Most books about a selection of artists organise their material in chronological order, or by school classification. This one instead presents 30 different artists spanning multiple centuries in alphabetical order, resulting in delightful transitions from one chapter to the next when read in order, or a good book for random dips.
Elborough’s central premise is that artists’ travels have always influenced their art – albeit more obviously in some cases than others. Either way, the biographical details herein are very interesting indeed, with photographs of the locations mentioned and samples of the artists’ work bringing each chapter to life.
It’s a pity that there’s no information on where the cited works can be viewed, but there is at least a comprehensive index and bibliography.
This review was originally published in Teach Secondary magazine.
Click to find out about this one day course taught by Terry Freedman