Recommendations based on History of Artby H.W. Janson

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Art Through the Ages

    by Helen Gardner
    Comprehensive survey of art history, from prehistoric times to modern day. Includes analysis of major works and movements.

    The market-leading text for the art history survey course, GARDNER'S ART THROUGH THE AGES has served as a comprehensive and thoughtfully crafted guide to the defining phases of the world's artistic ... (Goodreads)

  2. Edvard Munch: 1863-1944

    by Ulrich Bischoff
    A comprehensive overview of the life and works of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch, known for his emotionally charged and expressionistic art.

    For Edvard Munch (1863-1944), painting was an act of self-liberation. His treatments of fear, desperation, and death still exert a powerful visual and psychological effect on modern viewers. Of all ... (Goodreads)

  3. Frida Kahlo: 1907-1954 Pain and Passion

    by Andrea Kettenmann
    A comprehensive biography of the iconic Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, exploring her life, art, and enduring legacy.

    Suffering and the female experience, The Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, (1907-1954) is one of the most important 20th century painters, and one of the few Latin American artists to have achieved a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. Ways of Seeing

    by John Berger
    A critical analysis of visual culture and how it shapes our perception of the world. It challenges traditional ways of seeing and encourages a new perspective.

    John Berger’s Classic Text on Art John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC ... (Goodreads)

  5. Vincent Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings

    by Rainer Metzger
    A comprehensive collection of Vincent Van Gogh's paintings, showcasing his unique style and artistic evolution.

    Van Gogh, who took up a variety of professions before becoming an artist, was a solitary, despairing and self-destructive man. This richly illustrated and expert study follows the artist from the ... (Goodreads)

  6. The New Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain

    by Betty Edwards
    Exploring creativity through the science of art, unlocking the power of the right side of the brain.

    When Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain was first published in 1979, it hit the New York Times bestseller list within two weeks and stayed there for more than a year. In 1989, when Dr. Betty ... (Goodreads)

  7. The Story of Art

    by E.H. Gombrich
    Comprehensive overview of art history, from prehistoric to modern times.

    The Story of Art, one of the most famous and popular books on art ever written, has been a world bestseller for over four decades. Attracted by the simplicity and clarity of his writing, readers of ... (Goodreads)

  8. Gustav Klimt: 1862-1918

    by Gilles Néret
    A comprehensive overview of Klimt's life, work, and influence on the art world.

    Cult of pleasure: Feminine sensuality by the Vienna Secession's greatest proponent Gustav Klimt's ornate, sensual, and decadent style made him not only the most prominent of the Vienna Secessionists ... (Goodreads)

  9. Concerning the Spiritual in Art

    by Wassily Kandinsky
    A philosophical examination of the spiritual and creative power of art.

    A pioneering work in the movement to free art from its traditional bonds to material reality, this book is one of the most important documents in the history of modern art. Written by the famous ... (Goodreads)

  10. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo

    by Hayden Herrera
    The story of a passionate, revolutionary and pioneering Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo.

    Hailed by readers and critics across the country, this engrossing biography of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo reveals a woman of extreme magnetism and originality, an artist whose sensual vibrancy came ... (Goodreads)

  11. Leonardo's Notebooks

    by Leonardo da Vinci
    A collection of writings and drawings exploring the mind of a genius inventor.

    Leonardo's Notebooks, is a biography of the genius in his own words, connecting moments of his life to artistic accomplishments through his writings, drawings, and intimate thoughts. Leonardo da ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils

    by David Bayles
    A guide for artists on how to overcome the fears and doubts that come with creating art and how to persevere through the creative process.

    "This is a book about making art. Ordinary art. Ordinary art means something like: all art not made by Mozart. After all, art is rarely made by Mozart-like people; essentially-statistically ... (Goodreads)

  13. Anatomy for the Artist

    by Jenő Barcsay
    Detailed illustrations and explanations of human anatomy for artists to improve their understanding and depiction of the human form.

    It’s the classic in its field—a reference work of unparalleled importance for all professionals and students of art. This superb art manual is the best guide available on a subject that has ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment

    by Eckhart Tolle
    A journey of self-transformation, learning to live in the present moment and liberate oneself.

    Eckhart Tolle's message is simple: living in the now is the truest path to happiness and enlightenment. And while this message may not seem stunningly original or fresh, Tolle's clear writing, ... (Goodreads)

  15. Imagine: How Creativity Works

    by Jonah Lehrer
    Exploring the science and psychology of creativity to understand how ideas are born and flourish.

    Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output? From the New ... (Goodreads)

  16. Dali

    by Robert Descharnes
    A comprehensive biography of the surrealist artist Salvador Dali, exploring his life, art, and eccentricities.

