Pablo Picasso (Artists in Their Time)

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–McNeese does a wonderful job of describing these men's lives and, more importantly, the times in which they lived. Like most biographies, the books follow their subjects from birth to death, filling in the names, dates, and faces along the way, but McNeese mainly discusses the men in terms of their art. However, because of the cultural influence of both Picasso and Dali, the author shows how they were both the products of the past and creators of the future. Throughout the texts, the artists cross paths with one another and with various other artists, writers, and political and cultural figures. Picasso includes representative pictures from each phase of the artist's career; Dali is woefully short on sample paintings. Nonetheless, both titles are expertly researched and concise introductions to two of the world's greatest artistic visionaries.–Steev Baker, Kewaskum Public Library, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an alternate Library Binding edition.

From Booklist

Reviewed with Andrea Bassil's Vincent van Gogh.Gr. 4-8. Titles in the new Lives of the Artists series offer an attractive introduction to their subjects. In spreads that combine text and images in a format reminiscent of DK titles, the books combine chronological biographies with cultural history that introduces the artists' influences and contemporaries and also explains the major artistic movements of the times. Both titles are concise and straightforward, and there's no sensationalizing: Van Gogh's famous ear injury is only mentioned in a brief, matter-of-fact note. The interesting mix of photos and art is the biggest attraction. Picasso, for instance, includes remarkably accomplished sketches and paintings from the artist's childhood and adolescence; Van Gogh features one of the artist's famous letters to his brother in the artist's handwriting and illustrated with a beautiful sketch. Researchers will probably need to consult additional resources for reports, but these titles offer solid, intriguing overviews of the artists, their work, and their legacies. Back matter includes a glossary but no suggested reading. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an alternate Library Binding edition.