Publisher: White Lion Publishing
Author: Catherine McCormack
Released: October 29^th, 2019
Received: NetGalley
Rating:

I received a copy of The Art of Looking Up through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There is a saying that human beings, as a whole, tend to not look up when going about their everyday life. Which is a shame, when you think about some of the world’s masterpieces and how they were formed on high and beautiful ceilings.

The Art of Looking Up is a collection of photographs featuring the artwork in such places. This book covers forty different ceilings, from all parts of the world and covering all subject matter. This was perhaps the most comprehensive collection I’ve seen so far. And it was a stunning collection at that.

I especially enjoyed the organization system behind The Art of Looking Up. It’s split into four main parts: religion, culture, power, and politics. It was actually interesting, in a way, to see what pieces made it into which category. It was helpful to see each of these groupings, as it allowed me to get into the right mindset for each artstyle and focus. It was elegantly done.

There was so much to be impressed about, in this book. The amount of effort it must have taken to research each and every piece, for example. And then there’s the fact that it can’t be easy to photograph such massive pieces. But that’s what they did, and excellently so. The Art of Looking Up featured some amazing photographs, giving readers a full view of the artwork being discussed. It was, simply put, striking and enlightening.