Thank you NetGalley!

This offers readers a behind the scenes. What truly sets "Making A Masterpiece" apart is its ability to make art accessible to readers of all backgrounds. Mancoff's writing style is engaging and approachable, guiding readers through complex artistic concepts with ease. Whether you're an art enthusiast or a novice, you'll find yourself comfortably immersed in the pages of this book. The author also offers a sense of intimacy with the artists themselves. Through research and storytelling, readers gain a deeper understanding of the lives and motivations behind the art, adding layers of richness to their appreciation.

This is perhaps one of the lighter-weight art appreciation books, but once you know and accept that no purchase will exactly be regretted. The aim is to convey the fact that the paintings included are masterpieces, and to explain not exactly how we might go about creating our own, or how we might instantly recognise a true masterpiece (for the simple reason that it's not to us to decide, for one), but how these may have gained that title. So with van Gogh's sunflowers it is the fact he made so many paintings, and several copies thereof, and they caught the colour of warmth and success he sought and struck a chord. With "Guernica" it is Picasso's scale and sense of drama, as well as the modernist Expo pavilion it was placed in, just as much as the event that inspired it. With Hokusai's "Great Wave" it's not only how he designed what he did, but the iconography in it, and the public response. These artworks are fine, but even the likes of "Mona Lisa" are reduced without any audience for them.

Yes, we have a selection of nice and short essays regarding some obvious world-beaters here, and no end of works left for a sequel. From the short contents page here you might erroneously imply that only two Dutch artists have made masterpieces, and that no Brits ever have. Dali? Absent. Monet? Too wet. Sculpture? Redundant. And I won't be the only person taking issue with some of the choices – the Klimt here would not exceed "The Kiss" in my estimation, even if the renown from its personal history is definitely part of the making of the chosen work. Of all the Kahlo pieces I might name were I to think hard enough, apparently her masterpiece is one I'd never seen nor heard of. Oh, and the last choice here is a risible one indeed.

But this is still a pretty fine book. The concision allows for discussion of who the artist is and what they were all about, how the artwork came to be and what it might mean (if anything) and, again, how the acclaim or perhaps otherwise boosted it to sine qua non status. "American Gothic" is so recognisable, but initial responses veered between admiration, and disgust at a perceived piss-take of the kind of people shown.

Like I say, don't come here for the most precious and in-depth look at anything, and even something as restrictive as the Western art canon is barely touched on here. But I didn't regret time with this book one minute, for the light and enjoyable way it showed us classic pieces of painting and printwork, and included in all the stories the acceptance and approval of the public, and the many diverse ways the 'masterpiece' consensus was formed. I mean, it's no masterpiece itself, but it's great fun to peruse.

Great book which gave me such an insight into the art world.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read an advance copy of this book.

Good discussion of several paintings, most widely acknowledged to be masterpieces. But with too much emphasis on 20th and 21st Century works, the jury is still out on this designation.

I don’t know much about art, nor am I overly interested in visiting galleries, but this book engaged me from start to finish. I learned so much and the author did a great job of making the art interesting.

Debra Mencff is a well known art historian of 20 booksI
I was initially convinced that this book was going to be similar to every other artbook. However, I was wrong. The author uniquliy compared famous paintings to other works of art and I was intrigued. The image is the comparison of Botticulli’s ‘The Birth of Venius’ to other works of art. Warhol created a silk screen print which focused mainly on Venus's face. Warhol’s piece uses vivid colors, compared to the more realistic color pallet used by Bottiiculli. The most amazing masterpiece was dress designer Thierry Mugler who created a gown that is also the most gorgeous gown that mimics the masterpiece. The breathtaking gown made an apperance at the 2019 Grammy AWards.

The author travels through time with ‘The Birth of Venus’ to a portrait of Michelle Obama. The book is more than a study of artwork, each image is accompanied with a vast amount of information. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I could see myself reading the book more than once.
Thank you Debra Mancoff, Frances Lincoln, and NetGalley for the privilege of reading and reviewing this book.

The history of art is a subject I want to know more about but rarely take the time to explore further. Books such as this one can be a good compromise. Making A Masterpiece focuses on 12 influential and generally well-known artists from different eras of art history. Each chapter is dedicated to a specific highly acclaimed art piece, presenting partly the biographical details of the artist and some technical and conceptual ideas behind the work itself. I liked that the chosen paintings combine the very obvious ones (such as Mona Lisa) with more specific ones (Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald). Similarly, I appreciated the space the book gave to female artists that are many times omitted from similar publications.

I read this ARC for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

I was intrigued by this
Well researched and although I thought I knew a lot about the various subjects within the book I still learned loads

A great read

As a relative newcomer to understanding art, Debra has made a very engaging book which not only covers the masterpiece itself but gives an insight into its effect on culture and other artists. I came away feeling like I had a much greater understanding and appreciation, and would make me feel more confident about going and exploring galleries and art in general.

Making a Masterpiece is a fascinating examination of 12 famous works from Botticelli's Birth of Venus c.1485 through to Amy Sherald's portrait of Michelle Obama.

I found her in-depth analysis thought provoking and very interesting and thoroughly enjoyed the book.

