Art: The Whole Story

For artists, tattooers, and collectors who want stronger visual judgment, Art: The Whole Story is a serious reference—an accessible, image-led history of world art that helps you place styles, movements, and techniques in context.

Written by an international team of artists, art historians, and curators, this updated edition traces the development of art period by period with clear explanations across every major genre—from painting and sculpture to conceptual and performance art. Cultural timelines help you understand not just what changed, but when and why.

Key masterpieces are highlighted and discussed in detail, unpacking choices like color, composition, symbolism, and technical innovation—so you build a better eye for how images work. Highlights include Mughal miniatures, nineteenth-century Japanese prints, the color theory behind Seurat’s La Grande Jatte, and why Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon shocked its time.

• Best for: building context, taste, and historical reference
• What you get: a highly illustrated overview plus deeper reads of landmark works
• Why it matters: stronger interpretation, better decisions, and a wider visual vocabulary

Contributors

• Stephen Farthing
• Richard Cork

Book details

• Title: Art: The Whole Story
• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• Pages: 576
• Illustrations: 1,405 color illustrations
• Size: 17.8 × 25.1 × 4.3 cm (7 × 9.9 × 1.7 in)