First: points for the deeply clever name. Also, the deeply clever everything else.

Recommended: yes!
For an interesting look at civilizations around the world past and present, for an interesting subset of art that can fuel your travel plans, for art and/or history buffs

Thoughts:
The whole reason I wanted to read this is because I am constantly looking up (figuratively and literally) and I tend to notice interesting things and then think to myself, "I bet so many people never look up at see this interesting thing." This is a whole book written by someone who likely does the same thing, but can blend that passing curiosity with detailed historical and artistic notes with a writing style that anyone can enjoy and get a laugh out of.

The art is stunning, that's easy to note. But the truly impressive aspect is the deep dive into so many aspects of the art: the process of creation; the historical, religious, political, and cultural significance; the story behind its creation. I learned a lot of humanizing bits of history here. I was impressed with the writing style, as each introduction to a new piece started off with a story that pulled me in and made me invested in every detail of the art.

That's not to overlook the quality of the photos within though. They are truly stunning, and this would be a great book to have a copy of just to flip through on any day for a boost of beauty. My absolute favorite within - that I'm kicking myself for missing when I traveled there a year ago - was the Royal Palace in Brussels, Belgium, that has a ceiling and chandelier made of of scarab beetle wings. It sounds bizarre, and it looks COMPLETELY UNBELIEVABLE.

The only thing bringing this down from 5 stars were the references and terms that were unexplained, typically relating to specific artistic or architectural techniques. Maybe I'm not the intended audience here, but just be ready if you aren't already somewhat educated in these terms that there will be moments in the description that leave you kind of glazed and unsure.

Thanks to NetGalley and White Lion Publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful book for architecture,art and photography’s lovers, really a pleasure for the eyes.

40 different ceilings from around the world are presented with the aid of beautiful and spectacular pictures. Divided into religion,power,culture and politics section, the reader is transported into the world of wonderful art.

A special treat and a precious itinerary taking the readers by hands and guiding them to discover some of the most beautiful places of art worldwide.

What a brilliant idea for a book. 40 spectacular ceilings from around the world and you don't have to get neck ache to see them. Obviously it is better to see things in real life - or is it? The photographs in the book get you so close to the art work, nearer than you could see in real life. The sumptuous photographs are just beautiful.

I think this is a book to have on the coffee table and if you feel a little blue or the weather isn't nice, just take a peek inside, you will be feeling so much better immediately. I really can't emphasis enough how wonderful the photographs are.

Some are from buildings I have only seen from outside and so the glimpse inside is amazing. One is of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona which one day I would love to see, but this must be the next best thing or better. Such a close up of the details and a wonderful explanation of it too. For this is not just a book of photographs, descriptions and background are provided too in great detail.

I'm truly inspired by this book, both creatively and also to visit these amazing places, of which most I knew nothing of previously.

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars. My thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review.

What a beautiful book, full of photographs of beautiful ceilings throughout the world, divided into four sections of Religion, Culture, Power and Politics. The ceiling range from as far back as the 1500 to more resent of 2000, all are beautiful and has information of where they are, who created them and time.
All the ceilings are very beautiful and very thought provoking, There are some which are definitely on my bucket list to see in person, ravelling in the exquisite work and skills of the creators, whilst laying on the floor and looking up.

The world of travel and tourism will have to shift its tour model. No longer will tourists walk through a venue. Roll out a pallanquin with a moon roof or a reclining curricle. The Art of Looking Up celebrates works of amazing art that truly captivate the visitor on the ceilings of the world. A journey that will enhance, inform, and mesmorize. Maybe a robotic omnibus with horizontal designer platforms? Discover some of the most intriguing works of art that take more than a few minutes to explore. This production could be a virtual reality coup.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book to review.

Fantastic book - absolutely stunning! I was expecting a beautiful coffee table book with it's usual centre page spreads and boring synopsis on each page but what I got was much, much more....It opened the world of artworks for me and I learnt so much. One of the best art books I have seen in a long while. I bought a copy for my college's art library straight away.

A really nice look at a few places around the globe - even though the main focus is in Europe, but does go into Asian and once in America. At the start, you do get some information about the place/ceiling and then about six images - one covering two pages. It does categorize them into different sections - religion, culture, power and politics which is cool to see.

Beautiful photographs! I had no idea there were so many beautiful ceilings in the world. I would love to be able to see this in real life, but the book came really close!

Sumptuous and nuanced!

Firstly I was sold on the very simple, yet clever title. I immediately related to it. Some of my more fabulous architectural and artistic encounters have happened in that 'looking up' moment.
Years after visiting them, I remember some of the places mentioned here, the amazing juxtaposition that happens when looking up and through one space into another. This book speaks so eloquently to these experiences. As with those wonderfully painted vaulted columns in The Church of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, St Petersburg; or captured so perfectly in the photos of the Iman Mosque in Iran; and the astounding double page ceiling shot of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona.
How can you not gasp aloud as your whole body opens up into the 'starry vault' of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris? And then there's the "mesmerizing" blue of Cy Twombly's, The Ceiling, in the Louvre?
This book is a celebratory treat beckoning memories, inspiring visits to unseen places, and encouraging us to appreciate masterful works.
McCormick's research and understandings show the depth of her scholarship. Her narrative balances informatively against the visual representations. Indeed the opening paragraph in the Introduction sets the scene, reminding us, indeed calling us to look beyond ourselves.
A vivid and informative presentation.

A Quarto Publishing Group-White Lion Publishing ARC via NetGalley

As always, this type of lush art book is badly suited to the PDFs used by NetGalley. This particular one has each double-page spread set out as one page, meaning that in order to read the text you have to zoom in, and in order to look at the pictures in any detail you have to move the pages around manually. As such, this review assumes that the book would be read as a large-format hardcover or paperback - it deserves to be seen properly, not in a fiddly PDF.

