I think is really great to get to know similar artists. Easy beautiful read. I recommend it :).

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The title of this book says it all.

Reading this book made my heart soar. I got no further than page 25 in my digital review copy, (the page depicts a strangely unsettling Mark Rothko), before I found myself moving to Amazon to purchase my own hardback copy (on pre-order as it will be published Apr 6, 2021).

This book is absolutely sublime and I need to view it, repeatedly. ❤️

Structured unlike any art book I have ever seen before, in a way that instantly resonated deeply with me, the author takes us through a soul-stirring examination of 100 pieces of art - not all of them classically beautiful but each of them destined to touch you in some way - arranged by unique and interesting thematic chapters including: emotional rollercoasters, nakedness, pushing the boundaries, mythical creatures, dreams, and the ordinary made extraordinary. (There are more but I have to leave some for you to discover!)

Not only does each page contain a beautifully rendered photograph of each piece of art discussed, but the author has done a phenomenal job of curating the pieces displayed into the themes, as well annotating each with additional material, including: where to find the piece, more information on each artwork, and (my favorite) other literary or artworks similar conceptually.

I have never enjoyed an art book more, lingering over each page and almost reluctant to turn to the next one, so wanting the experience to continue. I found myself learning about artists I knew nothing, (or very little) about, appreciating their work in a way I have not, and most of all, just living through the art, in the moment, - really luxuriating in each piece - and letting the authors guidance inform it.

A huge thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advance review copy of this beautiful book. All thoughts presented are my own.

While this book had many really lovely works of art, the commentary and the selection of pieces was just too tinged with Ashby's ideology to be good art criticism. While it is wonderful to give attention to the many fine women artists through the centuries, all too often the author's commentaries seemed more designed to give her woke opinion than actually to talk about the work as a piece of art, At times this tendency turned the short essays accompanying each work into writing that was tangential to the work and did not illuminate the art or the artist.

I have never studied art but I have always enjoyed looking at great images. I loved this book as it not only gives a description of the imagery contained in every painting but also because the eBook gives links to further information. Each page has an 'If you like this then:- See This, Visit This, Read This, Watch This, Listen to This, Like This Then Try." Each link allows you to deepen your knowledge and experience more from the Artist.

I was struck by the quote from Camille Claudel "I am as mysterious to myself as I am to others" as this was the way I thought about Art. This book helps to take away some of the mystery and allows the reader to grow.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free review copy in return for an honest review.

Like all the Quarto books, it is a great picture book. It contains 100 great pieces of art; with explaination on side panels.
It has wonderful and fascinating pieces of art ranging from modern to stone sculptures.
Most of the artworks are less known and interesting.
Captions accompanying each piece is also well researched and intriguing.
A wonderful picture book. Highly recommended.

Art is subjective. These examples of different art work should make you feel something. My favorite part of the book is the author gives you names of other artists, you may not know about, if you like a certain work of art. I enjoyed looking at the pictures and finding out more about each work of art and the artist.