    This publication presents in 2 volumes in a box the entire painted oeuvre of Salvadore Dali (1904-1989). After many years of research, Robert Descharnes and Gilles Neret finally located all the ... (Goodreads)

  17. Art in Theory, 1900–2000: An Anthology of Changing Ideas

    by Charles Harrison
    A comprehensive collection of writings on art theory and criticism from the 20th century, exploring the evolution of artistic ideas and movements.

    This popular anthology of twentieth-century art theoretical texts has now been expanded to take account of new research, and to include significant contributions to art theory from the 1990s. New ... (Goodreads)

  18. History of Beauty

    by Umberto Eco
    An exploration of the concept of beauty throughout time, from antiquity to the present day.

    Umberto Eco’s groundbreaking and much-acclaimed first illustrated book has been a critical success since its first publication in 2004. What is beauty? Umberto Eco, among Italy’s finest and most ... (Goodreads)

  19. Van Gogh: The Life

    by Steven Naifeh
    A comprehensive biography of the renowned painter, exploring his life and legacy.

    Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith, who galvanized readers with their Pulitzer Prize–winning biography of Jackson Pollock, have written another tour de force—an exquisitely detailed, compellingly ... (Goodreads)

  20. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose

    by Eckhart Tolle
    A spiritual guide to finding peace and purpose in life, by transcending the ego.

    The highly anticipated follow-up to the 2,000,000 copy bestselling inspirational book, "The Power of Now" With his bestselling spiritual guide "The Power of Now," Eckhart Tolle inspired millions of ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Power of Intention: Learning to Co-create Your World Your Way

    by Wayne W. Dyer
    Exploring the power of intention to manifest and create the life of one's dreams.

    Intention is generally viewed as a pit-bull kind of determination propelling one to succeed at all costs by never giving up on an inner picture. In this view, an attitude that combines hard work with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. Andy Goldsworthy: A Collaboration with Nature

    by Andy Goldsworthy
    Exploring nature through art, and the beauty of the environment.

    Illustrates outdoor sculptures created with a range of natural materials, including snow, ice, leaves, rock, clay, stones, feathers, and twigs. ... (Goodreads)

  23. Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking

    by Marcella Hazan
    An exploration of Italian cuisine, featuring time-honored recipes and techniques.

    The most important, consulted, and enjoyed Italian cookbook of all time, from the woman who introduced Americans to a whole new world of Italian food. Essentials of Italian Cooking is a culinary ... (Goodreads)

  24. Nicholas and Alexandra

    by Robert K. Massie
    An epic saga about the last Tsar of Russia and the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

    The story of the love that ended an empire. In this commanding book, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Robert K. Massie sweeps readers back to the extraordinary world of Imperial Russia to tell the story ... (Goodreads)

  25. The I Ching or Book of Changes

    by Anonymous
    A set of ancient Chinese divination tools used to interpret the world and the future.

    The I Ching , or Book of Changes, is one of the 1st efforts of the human mind to place itself within the universe. It has exerted a living influence in China for 3000 years and interest in it has ... (Goodreads)

  26. Man and His Symbols

    by C.G. Jung
    An exploration of the collective unconscious, and its implications for self-realization.

    Man and His Symbols owes its existence to one of Jung's own dreams. The great psychologist dreamed that his work was understood by a wide public, rather than just by psychiatrists, and therefore he ... (Goodreads)

  27. On Photography

    by Susan Sontag
    Examination of the implications of photography and its effects on society.

    First published in 1973, this is a study of the force of photographic images which are continually inserted between experience and reality. Sontag develops further the concept of 'transparency'. When ... (Goodreads)

  28. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies

    by Jared Diamond
    Tracing the origins of human civilizations through the lens of geography, technology, and biology.

    "Diamond has written a book of remarkable scope ... one of the most important and readable works on the human past published in recent years." Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a national bestseller: ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Upanishads

    by Anonymous
    Exploration of ancient spiritual wisdom, seeking to answer the fundamental questions of human existence.

    The Upanishads, the earliest of which were composed in Sanskrit between 800 and 400 bce by sages and poets, form part of the Vedas - the sacred and ancient scriptures that are the basis of the Hindu ... (Goodreads)

  30. Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype

    by Clarissa Pinkola Estés
    An exploration of the Wild Woman archetype and the ways she has been repressed throughout history.

    Within every woman there is a wild and natural creature, a powerful force, filled with good instincts, passionate creativity, and ageless knowing. Her name is Wild Woman, but she is an endangered ... (Goodreads)