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The Art of Reading Art

Understanding what makes great art great
By Matthew Olivier
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Brief Description
Across eras, painters have drawn from their past and present to create works celebrated far into the future. However, while museums are filled with artworks considered genius, it can be difficult to understand why these particular paintings have earned that title. In The Art of Reading... Read More
Format: Hardback
$6000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Across eras, painters have drawn from their past and present to create works celebrated far into the future. However, while museums are filled with artworks considered genius, it can be difficult to understand why these particular paintings have earned that title.

In The Art of Reading Art, Matthew Olivier expands his exceptionally popular online series (@matthewolivierx) to conversationally break down some of history's great paintings, from Bosch's The Conjurer and Jan van Eyck's Arnolfini Portrait to Edward Hopper's Nighthawks. In his uniquely welcoming style, Olivier captures for readers what these paintings say, and how exactly they say it.

Travelling across periods and styles, Olivier's focus isn't on a timeline of movements, or on creating an academic catalogue. Rather, his writing uncovers what makes 100 of history's artworks so special. From discussions of history and technique to analysis of what details say about a work and its painter, The Art of Reading Art helps readers dive deeper into the paintings without needing an art history degree.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781923503335

Publisher: Smith Street Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 October 2026

Country: Australia

Imprint: Smith Street Books

Illustration: 100 color photographs; 100 Illustrations, color

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 200.0mm

Height: 240.0mm

Weight: 0g

Pages: 280

Collections

Arts & Culture Matthew Olivier Non-Fiction

About the Author

Matthew Olivier is a visual artist, author, and storyteller from Toronto, Canada, whose work brings classical technique into dialogue with present-day culture. Known for his emotionally nuanced paintings and quiet attention to the human experience, Olivier has emerged as one of the most widely recognized and talked-about voices in visual art today. Since launching his professional career in 2020, he has established himself as an artist whose presence continues to grow across contemporary painting and on social media platforms, where his videos diving into art history receive millions of views.

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