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Art history audio books on Audible are a great way to learn about the world’s most famous paintings and sculptures. It is an entertaining and engaging way to listen while you commute, cook dinner, or even do other chores around the house. In this blog post we will discuss some of the best art audiobooks available on audible so that you can find one that suits your interests!
Table of Contents
Art History Audio Books Covered
Art History (2nd Edition) – By: Dana Arnold
Art History (2nd Edition) encompasses the study of the history and development of painting, sculpture, and the other visual arts. In this Very Short Introduction audiobook, Dana Arnold presents an introduction to the issues, debates, and artefacts that make up art history.
Beginning with a consideration of what art history is, she explains what makes the subject distinctive from other fields of study and also explores the emergence of social histories of art (such as feminist art history and queer art history).
Using a wide range of images, she goes on to explore key aspects of the discipline including how we write, present, read, and look at art, and the impact this has on our understanding of art history.
This second edition includes a new chapter on global art histories, considering how the traditional emphasis on periods and styles in art originated in Western art and can obscure other critical approaches and artwork from non-Western cultures. Arnold also discusses the relationship between art and history, and the ways in which art can tell a different history from the one narrated by texts.
The Art of Creative Thinking – By: Rod Judkins
The secrets of creative thinking by a lecturer at the world-famous St. Martin’s College of Art who has spent a lifetime researching innovative thinkers.
A scuba-diving company faces bankruptcy because sharks have infested the area. Solution? Open the world’s first extreme diving school.
The Art of Creative Thinking reveals how we can transform ourselves, our businesses, and our society through a deeper understanding of human creativity. Rod Judkins, of the world-famous St. Martin’s College of Art, has studied successful creative thinkers from every walk of life throughout history.
Drawing on an extraordinary range of reference points – from the Dada manifesto to Nobel Prize-winning economists, from Andy Warhol’s studio to Einstein’s desk – he distills a lifetime’s expertise into a succinct, surprising book that will inspire you to think more confidently and creatively.
You’ll realise why you should be happy when your train is cancelled; meet the most successful class in educational history (in which every single student won a Nobel prize); discover why graphic nudity during public speaking can be both a hindrance and surprisingly persuasive; and learn why, in the 21st century, it’s technically illegal to be as good as Michelangelo.
Be stubborn about compromise. Plan to have more accidents. Be mature enough to be childish. Contradict yourself more often. Discover the art of creative thinking.
Talk Art – By: Russell Tovey, Robert Diament
Includes an exclusive ‘Turning the Tables on Talk Art’ interview with James Corden.
When launching the Talk Art podcast in 2018, actor Russell Tovey and gallerist Robert Diament had one clear aim: to make the art world more accessible. Since then, the podcast has grown to be a global hit, featuring exclusive interviews with leading artists, curators, gallerists, actors, musicians and fellow art lovers such as Lena Dunham, Sir Paul Smith, David Shrigley, Noel Fielding, Edward Enninful, Rose Wylie and Sir Elton John.
Talk Art, the book, is a celebration of contemporary art and a guidebook to navigating and engaging with the art world. Covering a range of different media from photography and ceramics to performance and sound art, the book explores the way art interacts with our society, highlights lesser-known artists and provides a snapshot of the art world as it is today.
The book features highlights from interviews with: Tracey Emin, Jordan Casteel, Jerry Saltz, Elton John, Grayson Perry, Ian McKellen, Alasdair McLellan, Helen Cammock, Somaya Critchlow and many more.
The History of Western Art – By: Peter Whitfield
What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic.
From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the 19th and 20th centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind. He has always started with reality, but has selected and reshaped that reality to create a parallel world; a world of the imagination.
Art & Fear – By: David Bayles, Ted Orland
What is your art really about? Where is it going? What stands in the way of getting it there? These are questions that matter, questions that recur at each stage of artistic development – and they are the source for this volume of wonderfully incisive commentary.
Art & Fear explores the way art gets made, the reasons it often doesn’t get made, and the nature of the difficulties that cause so many artists to give up along the way. This is a book about what it feels like to sit in your studio or classroom, at your wheel or keyboard, easel or camera, trying to do the work you need to do. It is about committing your future to your own hands, placing free will above predestination, choice above chance. It is about finding your own work.
