SPLAT!: ART HISTORY FOR CHILDREN

We continue to talk about art history for kids (we have spoken previously about Miró, Monet and Kahlo) with Splat!, a great book that traces art history through the artists who helped change its direction.

Splat! is suitable for ages 8+ and was published this year by Thames & Hudson.

Written by Mary Richards – writer, publisher and musican- Splat! features the work  of Michelangelo, Bruegel, Caravaggio, Velázquez, Vermeer, Hokusai, Van Gogh, Picasso, Kandinsky or Dalí among many other great painters.

 

 

Splat! describes the  challenges of these painters and their historical background, including real-life stories from behind the scenes and moments that shocked the art world:

“Michelangelo imagines heaven on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel,

Bruegel dares to paint peasants,

Van Gogh risks everything for  his art,

Kandinsky transforms music into paintings,

and Warhol makes art for everyone in a factory“.

Splat! covers different art movements  from the Renaissance and Impressionism to Surrealism and even Contemporary art, all very well explained for children.

It  includes many art activities for children too:  like how to paint like a pointillist, how to draw like the great masters and how to play a surrealist game.

It is a brilliant book, full of great information for kids and provides excellent insight into art history. Splat! also explains children the art that shocked the world and the artists who never knew fame.

 

 

I wish I had read Splat! as a child, because it combines great information arranged chronologically, with many visual reproductions , a complete art glossary and many interesting activities.

I am sure it will become an essential book for any student interested in art.