Every Picture Hides a Story by William Cane and Anna Gabrielle

 

 Every Picture Hides a Story: The Secret Ways Artists Make Their Work More Seductive by William Cane and Anna Gabrielle.. Rowman and Littlefield, 2023. Adult nonfiction.

Arranged by artists' names, this work about some of the world's most famous paintings and their creators both teaches and entertains. The authors focus on how jewelry, furniture, clothing, and poses often provide subtle clues to meaning in the paintings. From a pearl earring that symbolizes chastity to a turned head that indicates boredom, artists arrange subjects and send subliminal messages. Twenty-two artists are discussed and their paintings are shown in full color illustrations. Readers from the casual art lover to the most advanced art history student will find much to think about in these hidden stories.