Bang, Molly. Picture This: How Pictures Work. New York: SeaStar Books, 1991. Print.

Genre: craft

Summary: Bang shares fundamental principles she learned, acquired, synthesized after years of wondering just how pictures worked. By “worked,” she means how they effect us or affect our emotions. Really, what she does is boil down and condense an entire Ph.D. study in art theory to a 30-minute read! A great read at that! As an eternally and incurably curious person, I extend endless thanks to Ms. Bang!

Critique: Read this book at your own risk! You’ll never look at straight lines or slanted lines the same again. Colors will take on a whole new meaning and have your wondering, Is that purple bowl safe or sinister? Bang will also rattle your conceptions about proximity and its relationship to tension/suspense. I can’t say “pre” conceptions because, if you’re a non-artist like me, you’d probably never considered it before. But you will now!