# The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made

The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made traces painting across 25,000 years, explaining how materials and techniques shaped artistic developments. Its illustrated survey spans cave paintings, Renaissance perspective, Impressionism and modern art.

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- Market: UK
- Language: en-GB
- Currency: GBP
- Category: Books, Music & Hobbies > Books, Music & Movies > Books & Comics
- Price: 20.79 GBP
- Previous price: 27.00 GBP
- Discount: 23%
- Price checked: 2026-11-12T17:36:05.848Z
- Rating: 4.8 / 5
- Reviews: 208

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## At a glance

- Covers painting from the first cave paintings through abstract art of the last 100 years.
- Discusses materials and techniques including pigments, fresco and linear perspective.
- Features colour reproductions and photographs of artists at work and the materials they used.
- Examines key works and the techniques associated with them.

## Pros

- Broad chronological scope makes it a single-volume survey of painting across many eras.
- Illustrations and technique-focused discussion pair visual examples with historical context.
- Customer feedback describes the book as informative and praises its illustrations.

## Specifications

### Publication
- Publisher: DK
- Publication date: 1 Aug. 2019
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 360 pages
- ISBN-10: 0241335183
- ISBN-13: 978-0241335185
### Dimensions and installation
- Dimensions: 22 x 2.8 x 26.2 cm
- Weight listed: 1.54 kg

## A good fit for

- Readers seeking a visual introduction to painting history from cave art to modern abstraction.
- Art enthusiasts interested in how materials and techniques influenced artists and paintings.

## Less suited to

- Readers looking specifically for a narrowly focused study of one artist, period or national tradition.

## Customer feedback

Customer feedback highlights informative content presented in an engaging way and praises the illustrations. This suits readers looking for a visual history with discussion of techniques across many periods. Aggregate ratings are strongly positive overall, though ratings alone cannot show which aspects prompted individual opinions.
- Positive themes: Customers describe the content as informative and interesting.
- Positive themes: Customers praise the illustrations.

## Frequently asked questions

### What periods does the book cover?
The listing describes a history spanning 25,000 years, from cave paintings to abstract works of the last 100 years, including the Renaissance, Impressionism and modern art.
### Does it include illustrations?
Yes. The listing describes colour reproductions of paintings and photographs of artists at work and the materials they used.
### What is the book's focus beyond art history?
It explores how materials and techniques shaped painting, and discusses key works and the methods used to create them.

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## Images

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 1](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/olLGeDDDbG8Ej31pjmO96iSB8kdat9oJQUlXnOuaxNfso0h6o3ja4fYA9TJU9oRg1_cQIHnGbTMtXD0B_wRzIQT_3QG507TS0ZXi9pbKTx2D9TTQvhCC.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 2](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/DT1EDNbWvoWx-zByoniO3sAGr_vVrj1SDIVxB-tAVTbbjxGuPje9fXjoAMHMm0jl2ONOGGsUgttYR0ExAvZzdG-0T5KpxCd9ROYXesN0nYsGMhQHwzUv.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 3](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/Fbcro1pVyrRvCM7gSgFcwnZKeKrdAVQI4NrTrkR3jyFxju6YVLqJAoMAGRlacnC0pGKVv18MgsxwSO_m7rAFz7zGdpyB5jI3ao5r8mnbRZQHdEuwMq9d.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 4](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/DAYJfs0l_W65sgaUxiCVbjNCBLaNKO9srKPPGrKSFt3pfDCSA5XaLXHrewzckOkWzYbmwWGbdXGAwx2MoxzhDr9cEY5o-D_-Zrt4ud3iqEBmadBYnLtL.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 5](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/YjT0VIoUChbuZX7-V-FjEWHCu964Ar6aBt7ZolvSLWukiNEdJJXjXuVXmDB_nCakJh6jS1VRmB15ziFwwILCtJx3Ce6weYwHVRzkxbhNFBpBdU973JXp.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 6](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/kaY-1SZ9yJoR1ik2pSU6O3HZ0eTcpTc47Mo37IdJ5PUTlBeQdE7dZmP98esQyxrwC2ywSJltyeZFE1p3uHPUqhBooPPjUFb2NNcgjwU5keg5x2gDB_9C.jpg)

![The Story of Painting: How Art Was Made — 7](https://bargainpostbox.co.uk/i/2GnWGHwGlUPrXBHskDIhr2eILWLXHKPA6xPZH-X7yc950yaPdPyCEO_fCND2MfsxCLR_I07wjfVTYecK8jUbFmCngtkMXgW0hBas7M0MvG8Pq1imtAe6.jpg)