The A to Z of Renaissance Art by
The Renaissance era was launched in Italy and gradually spread to the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, and other parts of Europe and the New World, with figures like Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Albrecht DYrer, and Albrecht Altdorfer. It was the era that produced some of the icons of civilization, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Last Supper and Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling, Piet^, and David. Marked as one of the greatest moments in history, the outburst of creativity of the era resulted in the most influential artistic revolution ever to have taken place. The period produced a substantial number of notable masters, among them Caravaggio, Donato Bramante, Donatello, El Greco, Filippo Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, and Tintoretto. The result was an outstanding number of exceptional works of art and architecture that pushed human potential to new heights. The A to Z of Renaissance Art covers the years 1250 to 1648, the period most disciplines place as the Renaissance Era. A complete portrait of this remarkable period is depicted in this book through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 500 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on major Renaissance painters, sculptors, architects, and patrons, as well as relevant historical figures and events, the foremost artistic centers, schools and periods, major themes and subjects, noteworthy commissions, technical processes, theoretical material, literary and philosophic sources for art, and art historical terminology.
The Concise Dictionary of Art Terms by
From abstract art to woodcuts, and the Baroque Revival to ziggurats, this highly readable dictionary is the ideal reference source for students of Art and all related subjects, for gallery visitors, and for all people interested in the visual arts.
A Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art by
This unique and authoritative reference work contains around 2,000 clear and concise entries on all aspects of modern and contemporary art. Its impressive range of terms includes movements, styles, techniques, artists, critics, dealers, schools, and galleries. There are biographical entries for artists worldwide from the beginning of the 20th century through to today's globalized art world, from conservatives and academics to the most controversial of the avant-garde, from household names to a host of lesser known figures. There are indications of public collections and publicly sited works, and in-depth entries for key topics (for example, Cubism, abstract art, and Conceptual art): this dictionary is a fascinating and thorough guide for anyone with an interest in modern and contemporary culture, amateur or professional.
Dictionary of Modern and Contemporary Art
This authoritative reference work boasts worldwide coverage of modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present day. It features A to Z entries on movements, styles, techniques, artists, critics, schools, and galleries. A valuable resource for artists, art students, and art lovers, it gives indication of public collections and publicly sited works as well as suggestions for further reading within entries.
Dictionary of Subject & Symbols in Art by
Provides information about the themes, sacred and secular, on which the repertoire of Western art is based.
Dictionary Plus Art and Architecture
This dictionary comprises authoritative, highly accessible entries on artists, architects, and their works. These entries are supplementary to other art and architecture titles in the Quick Reference collection, and are written by specialist authors. The dictionary is an ongoing project, and more entries will be added over time.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture by
The Grove Encyclopedia of Classical Art and Architecture is the most current and comprehensive reference resource for the visual arts of the Classical period. It features an abundance of in-depth articles on this field of enduring importance—from biographies to thematic entries on architecture, ceramics, metalwork, mosaics, painting and sculpture. The resource provides fascinating and authoritative art historical and cultural information about art forms, artists, rulers, philosophers, architecture, renowned works of art, archaeological sites and stylistic developments. Notable important subjects include the Apollo Belvedere, Carthage, the Euphronios krater, the Laokoon, Troy, the Venus de Milo and much more. Encompassing over four thousand years of artistry and innovation, this resource spans every art form, medium and civilization from Cycladic, Minoan, Helladic, and Etruscan art to the fall of the Roman Empire. Drawing upon the unparalleled scholarship in The Dictionary of Art (1996), and adding dozens of newly commissioned entries on recent archaeological discoveries, fully updated bibliography and over 600 illustrations, this publication sets a new standard in Classical studies.
The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art by
The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art offers the most current and comprehensive scholarly information on the visual arts of the Renaissance in Northern Europe. Unparalleled in scope and depth, covers a wide range of subject areas, addressing people and subjects specific to all areas of Northern, Central, and Eastern Europe, including the diverse geographical regions that now encompass the modern nations of Germany, Austria, France, England, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, Poland, and Russia. Featuring rich and engaging articles on artists, artisans, patrons, painting, architecture, sculpture, cities, centres of production, theory, criticism, and more, this reference work is an indispensible resource for scholars, collectors, and students alike. Drawing upon the unsurpassed scholarship in The Dictionary of Art and adding dozens of new entries and hundreds of updated bibliographies, this publication sets a new standard in Northern Renaissance studies.
Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture by
Neoclassicism refers to the revival of classical art and architecture beginning in Europe in the 1750s and lasting until around 1830, with late Neoclassicism lingering through the 1870s. Neoclassicism is a highly complex movement that brought together seemingly disparate issues into a new and culturally rich era, one that was, however, remarkably unified under the banner of classicism. This movement was born in Italy and France and then spread across Europe to Russia and across the ocean to the United States. The Historical Dictionary of Neoclassical Art and Architecture provides an overview of Neoclassicism, focusing on its major artists, architects, stylistic subcategories, ideas, and historical framework of the 18th century style found mainly in Europe and the United States. This is done through a chronology, an introductory essay, an extensive bibliography, and over 200 dictionary entries on famous artists, sculptors, architects, patrons, and other historical figures and events.
Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art by
The Renaissance era was launched in Italy and gradually spread to the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, France, and other parts of Europe and the New World, with figures like Robert Campin, Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Albrecht DYrer, and Albrecht Altdorfer. It was the era that produced some of the icons of civilization, including Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa and Last Supper and Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling, Piet^, and David. Marked as one of the greatest moments in history, the outburst of creativity of the era resulted in the most influential artistic revolution ever to have taken place. The period produced a substantial number of notable masters, among them Caravaggio, Donato Bramante, Donatello, El Greco, Filippo Brunelleschi, Masaccio, Sandro Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, and Tintoretto. The result was an outstanding number of exceptional works of art and architecture that pushed human potential to new heights. The Historical Dictionary of Renaissance Art covers the years 1250 to 1648, the period most disciplines place as the Renaissance Era. A complete portrait of this remarkable period is depicted in this book through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 500 hundred cross-referenced dictionary entries on major Renaissance painters, sculptors, architects, and patrons, as well as relevant historical figures and events, the foremost artistic centers, schools and periods, major themes and subjects, noteworthy commissions, technical processes, theoretical material, literary and philosophic sources for art, and art historical terminology.
