“Professor Van Dyke is a helpful cicerone, for he does not overpower the reader with his theories, or force upon him his tastes, or crush him with the weight of his learning, but talks clearly and sensibly about what pictures are painted for and how we can get the most out of them.”
| + + | Ind. 62: 736. Mr. 28, ’07. 230w. |
“The passenger who expects to take a look at the famous galleries will take a far more sensible, comprehending look if he has scanned these brief, chatty pages; the passenger who, picking up a friend’s copy, had planned to waste no time poking about under European skylights will probably conceive some curiosity for the art treasures abroad.”
| + + | Int. Studio. 31: sup. 52. Ap. ’07. 440w. |
“Mr. Van Dyke is a most trustworthy guide, who knows what he is talking about, with a knowledge rare indeed even amongst those who enjoy a great reputation as critics.”
| + + | Int. Studio. 32: 252. S. ’07. 150w. |
“Not only useful to the unsophisticated, to whom it is admirably adapted, but valuable to those who have a tendency to lose themselves in technicalities. The treatment is popular, almost casual [and] is based on a sympathetic attitude toward ignorance, which is rare in the writing of a specialist and a mark of mental breadth.”
| + | N. Y. Times. 12: 300. My. 11, ’07. 940w. | |
| + | Outlook. 86: 477. Je. 29, ’07. 280w. | |
| + | R. of Rs. 36: 383. S. ’07. 50w. |
“Is just the kind of work that is wanted to put the uninstructed lover of pictures on the right track.”
| + | Spec. 98: 1007. Je. 29, ’07. 250w. |