Art Is My Career: How to Start an Art Business – By: Sema Martin
Do you dream of being a full-time artist? Art is my career is a friendly, practical guide shows you how to make your dream a reality, with expert advice on everything from writing a business plan to pricing your work and raising your profile as an artist. Learn how to start taking commissions and ensure your long-term success.
This Book Is For:
- Artists who want to start making money from their art
- Artists who are ready to take themselves seriously
- Artists who need help, guidance, and motivation when it comes to the business side of things
Open the Book and Find:
- How to get started
- Why you need a website
- How to gain more social media followers
- What you should charge for your commissions
- How to organise your waiting list
What Are You Looking At? 150 Years of Modern Art in the Blink of an Eye – By: Will Gompertz
Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of What Are You Looking At? by Will Gompertz, read by Roy McMilllan. What is modern art? Why do we either love it or loathe it? And why is it worth so much damn money? Join Will Gompertz on a dazzling tour that will change the way you look at modern art forever.
From Monet’s water lilies to Van Gogh’s sunflowers, from Warhol’s soup cans to Hirst’s pickled shark, hear the stories behind the masterpieces, meet the artists as they really were, and discover the real point of modern art. You will learn: not all conceptual art is bollocks; Picasso is king (but zanne is better); Pollock is no drip; Dali painted with his moustache; a urinal changed the course of art; and why your 5-year-old really couldn’t do it.
Refreshing, irreverent and always straightforward, What Are You Looking At? asks all the basic questions that you were too afraid to ask. Your next gallery trip is going to be a little less intimidating and a lot more interesting.
Make Your Art No Matter What – By: Beth Pickens
The Artist’s Way for the 21st century-from esteemed creative counselor Beth Pickens.
If you are an artist, you need to make your art. That’s not an overstatement – it’s a fact; if you stop doing your creative work, your quality of life is diminished. But what do you do when life gets in the way? In this down-to-earth handbook, experienced artist coach Beth Pickens offers practical advice for developing a lasting and meaningful artistic practice in the face of life’s inevitable obstacles and distractions.
This thoughtful volume suggests creative ways to address the challenges all artists must overcome – from making decisions about time, money, and education, to grappling with isolation, fear, and anxiety. No matter where you are in your art-making journey, this book will motivate and inspire you. Because not only do you need your art – the world needs it, too.
Expert Advice: Beth Pickens is an experienced and passionate arts advocate with extensive insight into working through creative obstacles. She has spent the last decade advising artists on everything from financial strategy to coping with grief.
Practical and Positive: This book is both a love letter to art and artists and a hands-on guide to approaching the thorniest problems those artists might face. Pickens offers a warm reminder that you are not alone, that what you do matters, and that someone out there wants you to succeed.
Timeless Topic: Like a trusted advisor, this book is an invaluable resource jam-packed with strategies for building a successful creative practice. From mixing business and friendship to marketing yourself on social media, this book can help. And it will – again and again.
Perfect for:
- Visual artists and makers
- Writers, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives
- Art and design school graduates and grad-gift givers
The War of Art – By: Steven Pressfield
Think of The War of Art as tough love…for yourself.
Since 2002, The War of Art has inspired people around the world to defeat “resistance”; to recognize and knock down dream-blocking barriers and to silence the naysayers within us. Resistance kicks everyone’s butt, and the desire to defeat it is equally as universal. The War of Art identifies the enemy that every one of us must face, outlines a battle plan to conquer this internal foe, then pinpoints just how to achieve the greatest success.
Though it was written for writers, it has been embraced by business entrepreneurs, actors, dancers, painters, photographers, filmmakers, military service members, and thousands of others around the world.
Enjoy Listening To The Best Art History Audiobooks On Audible
Audible has a great selection of art history audio books to enjoy. From biographies of famous artists to examinations of the techniques they used, there’s something for everyone. If you’re looking to learn more about art and get inspired, you now have a list of the best art history audiobooks on Audible.