Historical Dictionary of Rococo Art by
The Rococo emerged in France around 1700 as a playful revolt against the grandeur of the Baroque and the solemnity of Classicism. It flourished during the reign of Louis XV and began to go out of fashion in the second half of the 18th century. During this brief period of less than a century, it spread throughout the courts and cities of Europe, with significant regional variations on the style developing in Bavaria, Potsdam, Venice, and Great Britain. The period produced an extraordinary number of artistic innovators, who challenged received conventions, developed novel subject categories, and eroded hierarchical distinctions between the arts. The Historical Dictionary of Rococo Art covers all aspects of Rococo art history through a chronology, an introductory essay, a review of the literature, an extensive bibliography, and over 350 cross-referenced dictionary entries on prominent Rococo painters, sculptors, decorative artists, architects, patrons, theorists, and critics, as well as major centers of artistic production. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Rococo art.
Historical Dictionary of Surrealism by
Surrealism was a broad movement, which attracted many adherents. It was organized and quite strictly disciplined, at least until the death of its leader, AndrZ Breton, in 1966. As a consequence, its membership was in a constant state of flux: persons were constantly being admitted and excluded, and often the latter continued to regard themselves as Surrealists. The wide-ranging nature of the Surrealist movement was spread over many countries and many different art forms, including painting, sculpture, cinema, photography, music, theater, and literature, most notably poetry. The Historical Dictionary of Surrealism relates the history of this movement through a chronology, an introductory essay, a bibliography, and over 600 cross-referenced dictionary entries on persons, circles, and groups who participated in the movement; a global entry on some of the journals and reviews they produced; and a sampling of major works of art, cinema, and literature.
Oxford Dicitionary of Art and Artists
Covering Western art from the ancient Greeks to the present day, this best-selling and authoritative dictionary is more wide-ranging than any comparable reference work. It contains clear and concise entries on styles and movements, materials and techniques, and museums and galleries. It also includes biographical entries for artists, critics, collectors, dealers, and patrons, with places and full dates of birth and death (in many instances correcting misinformation that has found its way into other sources). For this new edition, entries have been thoroughly revised and updated, and almost fifty new entries have been added, for example Ai Weiwei and Anne Vallayer-Coster. Written in an engaging manner with many entries enlivened by quotations from artists and critics, this dictionary is a pleasure to browse, and it is ideal for artists, visitors to art exhibitions and galleries, and anyone with an interest in art.
The Oxford Dictionary of Art by
The Oxford Dictionary of Art is the unrivalled one-volume guide to the art of the Western world. It provides a careful balance of fact and critical appraisal, ranging across painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts from classical times to the present.
The Dictionary of Art by
Boasting well over 6,000 contributors from 12 countries, the Dictionary offers its readers authoritative and comprehensive global coverage. A resource for both art and cultural studies, the Dictionary serves as a unique guide to all the visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, drawing, printmaking, as well as the decorative arts. The Dictionary ranges far both geographically and historically; it features unparalleled coverage of Africa, Southeast Asia, Central Asia and Mongolia, China, India, the Islamic world, Japan, Korea, Native North America, Pacific and Aboriginal Australia, Pre-Columbian America, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Ancient Near East, and Ancient Rome. Providing depth as well as breadth, The Dictionary of Art examines important art forms and key issues of design, taste, function, and patronage, illuminating them in light of the cultural context in which they developed.
The Eerdmans Encyclopedia of Early Christian Art and Archaeology by
Summary: More than 400 distinguished scholars, including archaeologists, art historians, historians, epigraphers, and theologians, have written the 1,455 entries in this monumental encyclopedia--the first comprehensive reference work of its kind. From Aachen to Zurzach, Paul Corby Finney's three-volume masterwork draws on archaeological and epigraphic evidence to offer readers a basic orientation to early Christian architecture, sculpture, painting, mosaic, and portable artifacts created roughly between AD 200 and 600 in Africa, Asia, and Europe. Clear, comprehensive, and richly illustrated, this work will be an essential resource for all those interested in late antique and early Christian art, archaeology, and history. -- Provided by publisher.
The Encyclopedia of Latin American and Caribbean Art by
The nearly 1,400 articles in this volume cover all the major artistic developments in Central and South America and the Caribbean from the colonial period to the present. From 16th-century Spanish colonial architects such as Fray Andres San Miguel to European explorers such as Alexander von Humboldt to contemporary artists such as Debora Arango, the entries chart the adaptations of European artistic traditions and the evolution of individual national cultures.
The Oxford Dictionary of the Renaissance by
Review: "It is rare to find a comprehensive dictionary on such a vast topic in one volume. It is also uncommon to discover that the majority of the book's high-quality entries were written by one scholar. The breadth and depth of this publication are impressive, covering science and law as well as literature, philosophy, art, and religion."--"The Top 20 Reference Titles of the Year," American Libraries, May 2004.
The Yale Dictionary of Art and Artists by
The Yale Dictionary of Art and Artists is a superb reference work dealing with all aspects of Western art from 1300 to the present day. It provides information on painters, sculptors, and graphic artists, technical processes, terminology, theory, schools, movements, patrons and collecting, and much more. There are also extended conceptual entries ranging over such subjects as abstraction, allegory, genres, iconography, illusionism, minimalism, realism, and symbolism. Written by Erika Langmuir and Norbert Lynton, the 3,000 entries are unusually readable and lucid, providing vivid characterizations of artistic styles and artists. Entries vary between short and encyclopedic; major artists and artists whose careers or talents have recently been reassessed or who seem to merit reassessment are given a fuller treatment. There is extensive cross-referencing between entries.
Art History: the Basics by
The Basics is a concise and accessible introduction for the general reader and the undergraduate approaching the history of art for the first time at college or university. It will give you answers to questions like: What is art and art history? What are the main methodologies used to understand art? How have ideas about form, sex and gender shaped representation? What connects art with psychoanalysis, semiotics and Marxism? How are globalization and postmodernism changing art and art history? Each chapter introduces key ideas, issues and debates in art history, including information on relevant websites and image archives. Fully illustrated with an international range of artistic examples, Art History: The Basics also includes helpful subject summaries, further ideas for reading in each chapter, and a useful glossary for easy reference.
