The Artist's Illustrated Encyclopedia: Techniques, Materials and Terms
Metzger's six previous books include the excellent North Light  Artist's Guide to Materials & Techniques (LJ 11/15/96). Here he  tackles the more daunting task of an encyclopedia of art terms  used by the practicing artist, including those associated with  art movements, techniques, materials, history, and conservation.  To keep it lively, Metzger packs in hundreds of photographs,  paintings, mini-demos, diagrams, and drawings. The result is  more of an illustrated dictionary than anything truly  encyclopedic. Most entries are a few lines or paragraphs, and  many subjects, such as computer art, aren't adequately treated.  While this may be an accessible and useful dictionary for  students or amateur artists, it is not an essential purchase if  Ralph Mayer's The HarperCollins Dictionary of Art Terms and  Techniques (1995) is already in the library.Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.