The Art of Reading Art: Understanding What Makes Great Art Great

Uncover art history by discovering what makes a masterpiece great.

Across eras, painters have pulled on their past and present to create works celebrated far into the future. But while museums are filled with artworks considered to be 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 The 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.

Traveling 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 over 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 paintings without the need for an art history degree.

Author: Matthew Olivier
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Smith Street Books
Published: 10/06/2026
Pages: 280
Weight: 3.1lbs
Size: 9.63h x 8.32w x 1.18d
ISBN: 9781923503335