Art History: the Key Concepts by
The Key Concepts is a systematic, reliable and accessible reference guide to the disciplines of art history and visual culture. Containing entries on over 200 terms integral to the historical and theoretical study of art, design and culture in general, it is an indispensable source of knowledge for all students, scholars and teachers. Covering the development, present status and future direction of art history, entries span a wide variety of terms and concepts such as abstract expressionism, epoch, hybridity, semiology and zeitgeist. Key features include: a user-friendly A-Z format fully cross-referenced entries suggestions for further reading. Engaging and insightful, as well as easy to follow and use, Art History: The Key Concepts builds a radical intellectual synthesis for understanding and teaching art, art history and visual culture.
The Art of Art History by
New edition of this key guide to art history, which takes a critical reading of the field's most innovative and influential texts over the past two centuries, including the most important new writing on the most recent work in a variety of new media. - ;What is art history? Why, how, and where did it originate, and how have its methods changed over time? The history of art has been written and rewritten since classical antiquity. Since the foundation of the modern discipline of art history in Germany in the late eighteenth century, debates about art and its histories have intensified. Historians, philosophers, psychologists, and anthropologists among others have changed our notions of what art history has been, is, and might be. This anthology is a guide to understanding art history through critical reading of the field>'s most innovative and influential texts, focusing on the past two centuries. Each section focuses on a key issue: art as history; aesthetics; form, content, and style; anthropology; meaning and interpretation; authorship and identity; and the phenomenon of globalization. More than thirty readings from writers as diverse as Winckelmann, Kant, Mary Kelly, and Michel Foucault are brought together, with editorial introductions to each topic providing background information, bibliographies, and critical elucidations of the issues at stake. This updated and expanded edition contains sixteen newly included extracts from key thinkers in the history of art, from Giorgio Vasari to Walter Benjamin and Satya Mohanty; a new section on globalization; and also a new concluding essay from Donald Preziosi on the tasks of the art historian today. -
Critical Terms for Art History by
"Art" has always been contested terrain, whether the object in question is a medieval tapestry or Duchamp's Fountain. But questions about the categories of "art" and "art history" acquired increased urgency during the 1970s, when new developments in critical theory and other intellectual projects dramatically transformed the discipline. The first edition of Critical Terms for Art History both mapped and contributed to those transformations, offering a spirited reassessment of the field's methods and terminology.Art history as a field has kept pace with debates over globalization and other social and political issues in recent years, making a second edition of this book not just timely, but crucial. Like its predecessor, this new edition consists of essays that cover a wide variety of "loaded" terms in the history of art, from sign to meaning, ritual to commodity. Each essay explains and comments on a single term, discussing the issues the term raises and putting the term into practice as an interpretive framework for a specific work of art. For example, Richard Shiff discusses "Originality" in Vija Celmins's To Fix the Image in Memory, a work made of eleven pairs of stones, each consisting of one "original" stone and one painted bronze replica. In addition to the twenty-two original essays, this edition includes nine new ones--performance, style, memory/monument, body, beauty, ugliness, identity, visual culture/visual studies, and social history of art--as well as new introductory material. All help expand the book's scope while retaining its central goal of stimulating discussion of theoretical issues in art history and making that discussion accessible to both beginning students and senior scholars.
Fifty Key Texts in Art History by
"Arranged chronologically, each entry includes a bibliography for further reading and a key word index for easy reference. Text selections range across issues including artistic value, cultural identity, modernism, gender, psychoanalysis, photographic theory, poststructuralism and postcolonialism.
Global and Local Art Histories by
There are now many books on postcolonial theory, yet relatively few of them gather together sustained, dynamic and insightful analyses of visuality, art and art history outside of hegemonic Euro-American themes and concerns. Global and Local Art Histories explores what it means to have a global and local experience of art. The 15 essays published here suggest ways of interpreting works of art from a broad range of cultural perspectives, many of them transcultural.Here are voices contesting concepts of history and culture, evaluating and exploring global and local identities in a changing world. Because of the variety of different approaches and cultural perspectives that Global and Local Art Histories brings together, the book presents a unique opportunity to question what we mean by that dangerously globalising category: “the work of art” and “art history” exploring “g-local” approaches that challenge such falsely universalising rubrics.
The New Art History by
The New Art History provides a comprehensive introduction to the fundamental changes which have occurred in both the institutions and practice of art history over the last thirty years. Jonathan Harris examines and accounts for the new approaches to the study of art which have been grouped loosely under the term 'the new art history'. He distinguishes between these and earlier forms of 'radical' or 'critical' analysis, explores the influence of other disciplines and traditions on art history, and relates art historical ideas and values to social change. Structured around an examination of key texts by major contemporary critics, including Tim Clarke, Griselda Pollock, Fred Orton, Albert Boime, Alan Wallach and Laura Mulvey, each chapter discusses a key moment in the discipline of art history, tracing the development and interaction of Marxist, feminist and psychoanalytic critical theories.
Art and Music by
God made us to enjoy beauty wherever we find it, whether it’s music or the visual arts. But sin finds ways to obscure what is right in front of our eyes and ears. Drawing on years of teaching experience, two professors offer tips for understanding, evaluating, and appreciating art in all its forms while highlighting the important ways in which art and music reflect the glory of God. This book will help you better understand and appreciate humanity’s pursuit and imitation of beauty through artistic expression―a vital means by which we bear witness to the beauty of our Creator.
Art in Detail by
"Great paintings cannot be fully understood in a single encounter... [This book] spotlights the finer points a quick glance will almost certainly fail to reveal. These include subtle internal details, such as hidden symbols. Expert commentary reveals the technical tricks employed by the artist to achieve particular effects... and also looks at the themes and external and personal factors influencing the creation of an artwork..."--Book jacket.
Art in Time by
Art in Time is the first book to embed art movements within the larger context of politics and history. Global in scope and featuring an innovative present‐to‐past arrangement, the book’s accessible text looks back on the most significant art styles and movements, from the present day to antiquity. Pages of historical photographs, documents, newspaper headlines, and other ephemera evoke the times in which styles and movements arose. The book opens with The Information Age (Internet Art, Neo‐Expressionaism, Arte Povera) and closes with The Classical Age (Roman wall painting, Hellenistic Greek style), covering everything from Photorealism, Art Brut, Ukiyo‐e, and Byzantine style in between. An integrated timeline provides a linear thread throughout the book, while succinct, authoritative text illuminates key points.
Color in Art by
Summary: Art historian Zuffi surveys color throughout (mostly Western) art history while sharing entertaining stories about the range of moods and meanings that color can convey in art.