That being said, this is a lovely book that provides some stunning images of some of the most beautiful and interesting ceiling artwork in the world. There's a bias towards Italian art, certainly, but buildings from Japan, Russia, Ethiopia and more are also included. With each ceiling there is a selection of wide-angle and detail photos, and a potted history of the creation of the artwork, which is well-written and easy to read. This would be a great gift for art or architecture lovers.

This was a very interesting book, filled with beautiful photos along with all of the history behind the 40 ceilings included in this book. Highly recommend to anyone who is interested in the history behind some of the most famous buildings and ceilings in the world.

My thanks to Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for a temporary digital edition via NetGalley of ‘The Art of Looking Up’ by Catherine McCormack in exchange for an honest review.

This is another sumptuous book by White Lion in which art historian Catherine McCormack surveys 40 fine art ceilings from around the world.

In four sections dedicated to Religion, Culture, Power, and Politics McCormack provides the stories behind the artworks, including their histories and the artists involved in the projects. It includes a wealth of stunning full-colour photographs of the ceilings including their details.

I was especially drawn to the ceilings in the Culture section including the Metro Stations of Stockholm, Sweden and the Palais Garnier, France decorated by Marc Chagall. The ceiling of the Dali Theatre-Museum in Catalonia was also very striking and effectively represented Dali’s surrealism.

A book that would make a beautiful and unusual gift.

Such a beautiful book. Visually stunning. A joy to have and to hold. It takes a close, detailed look at 40 of the worlds’ most spectacular and impressive ceilings. The author introduces each one and explains its genesis, history and execution in an accessible and readable way. The usual suspects, such as the Sistine Chapel, are featured, as you might expect but there are many surprises here too – from the Chihuly celling in the Ballagio Hotel in Las Vegas to the ceilings in the metro stations in Sweden. The photography is superb, and the illustrations are wonderfully detailed. The great delight with the book is that you can look at the ceilings in far greater detail than you can in real life, so that any visit to the actual building will be enhanced. And what a way for the armchair traveller to see these wonderful ceilings close-up. A book to treasure.

The photos in this book are so incredibly beautiful, and I also enjoyed the accompanying text. There are four categories-religious, culture, power, and politics. There are many locations in this book that you'd expect and some other lesser-known ceilings. The geographic diversity of the locations is also appreciated. This book would be an excellent coffee-table book or gift for a friend.

Wow. Just...wow.

As amazing as these photos looked on my phone, they must be all the more incredible within the confines of a hardback copy, and breathtaking in person (I've only been to one of the places featured in this work). This is a near-immeasurably useful aid in assigning context/appreciation to these ceilings, many of which have so many different stories to tell--speaking of which, the brief history descriptions that accompany the photos are very well done, as they take up minimal area, stay massively informative, and shed light on why they're in the book.

Covering many buildings across the categories of religion, culture, politics, and power, you're treated to at least one jaw-dropping image per entry. I'd be curious to know if there were some visits that didn't make the final cut for whatever reason.

There's no telling how many times you could flip through these pages and find something new to appreciate; furthermore, with the benefit of McCormack's work, you can calmly survey the paintings for yourself, examining the details, as I'm sure many of the opportunities to tour these sites would present their own problems (neck cramps, time constraints, strained eyesight).

I really can't praise this enough. Simply put: What a cool book. It provides the reader the opportunity to seriously enjoy some art they otherwise wouldn't get a close-up of.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group, and White Lion Publishing for the advance read.

The Art of Looking Up by Catherine McCormack is more than just an art history book. This work is a showpiece that will take your breath away as you turn each page. The images captured in the book demonstrate the incredible ability of mankind to create lasting beauty. Each work is followed by a detailed history of the artist, the location, and the process of creation. This book would be a perfect gift or a coffee table book for your home or office.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

My favorite church in Montreal, if not the whole world, is Norte-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. In part, it is because of the life of its founder, but there is a simplicity in the chapel as well that makes the faith more secure, solid, physical. It’s true that it lacks something that the grand Notre Dame of Montreal has – the stunning ceiling. The Notre Dame ceiling is like a night sky, and it helps to make the interior of the building stunning. One does wonder, periodically, how many people actually notice it.

Luckily, we have Catherine McCormack’s excellent book to make up the difference. This beautiful edition contains stunning photographs as well as brief history and information about the various places included in the book. The longest section of text is the introduction, which includes a discussion of the absence of women artists.

The book is divided into different sections based on the purpose of the various buildings. The sections are Religion, Culture, Power, and Politics. The power section is primary royal residences, and culture includes theaters and museums

It is to McCormack’s credit that the book is varied in the various places. While some might quibble about the various choices, McCormack choses a good variety of places that are from far more than Europe. The religion section in particular includes far more than Christianity, which is nice. But I think the best inclusion was the Metro Stations of Sweden, a nice choice of something that many people would have totally ignored.

When I came back from Europe a few years ago I had more than a few photos of various ceilings from all the places I visited, so many years later looking through those pictures I couldn't really understand why I had so many. This book reminded me why.
And that's because the attention to detail in all these locations is amazing. Looking at the pictures in this book reminded me of the feeling of pure awe when you walk through these places.
I don't use the word "gorgeous" all that often but that's exactly what the pictures in this book are.

What stunning book full of absolutely gorgeous photos of beautiful art all around us- specifically ceilings. This book opened my eyes to how much beauty we are surrounded by and may be missed. I enjoyed the explanations that came along with the pictures. There are many places added to my bucket list now that would be an absolute delight to see in real life. Thank you to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion Publishing for an ARC review in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent book full of amazing pictures. I liked the explanations and I loved the photos.
I think this book will be great in paper.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.