SKU: 78470861850

Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern Art

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Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza: A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Modern ArtThe first time she made a pizza from scratch, art historian Nancy Heller made the observation that led her to write this entertaining guide to contemporary art. Comparing modern art not only to pizzas but also to traditional and children's art, Heller shows us how we can refine analytical tools we already possess to understand and enjoy even the most unfamiliar paintings and sculptures. How is a painting like a pizza? Both depend on visual balance for

The first time she made a pizza from scratch, art historian Nancy Heller made the observation that led her to write this entertaining guide to contemporary art. Comparing modern art not only to pizzas but also to traditional and children's art, Heller shows us how we can refine analytical tools we already possess to understand and enjoy even the most unfamiliar paintings and sculptures.

How is a painting like a pizza? Both depend on visual balance for much of their overall appeal and, though both can be judged by a set of established standards, pizzas and paintings must ultimately be evaluated in terms of individual taste. By using such commonsense examples and making unexpected connections, this book helps even the most skeptical viewers feel comfortable around contemporary art and see aspects of it they would otherwise miss. Heller discusses how nontraditional works of art are made--and thus how to talk about their composition and formal elements. She also considers why such art is made and what it means.

At the same time, Heller reassures those of us who have felt uncomfortable around avant-garde art that we don't have to like all--or even any--of it. Yet, if we can relax, we can use the aesthetic awareness developed in everyday life to analyze almost any painting, sculpture, or installation. Heller also gives concise answers to the eight questions she is most frequently asked about contemporary art--from how to tell when an abstract painting is right side up to which works of art belong in a museum.

This book is for anyone who agrees with art critic Clement Greenberg that All profoundly original art looks ugly at first. It's also for anyone who disagrees. It is for anyone who wants to get more out of a museum or gallery visit and would like to be able to say something more than just yes or no when asked if they like an artist's work.-- "Choice"

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 10/13/2002
ISBN: 9780691090528
Pages: 192
Weight: 1.08lbs
Size: 8.80h x 5.80w x 0.70d

Review Citations: Library Journal 02/15/2003 pg. 133
Kliatt 03/01/2003 pg. 53
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SKU: 78470861850

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Ryan
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 1
One Star
Format: Paperback
Exactly the same as the free PDF I downloaded online for my student, only this costs $26 plus tax.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2017
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Amazon Customer
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 5
The best programming book you will ever read
Format: Paperback
This is without a doubt the best introduction to any programming language you will find. This book takes a hands on approach to learning Python. Concepts are explained clearly and examples and counter-examples are littered throughout each chapters. I like the direct/no waste time with useless preamble approach to explaining key concepts. The explanations are as succinct as it can get. The writer give general advice like not making your solution too generic initially but focus on solving the problem at hand first and then make the code more elaborate. The writer give off a patient tone as he encourages the reader to not be too hard on themselves when they make mistakes but view this as part of the learning process. He gives his own experience and also that of other programmers to encourage the reader to realistically evaluate their circumstances. What I like most about this book is that the exercises are intersperced between the sections within the chapters. That way you get to practice just after learning a new concept. There are final exercises incorporating what was covered in the chapter, the they do not seem to be a summary of all the content. I am reviewing now 23/02/2025. I have read the first 9 chapters and i am currently on chapter 10. When I am done i will update this review. I use Jupter Notebooks to complete exercises. I head the first cell with the problem number and title and set it as a mark-down cell so it heads that mini section and the code window below contains my solution. That way I have all exercises for a chapter in one file and can easily scroll up to see previous solutions and copy code which the problems requests at times. In the end I envisage I will have 20 files - one per chapter.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2025
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Gita Anjali
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 5
great for beginners
Format: Paperback
simple to understand, good examples
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Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2026
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Atiyah Ellerbee
Los Angeles, US
★★★★★ 5
Great book!
Format: Paperback
Great book! I really like how the instructions are explained in the book and how it encourages you to both use the terminal / python interpreter and make files in vscode. This book can be used for intermediate python programmers and brand new programs. for the intermediate people, its a good refresher of the basics, and by the end you will definitely KNOW, KNOW them. I got this book in prep for new grad job applications, code assessments, game jams, and general practice. So I think you would do good to get this book at any level if you really want to get the basics down and know them!
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Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2026
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Pete
Lexington, US
★★★★★ 5
One of the best Python books
Format: Paperback
I bought 5 Python books as I needed to learn the language quickly for an upcoming project. Of all the books that I purchased, I found this one to be the best. It starts out with the basics and works its way through more complicated areas. Each chapter builds well upon the other. There is very little redundancy, and I was able to get through the book in about a week. I have a background in software development, so this book was able to show me how Python implements different concepts that I already knew, but I think a beginner would also be comfortable with the material.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2026

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