Conversations on Art and Aesthetics by
What is art? What counts as an aesthetic experience? Does art have to beautiful? Can one reasonably dispute about taste? What is the relation between aesthetic and moral evaluations? How to interpret a work of art? Can we learn anything from literature, film or opera? What is sentimentality? What is irony? How to think philosophically about architecture, dance, or sculpture? What makes something a great portrait? Is music representational or abstract? Why do we feel terrified when we watch a horror movie even though we know it to be fictional? In Conversations on Art and Aesthetics, Hans Maes discusses these and other key questions in aesthetics with ten world-leading philosophers of art: Noel Carroll, Gregory Currie, Arthur Danto, Cynthia Freeland, Paul Guyer, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Jerrold Levinson, Jenefer Robinson, Roger Scruton, and Kendall Walton. The exchanges are direct, open, and sharp, and give a clear account of these thinkers' core ideas and intellectual development. They also offer new insights into, and a deeper understanding of, contemporary issues in the philosophy of art.
Experiencing Art by
How do we appreciate a work of art? Why do we like some artworks but not others? Is there no accounting for taste? Awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship to explore connections between art, mind, and brain, Shimamura considers how we experience art. In a thoughtful and entertaining manner, the book explores how the brain interprets art by engaging our sensations, thoughts, and emotions. It describes interesting findings from psychological and brain sciences as a way to understand our aesthetic response to art. Beauty, disgust, surprise, anger, sadness, horror, and a myriad of other emotions can occur as we experience art. Some artworks may generate such feelings rather quickly, while others depend on thought and knowledge. Our response to art depends largely on what we know--from everyday knowledge about the world, from our cultural backgrounds, and from personal experience. Filled with artworks from many traditions and time points, "Experiencing Art" offers insightful ways of broadening one's approach and appreciation of art.
Eye of the Beholder by
A Redemptive Theology of Art develops a biblical, systematic, and practical theology of aesthetics. It begins with the roots and ontology of aesthetics (vs. "art") and the architecture and narrative of affection and passion, their woes and their glory. Those who would search the Bible find little support for "art" as commonly conceived in the West. The language of aesthetics, applied to the maker's intentions, the qualities of the work, and the responses of the audience, better addresses the questions of beauty, and better suits the discussion of human actions, beliefs, and culture than the language of art does. The Bible yields more consistent and helpful answers to questions about the broader category of aesthetics than it does to questions about art; leading in turn to better questions and a more practical and theological appreciation of human affections, beauty, and delight, and the many paths by which people, including Christians, pursue them. Using the categories and definitions from Scripture, Covington gives hope and help not only for those who labor in the arts, but for everyone who cares about the passions that motivate us. We were made for God's delight, and, though sin and bondage plague our passions, God can shape our fun, feelings, desires, affections and aversions. Feelings are neither objective nor subjective; they are redeemable. Borrowing key ideas from other Christian writers on the arts or aesthetics, Covington explores the connection between orthodox Protestant theology and a responsible, respectful treatment of arts, artists, and all aesthetic fields of human work and speech.
Key Moments in Art by
"Key Moments in Art' describes fifty pivotal moments - some famous, others unfamiliar - from the Renaissance to the present day. Vivid, colourful vignettes capture the excitement of their times: when Michelangelo's David or Marcel Duchamp's Fountain were unveiled for the first time; when chance meetings have spurred artists to create compelling new styles, such as Impressionism or Pop Art; or when exhibitions have caused a public sensation. Lee Cheshire's storytelling approach is both entertaining and easy to remember. He celebrates artistic ingenuity and collaboration, but does not shy away from the arguments, fights and lawsuits that have dogged art's often-turbulent course. A reference section includes an invaluable glossary of art terms."--Page 4 of cover.
Rendez-Vous with Art by
Summary: Beginning with a fragment of yellow jasper--all that is left of the face of an Egyptian woman who lived 3,500 years ago, more enigmatic than the Mona Lisa--this book confronts the elusive questions: how, and why, do we look at art? The authors talked in art galleries, churches and museums around the world, and their book is structured around their journeys. But whether they were in the Louvre or the Prado, the Mauritshuis or the Palazzo Pitti, they reveal the pleasures of truly looking at works of art--as well as some of the pitfalls. This is neither a work of art history nor of art criticism--though it touches on aspects of both. Nor is it a conventional travel book, though to write it the authors met on two continents and in six countries. Always their destination was some outstanding collection or individual work of art, and the resulting discussion started from what they saw. The result is highly unusual and very personal: a book about what it feels like to experience pictures and sculptures. Both men convey, with subtlety and brilliance, the delights and significance of their subject matter--some of the greatest creations of human beings through our long history.
What Art Is by
Summary: "What is it to be a work of art? Renowned author and critic Arthur C. Danto addresses this fundamental, complex question. Part philosophical monograph and part memoiristic meditation, What Art Is challenges the popular interpretation that art is an indefinable concept, instead bringing to light the properties that constitute universal meaning. Danto argues that despite varied approaches, a work of art is always defined by two essential criteria: meaning and embodiment, as well as one additional criterion contributed by the viewer: interpretation. Danto crafts his argument in an accessible manner that engages with both philosophy and art across genres and eras, beginning with Plato's definition of art in The Republic, and continuing through the progress of art as a series of discoveries, including such innovations as perspective, chiaroscuro, and physiognomy. Danto concludes with a fascinating discussion of Andy Warhol's famous shipping cartons, which are visually indistinguishable from the everyday objects they represent. Throughout, Danto considers the contributions of philosophers including Descartes, Kant, and Hegel, and artists from Michelangelo and Poussin to Duchamp and Warhol, in this far-reaching examination of the interconnectivity and universality of aesthetic production."--Publisher's website.
Art in Spain and Portugal from the Romans to the Early Middle Ages by
In this colorfully illustrated book, Rose Walker surveys Spanish and Portuguese art and architecture from the time of the Roman conquest to the early twelfth century. For generations, scholarly discussions of such art have been complicated by a focus on maps of the pilgrimage roads and images of the Reconquista. Walker contextualizes these aspects by bringing together an exceptionally diverse range of academic studies, including work previously familiar only to Hispanophone audiences. By breaking down chronological, regional, and disciplinary divides that have limited scholarship on the subject for decades, this book enriches the wider English-language literature on early medieval art.
