Book excerpt: The one book your family needs to understand the world of art. A beautiful, unusual and engaging compendium of art history, providing an accessible entree into the world of art for everyone, regardless of their experience. From cave paintings to the Renaissance, Impressionism to Pop Art, The Collins Big Book of Art takes you on a journey through the history of art in a delightful and informative way. With more than 1200 works of art represented, this is both a coffee– table book and an educational experience; cross–referenced throughout, and including the following sections and features: A Chronology spans the history of art, step by step, from 38,000 BC to the present. Pieces from around the world are juxtaposed to place them in historical context. Each is labelled with date, country, title, artist, materials, size and current location. In addition, each piece of art is tied to its movement and key themes, which are pursued in greater detail in the other sections of the book. Turning Points, interspersed throughout the chronology, delve into both the major artistic movements and highlight the technical breakthroughs which changed how artists of the time worked, and affected how they saw the world. For example, the glass lens allowed more lifelike portraiture in the early Renaissance, the ability to put paint into tubes gave the Impressionists the freedom to work outdoors, and Freud's work in psychoanalysis had a major impact on Surrealism. The second part of the book explores enduring Themes of art, taking a subject and showing how artists through the ages have depicted it. Various approaches to portraits and landscapes, allegory and religion, still life and abstraction are compared and contrasted, using carefully selected images to illuminate each point made. In addition, an extensive Reference section allows the reader to access information in numerous ways; the multiple indices include a glossary of terms, artists registry, index of museums, and more. With easy navigation and an engaging presentation of the material, The Collins Big Book of Art will inform, inspire, and entertain art enthusiasts at any level of understanding and appreciation.