I would recommend the book to any art lover who is interested to know more about the fascinating stories that lie behind these famous works of art.

5/5 stars

In Making A Masterpiece the author delivers exactly what she promises, it's the story of different iconic artworks and what made them standout and become so famous and well known. To that end we are taken on a journey through the artist's career, the situations around the creation of the work and what events propeled the work into recognition. The author also shows the impact that these masterpieces have had on the collective consciousness and other works they have inspired.

I enjoyed this book, it was easy to read and understand. I learned a lot of facts I didn't know about these paintings that I have seen over and over again. While I read this as a digital ARC I still think that the formatting of the book is very nice, I personally liked the close ups to the artworks, and I would love to own it in print.

Debra Mancoff is an engaging writer who has the ability to introduce select artworks to a curious audience and provide in depth analysis with a wealth of images to enjoy.
Making a Masterpiece features twelve artworks from a diverse set of artists across time, gender and race.
The reader will no doubt recognise some of the artworks, but will gain in-depth knowlege from various perspectives, An enjoyable, illuminating read,

Debra Mancoff is an art historian and prolific writer - Making a Masterpiece is the latest in a line of more than 20 wide ranging art history books and, in my opinion (having admittedly not read all of the others) it would be an excellent first choice. Mancoff examines twelve iconic works, starting with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and ending up with Amy Sherald’s amazing portrait of Michelle Obama. For each work she provides context about both the artist and the work, including images of the painting detail and other works which inspired the author or which were influenced by the painting. For example, when discussing Sherald’s work, Mancoff shows us a portrait of Harriet Tubman in a similar pose, detail of one of the famous Gee’s Bend quilts whose design is incorporated into Obama’s gown, the photograph of Obama posing for the portrait, and the photo that went viral of a 2-year-old girl gazing in awe in front of the portrait.

I list these examples to emphasize Mancoff’s style, which is thoroughly grounded in research but also refreshingly free of the stereotypical “art speak” that turns some people off. The approach is sophisticated but not stuffy, full of love and respect for the works without trying too hard to convince. I have been teaching arts appreciation for over 20 years, and I learned new things from this book. I recommend it for anyone who wants to go deeper into familiar works.

*Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this advance reader’s copy I received in exchange for my honest review.*

Most art lovers and art historians have their own beliefs on which artworks can be viewed as masterpieces. Author Debra N. Mancoff chooses 12 paintings as masterpieces, and with each provides a detailed profile on each. Of the 12, 7 are widely viewed as masterpieces in most college art history/art appreciation courses. Of the 12, only 5 truly grabbed my interest as they represented a time period I enjoy or a person I admire (portrait of Michelle Obama).

Two aspects that struck me:
1. the fact that the author refers to the renewed interest in female artists as being a sign of feminism, an assessment I disagree with -- it does not have to be a sign of feminism to want to shed renewed focus on female artists, but rather the desire to give a full picture of art history.
2. the difficulty of enjoying the images of the artworks, which makes it a little hard to appreciate the author's descriptions -- hopefully the book form will have a better layout than this ebook version.

Finally, I learned or was reminded that the couple in "American Gothic" was a real couple. Also, I particularly adored the image of the young child looking at the portrait of Michelle Obama with such apparent wonder. It is a testament to the impact of art, and how it can fully encompass us.

I'm not sure I agree with the author's choice of masterpieces, but I will say she does justice to each one she chose. That makes it a worthwhile read.

Making A Masterpiece is a truly fascinating and in depth look at the meaning and stories behind the works of art we know as "masterpieces." I am not well versed in art history so this was all new knowledge to me but proved to be incredibly interesting. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Beginning with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, we travel through time and a range of styles and stories – including theft, scandal, artistic reputation, politics and power – to Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans, challenging the idea of what a masterpiece can be, and arriving in the twenty-first century with Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama, a modern-day masterpiece still to be tested by time."

Making a Masterpiece features 12 artworks. The author discusses each artwork's history and inspiration, as well as its impact on popular culture. My favorite sections are Judith Beheading Holofernes and Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama. I put this book down with a deeper understanding of each artwork--more than what meets the eye! Lastly, the descriptions are "easily digestible", which makes this book perfect for beginners and expert art lovers.

Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing a copy of Making a Masterpiece!

A beautifully illustrated book both defining and questioning the definition of "masterpiece" as it applies to art. A surprisingly diverse and wide ranging sampling of artworks are highlighted. An educational, engaging and thought provoking book.

This lavishly illustrated title tells the stories behind twelve well-known artworks. The paintings include everything from Botticelli’s Birth of Venus to Amery Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama. Interestingly to me, many are paintings of or by women. There are the Mona Lisa, Judith Beheading Holofernes and Woman in Gold, for example.

Each featured art work is labeled a masterpiece, a term that is defined in this title’s introduction. The history of the word is also discussed. The author also talks about the current plurality in the art world and questions how masterpieces may (or may not) fit within this framework.

Each of these works is discussed in depth. Ways in which a given painting has influenced more contemporary artists is also included here. Read in any order and come away with a deeper understanding of these treasures.

Recommended for both the serious art historian and a reader who would like to take a deep dive into works with which they may already be familiar.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.