Byzantine Art by
For more than a millennium, from its creation in 330 CE until its fall in 1453, the Byzantine Empire was a cradle of artistic effervescence that is only beginning to be rediscovered. Endowed with the rich heritage of Roman, Eastern, and Christian cultures, Byzantine artists developed an architectural and pictorial tradition, marked by symbolism, whose influence extended far beyond the borders of the Empire. Today, Italy, North Africa, and the Near East preserve the vestiges of this sophisticated artistic tradition, with all of its mystical and luminous beauty. The magnificence of the palaces, churches, paintings, enamels, ceramics, and mosaics from this civilisation guarantees Byzantine art's powerful influence and timelessness.
A Companion to Greek Art by
"This well-illustrated two-volume set offers a comprehensive, authoritative account of the development of Greek art through the 1st millennium BC. While there is no shortage of introductory handbooks on Greek art, the current publication takes a fresh look at the many facets of the subject, from the basic forms, materials, and types, to colonization, iconography, and finally the reception of Greek art in post-classical periods. A Companion to Greek Art is a collaborative effort joining scholars of various nationalities and specializations. The chapter authors are foremost experts in their field, and, being drawn from the ranks of university lecturers and professors, museum curators and field archaeologists, they offer unique perspectives to the collection. As a result, this is an unbiased and inclusive representation of the state of the discipline and the current ways it is being examined by scholars all over the world. A Companion to Greek Art presents a nuanced portrait of the development of Greek art, through a narrative that is factually oriented and technically detailed, as well as thematic, contextual, and historiographical"-- Provided by publisher.
A Companion to Medieval Art by
A Companion to Medieval Art brings together cutting-edge scholarship devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic traditions in Northern Europe. Brings together cutting-edge scholarship devoted to the Romanesque and Gothic traditions in Northern Europe. Contains over 30 original theoretical, historical, and historiographic essays by renowned and emergent scholars. Covers the vibrancy of medieval art from both thematic and sub-disciplinary perspectives. Features an international and ambitious range - from reception, Gregory the Great, collecting, and pilgrimage art, to gender, patronage, the marginal, spolia, and manuscript illumination.
The Globalization of Renaissance Art by 
Gothic Art by
Gothic art finds its roots in the powerful architecture of the cathedrals of northern France. It is a medieval art movement that evolved throughout Europe over more than 200 years. Leaving curved Roman forms behind, the architects started using flying buttresses and pointed arches to open up cathedrals to daylight. A period of great economic and social change, the Gothic era also saw the development of a new iconography celebrating the Holy Mary – in drastic contrast to the fearful themes of dark Roman times. Full of rich changes in all of the various art forms (architecture, sculpture, painting, etc.), Gothic art paved the way for the Italian Renaissance and International Gothic movement.
Gothic Art by
Gothic art finds its roots in the powerful architecture of the cathedrals of northern France. It is a medieval art movement that evolved throughout Europe over more than 200 years. Leaving curved Roman forms behind, the architects started using flying buttresses and pointed arches to open up cathedrals to daylight. A period of great economic and social change, the Gothic era also saw the development of a new iconography celebrating the Holy Mary – in drastic contrast to the fearful themes of dark Roman times. Full of rich changes in all of the various art forms (architecture, sculpture, painting, etc.), Gothic art paved the way for the Italian Renaissance and International Gothic movement.
Medieval Art and Architecture after the Middle Ages by
Medieval Art and Architecture after the Middle Ages explores the endurance of and nostalgia for medieval monuments through their reception in later periods, specifically illuminating the myriad ways in which tangible and imaginary artifacts of the Middle Ages have served to articulate contemporary aspirations and anxieties. The essays in this interdisciplinary collection examine the afterlife of medieval works through their preservation, restoration, appropriation, and commodification in America, Great Britain, and across Europe from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. From the evocation of metaphors and tropes, to monumental projects of restoration and recreation—medieval visual culture has had a tremendous purchase in the construction of political, religious, and cultural practices of the Modern era. The authors assembled here engage a diverse spectrum of works, from Irish ruins and a former Florentine prison to French churches and American department stores, and an equally diverse array of media ranging from architecture and manuscripts to embroidery, monumental sculpture, and metalwork. With applications not only to the study of art and architecture, but also encompassing such varied fields as commerce, city planning, education, literature, collecting and exhibition design, this copiously illustrated anthology comprises a significant contribution to the study of medieval art and medievalism.
On the Art in the Ancient near East Vol. 1 by
This volume of collected essays brings together for the first time the range of Winter's pioneering studies related to Neo-Assyrian relief sculpture and seals, Phoenician and Syrian ivory and bronze production, and inter-polity connections across the various cultures of first millennium B.C.E. from the Aegean to Iran.
On the Art in the Ancient Near East Vol. 2 by
This second volume of collected essays, complement to volume one, focuses upon the art and culture of the third millennium B.C.E. in ancient Mesopotamia.
Ornament and Figure in Graeco-Roman Art by
How does ‘decoration'work? What are the relations between ‘figurative'and ‘ornamental'modes? And how do such modern western distinctions relate to other critical traditions? While these questions have been much debated among art historians, our book offers an ancient visual cultural perspective. On the one hand, we argue, Greek and Roman materials have proved instrumental in shaping modern assumptions. On the other hand, those ideologies are fundamentally removed from ancient ideas: an ancient perspective can therefore shed light on larger aesthetic debates about what images are – or indeed what they should be.This anthology of specially commissioned essays explores a variety of case studies (both literary and art historical alike): it discusses materials from across the ancient Mediterranean, and from Geometric art all the way through to late antiquity; the book also tackles questions of ‘figure'and ‘ornament'in relation to different media – including painting, free-standing statues, relief sculpture, mosaics and architecture. A particular feature of the volume lies in bringing together different national academic traditions, building a bridge between formalist approaches and broader cultural historical perspectives.
Renaissance Art by
The Renaissance began at the end of the 14th century in Italy and had extended across the whole of Europe by the second half of the 16th century. The rediscovery of the splendour of ancient Greece and Rome marked the beginning of the rebirth of the arts following the break-down of the dogmatic certitude of the Middle Ages. A number of artists began to innovate in the domains of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Depicting the ideal and the actual, the sacred and the profane, the period provided a frame of reference which influenced European art over the next four centuries.Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Botticelli, Fra Angelico, Giorgione, Mantegna, Raphael, Dürer and Bruegel are among the artists who made considerable contributions to the art of the Renaissance.
