“Baroque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting”, edited by Rolf Toman

500 pages, HF Ullmann, ISBN-13: 978-3833160011

Heh heh heh…oh, this is good: Baroque: Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, edited by Rolf Toman, is one of these art history books for the generalist and, so, not very detailed…but…heh heh heh, oh, this is choice, ‘cause you would think an editor worth his salt would have seen that the word “architecture” is spelled “architectuce” on the spine. Hoo, doggy, but that’s swell. Anyway, with that off of my chest…stupid spelling errors aide, the biggest complaint I have with this book are the pictures; there are lots of them but they are so very small. The Baroque era produced some of the most lavish buildings, ornate sculptures, and lush paintings, but damned if you can tell by these teeny tiny photographs. Not all of the photographs, mind you, but enough to make you want to chuck the thing across the room. However, I have to say that, although the articles are written by experts in their fields who use professional art historical and architectural terminology, they do so but in an understandable manner, and so it is an easy read. Organized by media and geography, this is an okay addition to your library, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to track it down.