Book Collection on the Fine Arts
From picture books to adult-level books, my collection offers many options to help one dive into the world of art.
Some people view the fine arts as a high-brow pursuit. However, we all can benefit from experiencing quality artwork by artists who imitate the Creator by using harmony and true beauty. In classical Christian education, students pursue the good, the beautiful, and the true. Beauty relates to the arts.
I incorporated lessons on the fine arts into my children's homeschool lessons, often in conjunction with the era of history we were studying. My daughter always enjoyed drawing and painting, whereas my son developed an appreciation for the elements of art, such as symmetry and the vanishing point. We dabbled in music by learning about famous composers, listening to American folk songs, and singing traditional hymns.
Whether you are passing on cultural traditions to a new generation or just want to expand your own knowledge of the arts, you may find a resource here that you enjoy. From picture books to adult-level books, my collection offers many options to help one dive into the world of art.
Art Books
Art Appreciation
Juvenile Books
A Child’s Book of Art
This picture book introduces children to a sampling of different types of art.
Mouse Paint
This fiction picture book explores the mixing of colors.
Playing with Art: Florence
The author of this small picture book guides a group of small children through the art museums of Florence, Italy, and talks about the artwork at their level. The illustrator includes fun cartoons of children interacting with the art.
The Renaissance Art Book
Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Fra Angelico, and Botticelli
This book works well with a history study of the Renaissance.
What Makes a Leonardo a Leonardo?
Book (Eyewitness Books)
Although this isn't actually an "art" book, I shelve it with my children's art books because writing is an art form, and so are illuminated texts. As is typical with all Eyewitness Books, this one is full of beautiful illustrations.
Adult-Level Books
Cowboys (An Adventures in Art Book)
Doorposts: Sixty Calligraphic Renderings of Bible Passages with Notes by the Artist
The artist fills every other page with colorful calligraphy.
Japanese Artwork
One of the several Japanese students we hosted in our home gave us this little book. The text is in Japanese, but the traditional art is lovely to look at.
Leonardo's Paintings and Drawings (24 postcards)
Masterpieces in 3-D: M.C. Escher and the Art of Illusion
This book contains special glasses in the cover that the reader can use to view 3-D versions of Escher’s artwork.
Masterpieces of Painting from the Brooklyn Museum (24 postcards)
Norman Rockwell
My mom, who held a degree in interior design and worked as an interior designer at a furniture store, enjoyed many artists, particularly Norman Rockwell. I inherited these volumes when my parents moved into senior living.
Norman Rockwell’s Christmas Book
Norman Rockwell: A Centennial Celebration
Norman Rockwell: A Sixty Year Retrospective
Seattle World’s Fair 1962 Books
I also inherited these books from my mom, who attended the 1962 World's Fair while she was a Cornish College of the Arts student.
Art Instruction and History
Homeschool Curriculum
Art History Lesson Plans
This self-published homeschool curriculum uses four books to teach about 22 artists, from Botticelli to Chagall. I used two of the books listed below with my kids.
Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Styles of the Great Masters
This book provides a brief description of an artist and a hands-on project for each one.Great Artists: The Lives of 50 Painters Explored Through Their Work
Art Fraud Detective: Spot the Difference, Solve the Crime!
This reader is challenged to examine over 35 paintings from the National Gallery in London, England, to find a forged painting.
Great American Artists for Kids: Hands-On Art Experiences in the Styles of Great American Masters
Each page contains a brief description of the artist and an art project for a child to try.
How to Teach Art to Children, Grades 1-6
My son didn’t care for crafts or art projects, but he enjoyed exploring the elements of art taught in this book: line, shape, color, value, texture, form, and space. These appealed to his mechanical mind.
How to Use Child-Sized Masterpieces for Art Appreciation
This curriculum, designed to be taught at three levels, comes with several sets of postcard-sized art cards that children use as manipulatives to learn about art. For example, in step one, the child matches identical paintings. In step 7, a child learns to identify different schools of art.
Come Look With Me Series
These books were part of the Sonlight kindergarten curriculum. They are designed to help parents discuss great works of art with children. A few questions and background information accompany each piece of art.
Adult-Level Books
Art: A History of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture, Vol. 2: Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern World (A college text I used for an art history course)
Origami, Book 2: Japanese Paper Folding
Artist Biographies
Linnea in Monet’s Garden
A little girl visits Monet's garden in Paris and learns about Impressionist paintings.
Masters of Art Series
These books resemble DK books but were created by a different publisher.
Leonardo Da Vinci: Artist, Inventor and Scientist of the Renaissance
Rembrandt and Seventeenth-Century Holland: The Dutch Nation and Its Painters
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists Series
These picture book biographies mix photos of the artist’s works with the author’s fun cartoons.
Books on Music
Appreciation and History
Classical
The Encyclopedia of Classical Music
The Usborne Story of Music: First Instruments to Electronic Music
The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra
Church Music
Hymns for Family Worship book and CD
This three-disc collection contains 62 hymns, each with a one-page history. I used this curriculum with my kids when they were in their late elementary and middle school years (my kids are five years apart), and they learned one hymn a week.
Hymns for a Kid’s Heart, a Focus on the Family publication
Biographies
Beethoven Lives Upstairs, juvenile historical fiction
Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
Mahalia Jackson: Born to Sing Gospel Music (The Sower Series), juvenile biography
No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green
Rich Mullins: An Arrow Pointing to Heaven
Great Musicians Series
These books (including study guides and soundtracks) for elementary and middle school children contain delightful stories with snippets of music that you can play when mentioned in the story. My music recordings are on CDs, but you can purchase them on a thumb drive. See my review in the library database.
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Early Years
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland, Later Years
Joseph Haydn: The Merry Little Peasant
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells
Sebastian Bach: The Boy from Thuringia
Who is your favorite artist or composer? How do you include art in your life? Please share your answers in the comment section.