Renaissance Art by
Botticelli, Holbein, Leonardo, Dürer, Michelangelo: the names are familiar, as are the works, such as the Last Supper fresco, or the monumental marble statue of David. But who were these artists, why did they produce such memorable images, and how would their original beholders have viewed these objects? Was the Renaissance only about great masters and masterpieces, or were'mistresses'also involved, such as women artists and patrons? And what about the'minor'-pieces that Renaissance men and women would have encountered in homes, churches and civic spaces? This exciting and stimulating volume will answer such questions by considering both famous and lesser-known artists, patrons and works of art within the cultural and historical context of Renaissance Europe. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Abstract Art by
Abstraction shook Western art to its core. In the early part of the 20th century, it refuted the reign of clear, indisputable forms and confronted audiences instead with vivid visual poems devoid of conventional representational imagery and characterized by allegories of emotion and sensation. This radical artistic adventure established new artistic means, as much as narratives. Expression became characterized by shocking juxtapositions of color, light, and line. Artists abandoned the conventions of brush and easel and played with new materials and methods of artistic gesture: commercial paints and housepainter’s brushes, working on unstretched and unprimed canvases, moving the canvas to the floor, and applying paint with hands. This essential introduction spans the international breadth, conceptual depth, and seismic impact of abstract art with a thorough survey not only of the big names such as Picasso, Klee, Kline, Rothko, and Pollock, but also lesser-known figures who made equally significant contributions, including Antoni Tàpies, K. O. Götz, Ad Reinhardt, and Sophie Taeuber-Arp.
Art As History by
Summary: This richly illustrated book provides an anthology and summation of the work of one of the world's leading historians of Chinese painting and calligraphy. Wen Fong helped create the field of East Asian art history during a distinguished five-decade career at Princeton University and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Few if any writers in English have such a broad knoweldge of the history and practice of Chinese painting and calligraphy. In this collection of some of his most recent essays, Fong gives a sweeping tour through the history of Chinese painting and calligraphy as he offers new and revised views on a broad range of important subjects. The topics addressed include "art as history," in which each object preserves a moment in art's own significant history; the museum as a place of serious study and education; the close historical relationship between calligraphy and painting and their primary among Chinese fine arts; the parallel development of representational painting and sculpture in early painting history; the greater significance of brushwork, seen abstractly as a means of personal expression by the artist, in later painting history; the paradigmatic importance of the master-to-follower lineage in shaping the continuity and directing the subtle changes in Chinese painting history; and the critical necessity of authenticated works for establishing an accurate art history. THroughout the book, Fong skillfully combines close analysis and detailed contextualization of individual works to reveal how the study of Chinese painting and calligraphy yields deep insights into Chinese culture and history. -- from dust jacket.
Art of the Northern Renaissance by
In this account, Stephanie Porras charts the fascinating story of art in northern Europe during the Renaissance period (c.1400-1570). She explains how artists and patrons from the regions north of the Alps - the Low Countries, France, England, Germany - responded to an era of rapid political, social, economic and religious change, while redefining the status of art. Porras discusses not only paintings by artists from Jan van Eyck to Pieter Bruegel, but also sculpture, architecture, prints, metalwork, embroidery, tapestry and armour. Each chapter presents works from a roughly twenty-year period and is also focused on a broad thematic issue, such as the flourishing of the print industry or the mobility of Northern artists and art works. The author traces the influence of aristocratic courts as centres of artistic production and the rise of an urban merchant class leading to the creation of new consumers and new art products. This book offers a richly illustrated narrative that allows readers to understand the progression, variety and key conceptual developments of Northern Renaissance Art.
Byzantine Art by
Summary: "A beautifully illustrated, new edition of the best single-volume guide to Byzantine art, providing an introduction to the whole period and range of styles."-- Provided by publisher.
Contemporary Art: World Currents by 
Experiencing medieval art by
Summary: Across the nine thematic chapters of Experiencing Medieval Art, renowned art historian Herbert L. Kessler considers functional objects as well as paintings and sculptures; the circumstances, processes, and materials of production; the conflictual relationship between art objects and notions of an ineffable deity; the context surrounding medieval art; and questions of apprehension, aesthetics, and modern presentation. He also introduces the exciting discoveries and revelations that have revolutionized contemporary understanding of medieval art and identifies the vexing challenges that still remain. With 16 color plates and 81 images in all--including the stained glass of Chartres Cathedral, the mosaics of San Marco, and the Utrecht Psalter, as well as newly discovered works such as the frescoes in Rome's aula gotica and a twelfth-century aquamanile in Hildesheim--Experiencing Medieval Art makes the complex history of medieval art accessible for students of art history and scholars of medieval history, theology, and literature. -- Back cover. Summary: "Experiencing Medieval Art is an extensive revision and expansion of the author's Seeing Medieval Art, originally published in 2004. Renowned art historian Herbert L. Kessler considers often-strange objects and the materials of which they are made, circumstances of production, the conflictual relationship between art objects and notions of an ineffable deity, the context surrounding medieval art, the playfulness of art and the formal movements it engaged, as well as questions of apprehension, aesthetics, and modern presentation. Kessler introduces the exciting discoveries and revelations that have revolutionized the understanding of medieval art and identifies the vexing challenges that still remain. Examining such well-known monuments as the stained glass in Chartres cathedral, mosaics in San Marco Venice, and Utrecht Psalter, as well as newly discovered works--including the frescoes in Rome's "aula gotica" and a twelfth-century aquamanile in Hildesheim--Kessler makes the complex history of medieval art accessible for students of art history, teachers in the field, and scholars of medieval history, theology, and literature."-- Provided by publisher.
