Discover Her Art: Women Artists and Their Masterpieces

by Jean Leibowitz, Lisa Jean LaBanca Rogers

Discover Her Art invites young art lovers and artists to learn about painting through the lives and masterpieces of 24 women from the 16th to the 20th century.
 
In each chapter, readers arrive at a masterwork, explore it with an artist’s eye, and learn about the painter's remarkable life and the inspirations behind her work. Young artists will discover how these 24 amazing women used composition, color, value, shape, and line in paintings that range from highly realistic to fully abstract. Hands-on exercises encourage readers to create their own art!

Whether you love to make art or just look at it, you will enjoy discovering the great work of these women artists.
 

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Middle Grade, Art History, Childrens, Biography Memoir

208 pages, Paperback

Published March 1, 2022

Reviews

[Sarah French · Rating 5 out of 5]

Art books hold a very special place in my heart, as someone who has been an avid art history buff since 6th grade, and holds BA in Art and Art History. This book does not disappoint. A wide range of artists and styles are represented. Where the text shines is in the accessible, informative, and interesting way that it asks the reader to examine the art. Each chapter explores composition and design elements which do an excellent job at teaching the young reader about important art terms and concepts. And if that wasn't enough, the history of each artist is well-researched and provides vivid context about each artist's life and the time period in which they lived. Activities at the end of the book provide a jumping-off point for budding artists. There is a lot going on in this book, but it isn't overwhelming. It is well-organized and clear. I just wish that I had this book as a child, but I'll settle for buying it for my daughter. A must-purchase for most library collections.

Pub date 2-22-22
Chicago Review Press

Thank you to Edelweiss+ for this digital review copy.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

*A copy of this book was provided by Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine going to a museum and having a knowledgeable friend guide you through the paintings, telling you why this painting is so spectacular, explaining the composition, colour, biography of the painter...that is exactly this book, and I need more.

Highlighting 24 artists with different styles, subjects, countries, from baroque painters like Artemisia Gentileschi, portraits from Adelaide Labille-Guiard to modern abstract artists like Joan Mitchell, this book explores the many women painters that were overlooked by history. I’m glad to see some WOC included in this book, like Amrita Sher-Gil, Yuki Ogura and Angel de Cora. Most of the artists I’ve never heard, but remember seeing their famous paintings. It is great to finally understand the painting, and the person behind it.

The author introduces each artist with a painting that best encapsulates the artist’s style and preferred subject, often extremely breathtaking and referenced in the rest of the chapter. She then dissects the painting, describing it from *arrival*, when you first see the painting and then *exploration*, inviting readers to ponder the why’s and how’s, guiding them slowly and engaging them in viewing art critically. The chapter ends with a biography about the artists, how they started painting, the society at that time, their progressions and challenges with art. Reading this, I felt like I was transported to an art museum, something I’ve longed for in the past 2 years in the pandemic.

Aside from that, a portion of this book is meant to teach the readers to create art. It encourages you to pick up a pencil, ruler and paper, and identify composition, contrast, value from the paintings, and perhaps, become a successful painter of this time.

Through this book, I’ve found some paintings that I love an admire, and might study from, such as Rachel Ruysch’s Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop and Maria Leontina’s Natureza Morta. Either way, this is great book for those who want to get into art but are intimidated by it, lovers of art history and books to give to little aspiring artists.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! While it's meant for kids (I'd say middle school and up), it's written in a way that doesn't over-simplify or talk down to the reader, and there weren't many bits that gave away the intended audience. The text features 24 women artists from the 16th-20th centuries, and I liked the way each section was set up: we are introduced to a specific work by each artist, with a first impression on to picking out certain things about it - composition, color and other design elements, symbolism, etc. We get an overview of the artist's life, influences, and time period lived in, and how all this affected the work in question. I learned quite a few things, both about the artists (some I was familiar with, some were new to me) and about art itself, such as terms and recognizing the elements of a painting. This is a great book for school libraries and art classes, and I'd recommend it for adults as well!

[I Trump · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is set up in such an appealing way. The introduction sets up readers with the right vocabulary, so they know what to look for. For example, the intro explores composition and color in some depth, which is then referred to in subsequent paintings. Part I is classic and realistic paintings, and Part II is modern painting. I only knew 3 of the 24 diverse artists featured, which made me realize how important a book like this is for young readers and artists from all backgrounds (and for me too). Each artist has a painting, and then information is provided about her and her work. There are also related and engaging activities for young artists to do interspersed in the pages. The information is presented in an accessible way. It's not visually overwhelming yet there's an appropriate amount of information. It's such a wonderful book! I bought one copy for my 5th and 6th grade students, and also for 2 art teachers at my school.

[Sesana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic primer on art critique for young readers. Leibowitz profiles 24 works of art and their artists, and does so in a way that's accessible for middle grade and YA readers without talking down to them. Each artwork gets a couple of pages of analysis, guiding readers through a few highlights of composition, color, etc., followed by a few pages of artist biography. Most of the artists chosen are going to be new to the target audience, and many of them were entirely new to me, somebody who's been reading collected biographies of women for years. There's Artemisia Gentileschi, of course, but there's also Angel de Cora, Amrita Sher-Gil, and Yuki Ogura. No Frida Kahlo, surprisingly, though I was delighted to see my long-time favorite, Rosa Bonheur. For many of the young readers of this book, this will be their first taste of in-depth art critique, and it's a great start.

[Amberlea Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I'd had this book when I first started learning about art history in highschool, and then later when I studied the subject in university! It's shocking how these incredible women artists were left out of the male-dominated narrative. This book does an incredible job of highlighting the important contributions these women made to art history. A much needed resource for anyone interested in learning about art history. Well-written and interesting! Highly recommended.

[VvTired (Lauren) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Each artist only gets one piece of art shown which I just think is too limiting in actually learning from and about each artist. I would have appreciated a bit more imagery, because as it is now it makes the artists feel pretty insignificant.

[Cathy Mealey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening exploration of 24 talented women who have masterworks that will be appreciated and celebrated anew!

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about women artist. Give just enough details that makes the reader want to do further research. Will be adding to be elementary classroom bookshelf!