Italian Renaissance Art by
Now in its second edition, Italian Renaissance Art presents an updated and even more accessible history. The book has been split into two volumes: the first, covering the period 1300 to 1510; the second, 1490 to 1600. The volumes retain the same innovative decade-by-decade structure as the first edition, and a number of chapters have been revised by the authors to reflect the latest scholarship. The coverage of the Trecento has been expanded, and a new appendix section explains all the key Renaissance art-making techniques, with illustrations and step-by-steps for such processes as lost-wax casting. This book tells the story of art in the great cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice while profiling a range of other centers throughout Italy―including in this edition art from Naples, Padua, and Palermo. 836 illustrations, 722 in color
Japanese Art by
Summary: The uniqueness of Japanese culture rests on the fact that, throughout its history, Japan has continually taken, adapted, and transformed diverse influences from Korea, China, the South Seas, Europe, and the Americas into distinct traditions of its own. Extensively revised, updated, and expanded since its first publication, this authoritative survey of the arts of Japan from the prehistoric period to the present brings together the results of the most recent research on the subject. Profusely illustrated with examples from all the arts - painting, calligraphy, the decorative arts, and architecture - and with a wide-ranging bibliography, Japanese Art addresses itself equally to those who come to the subject for the first time and to the student. It is a concise overview of a fascinating and perplexing culture in which interest has never been greater than it is today.
Modern Art in Detail by
Summary: Great works of art cannot be fully understood in a single encounter. This is perhaps even truer for modern artworks that may not immediately make sense to, or even appeal to, the casual observer. Viewing an artwork -- whether it is a painting, sculpture, installation, video, or photograph -- as a whole is one method of interacting with it, but a deeper understanding can only be gained by analyzing it in detail. "Modern Art in Detail: 75 Masterpieces" spotlights the finer points that even connoisseurs may miss. The book includes all the minutiae that a quick glance will almost certainly fail to reveal, including subtle internal details. Susie Hodge writes intelligently and informatively about relevant external influences on the artist--everything from global political events to groundbreaking movements such as Cubism, Futurism, and Primitivism, and even scientific and mathematical theories. This book examines seventy-five artworks from the late nineteenth century to the modern day. It treats each of its subjects on its own merits, but it also views each as part of a tradition that links it to the past, which sees artists pass a baton down through the ages. Moreover, it charts the shift from the supremacy of artistic technique to the dominance of the idea or concept behind the object created.
Ovid and the Metamorphoses of Modern Art from Botticelli to Picasso by
Summary: "Written in the spirit of Ovid, this lively and erudite book traces the art derived from Ovid's Metamorphoses from the Renaissance up to the present day. The Metamorphoses has been more widely illustrated than any other book except the Bible; for centuries, great artists have drawn, painted, and sculpted its stories, the artists often responding not only to Ovid's work but to one another's in their depictions. Paul Barolsky, a specialist in Italian Renaissance art and literature, explores Ovid's unparalleled influence on the visual arts, discussing works by many of the most famous artists of the past six centuries. Broadly interdisciplinary, the new understanding of the themes of the Metamorphoses revealed here will appeal to those in the fields of Renaissance art, humanism, literature, history, and classics, among others. At once witty, entertaining, and profound, Ovid and the Metamorphoses of Modern Art from Botticelli to Picasso is a meditation on what words can achieve that images cannot, and conversely what images can show that words cannot tell."-- Provided by publisher.
The Ceremonial Sculptures of the Roman Gods by
This study examines the visual and textual evidence for free-standing images of gods which functioned ceremonially in order to determine the distinct formats, the defining characteristics, and in which ceremony or ceremonies each type functioned.
Classical Bronzes by
One of the world's leading authorities on ancient bronze sculpture, Carol C. Mattusch urges us to discard the terms "Greek original" and "Roman copy" and to adopt instead terms that distinguish unique works from those produced in series and those produced as variations on a theme. She discusses the dating of bronzes based on criteria of technique and style, and considers technical innovations in the art of portraiture. Most controversially, she offers evidence that Greek artists cast bronzes in series based on a single model.
Elemental Sculpture by
This book represents a research endeavour in the area of contemporary sculpture, describing an unexplored tendency in the development of the relationship between sculpture and the natural elements, referred to here as Elemental Sculpture. The studies included in this book reveal the context of locations where this kind of sculpture may be found – park, urban landscape, nature – and discuss the impact of these places on the development of sculpture.This book examines the tendency towards Elemental Sculpture as part of a new level of relationship between man and nature in arts and in general. It presents in-depth research of contemporary sculpture, the roots of Elemental Sculpture and its development in the works of such well-known sculptors as Barbara Hepworth, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, George Rickey, and Susumu Shingu, among others. Sculptures created by the author in the area of Elemental Sculpture during 35 years of his professional career are included and described from theoretical and practical points of view.
The Emergence of the Classical Style in Greek Sculpture by
In this wide-ranging study, Richard Neer offers a new way to understand the epoch-making sculpture of classical Greece. Working at the intersection of art history, archaeology, literature, and aesthetics, he reveals a people fascinated with the power of sculpture to provoke wonder in beholders. Wonder, not accuracy, realism, naturalism or truth, was the supreme objective of Greek sculptors. Neer traces this way of thinking about art from the poems of Homer to the philosophy of Plato. Then, through meticulous accounts of major sculpture from around the Greek world, he shows how the demand for wonder-inducing statues gave rise to some of the greatest masterpieces of Greek art. Rewriting the history of Greek sculpture in Greek terms and restoring wonder to a sometimes dusty subject, The Emergence of the Classical Style in Greek Sculpture is an indispensable guide for anyone interested in the art of sculpture or the history of the ancient world.
Greek Sculpture by
Ancient Greek sculpture seems to have a timeless quality – provoking reactions that may range from awe to alienation. Yet it was a particular product of its age: and to know how and why it was once created is to embark upon an understanding of its 'Classic' status. In this richly illustrated and carefully written survey, encompassing works from c.700 BC to the end of antiquity, Nigel Spivey expounds not only the social function of Greek sculpture but also its aesthetic and technical achievement. Fresh approaches are reconciled with traditional modes of study as the connoisseurship of this art is sympathetically unravelled, while source material and historical narratives are woven into detailed explanations, putting the art into its proper context. Greek Sculpture is the ideal textbook for students of classics, classical civilisation, art history and archaeology – and an accessible account for all interested readers.
Greek Sculpture by
If the Soul is Christian, Beauty is Greek. Freud defines aesthetics as the intellectual construction of personal parameters that express themselves in sublime emotions. In Greek sculpture, man becomes God, and the gods lend their image to humanity. Defying the laws of gravity, Greek sculptors explored the harmony, forms, and spaces that have shaped our unconscious according to the canons of eternal beauty for more than two thousand years.Art historian Edmund von Mach reflects on the epic story of how the hand of man came to transform marble into works of art, art that contributed substantially to the permanent legacy of civilisations.This work is a study of Greek sculpture between the seventh and the first centuries B.C., based on an extensive examination of iconography and presented as an erudite, yet accessible text for everyone.
The Lives of Sumerian Sculpture by
This book examines the sculptures created during the Early Dynastic period (2900–2350 BC) of Sumer, a region corresponding to present-day southern Iraq. Featured almost exclusively in temple complexes, some 550 Early Dynastic stone statues of human figures carved in an abstract style have survived. Chronicling the intellectual history of ancient Near Eastern art history and archaeology at the intersection of sculpture and aesthetics, this book argues that the early modern reception of Sumer still influences ideas about these sculptures. Engaging also with the archaeology of the Early Dynastic temple, the book ultimately considers what a stone statue of a human figure has signified, both in modern times and in antiquity.
Regional Schools in Hellenistic Sculpture by
Essays describing recent research and new discoveries of Hellenistic sculpture, based on papers presented at an international conference at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens in 1996. The contributions include: Hellenistic sculpture at Corinth (Mary Sturgeon); The Lysippan Herakles as Vajrapani in Hadda (Katherine Schwab); Attic sculpture at Kallipolis (Aitolia). A cult group of Demeter and Kore (Petros Themelis); Goddess or Queen? A colossal marble head in the Athenian Agora (Andrew Stewart); Tradition and innovation in early Pergamene sculpture (John Marszal); Rhodian sculpture: a school, a style, or many workshops (Carol Mattusch); The victory of Samothrace (Ira Mark); Problems in provenance and patronage: a group of Late Hellenistic statuettes from Paestum (John Pedley); Hellenistic sculpture under the Roman Empire: Fishermen and satyrs at Aphrodisias (R R R Smith) .
Sculpture by
Mega Square Sculpture spans over 23,000 years and over 120 examples of the most beautiful sculptures in the world: from prehistoric art and Egyptian statues to the works of Michelangelo, Henry Moore and Niki de Saint-Phalle. It illuminates the wide variety of materials used and the evolution of styles over centuries, as well as the peculiarities of the most important sculptors.
Statues in Roman Society by
Statues are among the most familiar remnants of classical art. Yet their prominence in ancient society is often ignored. In the Roman world statues were ubiquitous. Whether they were displayed as public honours or memorials, collected as works of art, dedicated to deities, venerated as gods, or violated as symbols of a defeated political regime, they were recognized individually and collectively as objects of enormous significance. By analysing ancient texts and images, Statues in Roman Society unravels the web of associations which surrounded Roman statues. Addressing all categories of statuary together for the first time, it illuminates them in ancient terms, explaining expectations of what statues were or ought to be and describing the Romans'uneasy relationship with'the other population'in their midst.
Assyrian Reliefs from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II by
The well-known narrative images of the Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II (883–859 B.C.E.) at war and at the hunt are discussed frequently in studies of ancient Near Eastern art. By comparison, the iconic reliefs depicting the ruler, his genies, and the “sacred tree,” which are repeated over and over within the decorative scheme of Ashurnasirpal’s palace in Nimrud, part of modern-day Iraq, are less studied and imperfectly understood by scholars. This volume of collected essays on the reliefs at Dartmouth College and related works in other museums across the United States and in international institutions sheds new light on their meanings, importance, and history. Following the discovery of the reliefs in the nineteenth century, institutions and individuals in Europe and North America competed to acquire them. The greatest number went into European collections in the countries of their discoverers, but “surplus” relief fragments, usually of supernatural figures and trees, were shipped to America, and many found their way to colleges and universities. The essays in this volume explore the iconography of the reliefs, the fascinating story of their discovery and dispersal throughout the West, their biblical connections, and their cultural, artistic, and historical meanings. The book takes the reader from the ancient world of Assyria to its modern rediscovery to the digital reconstruction of the Nimrud palace. Lavishly illustrated with over 115 color and 35 black-and-white images, Assyrian Reliefs from the Palace of Ashurnasirpal II will engage and inform the student, the scholar, as well as the museum visitor.
Christian Responses to Roman Art and Architecture by
Summary: Nasrallah shows how early Christians took up themes of justice, piety, and even the question of whether humans could be gods. They did so in the midst of sculptures that conveyed visually that humans could be gods, monumental architecture that made claims about the justice and piety of the Roman imperial family, and ideas of geography that placed Greek or Roman ethnicity at the center of the known world. --from publisher description.
The Craft and Art of Clay by
Summary: Widely considered to be the most comprehensive introduction to ceramics available, this book contains numerous step-by-step illustrations of all ceramic techniques to guide the beginner, as well as inspirational ceramic pieces from international potters. For the more experienced ceramist, there is a wealth of technical detail on glaze formulas and temperature conversions which make the book an ideal reference. -- Book description.
Greek and Roman Sculpture in Stone by
Review: "This illustrated book presents definitions and descriptions of many terms relating to Greek and Roman sculpture encountered in museum exhibitions and publications on ancient stone sculpture."--Book jacket.
Michelangelo by
Summary: "The Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) was especially celebrated for his disegno, a term that embraces both drawing and conceptual design. Featuring more than 200 drawings as well as paintings, sculpture, and architectural plans and views, this authoritative examines Michelangelo as "the divine draftsman and designer" whose work, according to Giorgio Vasari, embodied the unity of the arts. Carmen C. Bambach delivers a thorough and engaging narrative of the artist's long career, beginning with his training under Ghirlandaio and Bertoldo and ending with his 17-year appointment as chief architect of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. In each thematic chapter, related drawings and other works are illustrated and discussed together, many for the first time, to provide new insights into Michelangelo's creative process. In addition to St. Peter's, other featured projects include the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Tomb of Pope Julius II, and the architecture of the Campidoglio in Rome. Michelangelo's theories of art are also explored, and new consideration is given to his personal life and affections and their effect on his creative output. Magnificent in every way, this book will be the foremost publication about this remarkable artist for many years"-- Provided by publisher.
Persia and the West by
Review: "In the 6th century B.C., with no local tradition to guide them, the early kings of the Achaemenid Persian empire, Cyrus the Great and Darius, had to devise a new style of monumental architecture and sculpture with which to decorate their capital cities and express their mastery of the known world. In time Darius created a homogenous new style of Persian court art and architecture, derived from the practices of the peoples he now ruled over: Ionian Greeks, Lydians, Mesopotamians and Egyptians. In this book, John Boardman seeks to trace these sources."--Book jacket.
