One of the most comprehensive art reference works ever produced - an absorbing, definitive, and up-to-the-minute account of the history of world art from prehistory to the dawn of the 21st century.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Like a visit to a single museum that happens to house all the major works from all the major movements in art, architecture, and visual and decorative arts, this hefty tome lives up to its title. From pre-history to present day, cave paintings to computer art, it delivers on its promise to bring together "art from every age and from every corner of the world." In 720 pages and more than 2,200 color illustrations, this includes, in addition to the traditional disciplines, fashion, advertisement, performance art and theater, and computer-generated virtual art. Readers can research, peruse, study, or simply flip through the history of art, arranged geographically and chronologically and placed in social and historical context. Call-out boxes focus on particularly important features of the period, culture, or environment under examination, and summary timelines highlight whole chapters in a few pages and break up running text on each page. This makes for busy pages, chock-full of textual and visual information, but if anyone can successfully present too much information, it's Dorling Kindersley. There's even a section on the aesthetic importance of nouvelle cuisine, a late 20th century style of preparing and presenting food. You can't get that in Gardner's.
From Library Journal
Translated from Arte storia universale, which was published in Italy in 1997, this is an attempt to reformat the narrative approach found in Janson, Gardner, and other one-volume surveys. The result can best be described as "sound bites," brief 50- to 500-word discussions of artists, topics, styles, and historic moments, presented via multiple columns, text boxes, time lines, and the like. The unsigned introduction's claim to have "combined the art of the Old, New, and developing worlds into a continuous narrative" is not quite true; the design instead fragments the text, which is hard to focus on or even find among all the visuals. Despite a number of uncommon images, these visuals tend to be small and often garish. Multiple authorship (by more than 25 Italian writers) leads to further disjunction, although most of the text reads well enough, considering. The book does deliver its promised weighting toward modern and contemporary art, but the glossary and two-page bibliography are inadequate. Stay with Janson or Gardner.?Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Definitive & Intriguing Guide,
This review is from: Art: A World History (Paperback)
Art attracts us only by what it reveals of our most secret self.
- Jean-Luc Godard If you are interested in following the evolution of art through the ages, you will find this to be lavish and comprehensive. The book begins with a question. "What is Art Today?" Erich Steingraber explains how we can no longer answer this question unequivocally. Art has undergone a radical change from art in the past. This guide explores all these aspects and shows the changes, page by page. Features Include: 2,200 Color Illustrations, photographs and drawings World History of Art Everything from Prehistoric cave paintings to Post-Modernism and Present-Day computer art A Chronological Overview in each chapter Significant Movements in Art Analyses of key works Insight into artist techniques Contents: 1. Prehistoric and Ancient Art In this section there is a chart of old world Neolithic ceramic forms. Then you can find pictures of Egyptian jewelry and discussions about famous tombart. In the Hellenic and Italic Civilizations you will find page after page of Greek and Italic Art. The elongated figures in some pictures look like modern art and strangely do look similar to figures sculpted by the 20th century Italian sculptor Giacometti. The authors explain why temple architecture in Italy developed differently from Greek architecture. I was fascinated by the "Nile Landscape" on page 92 because I love mosaics. If you have been to the Louvre, Paris, you will recognize "The Victory of Samothrace." 2. The Ancient World from the Roman Empire to the Fourth Crusade Then you can delve into the rather serious art of the Roman Empire. Barbarian Art? Yes, but it is only loosely describing a broad range of people and art styles that existed alongside the "civilized" cultures of the Mediterranean, China and the Near East. Byzantine Art, Persian & Islamic Art, India and the Far East and the Classical Art of sub-Saharan Africa complete this section. I enjoyed seeing the intricacy of the "rock crystal jug with bird decoration and inscription" from AD992. The transparent and colorless quartz was one of the most sought-after semiprecious materials and you will realize why. 3. From the Great Cities of Europe to the Four Corners of the World This section really brought back memories. The Notre-Dame Cathedral is probably the most beautiful cathedral I've ever visited. They have a full-color picture on more than half a page. It is truly even more magnificent when you see it in person. In the Early Renaissance and High Renaissance they feature: Andrea Mantegna: "Oculus of the Camera Picta" - 1473; fresco. Detailed analyses is included with a variety of close-up "shots." Michelangelo: "Creation of Adam" from the vault of the Sistine Chapel In the 17th Century: The Age of Spectacle we find pictures of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's art. This section really focuses more on sculpture and architecture. The Splendors of the 18th Century includes a delightful array of tapestry from the Palace of Versailles and Musee du Louvre, Paris. The art of Asia is in such contrast with zen gardens and painted scrolls depicting fierce deities. Pre-Columbian Art has a small section and focuses more on vases, temples, goldwork. and pyramids. 4. Art, Commerce & Industry Neoclassicism - inspired by the excavations of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Romanticism - You have to see the exquisite piece called "Morning" by German artist Philipp Otto Runge who took refuge in the myth of childhood. Orientalism - After the British expansion in India, curiosity about these lands influenced European taste and we see elements of the exotic permeating trends in literature, music and the visual arts throughout the 19th century. Official Art This was the name given to a style of paintings that flourished in Europe in the second half of the 19th century. They feature: The Birth of Venus, 1862 Flaming June The Death of Cleopatra, 1874 The Creation of the Metropolis This chapter will make you want to go traveling just to see this architecture in person. Pleasure Gardens, castles and bridges are featured. Art, Technology & Industry - focuses on printing and photographic techniques. Furnishings & Fashions - One of my favorite chapters as they include pictures of the interior of castles and a picture of Neuschwanstein Castle. The European Influence - Artistic styles were imitated and adapted in the colonies. Explanations of Theatre design, architecture, American Classicism and Tiffany Glass. 5. A Crisis of Tradition & The Birthplace of Contemporary Art The Birth of Realism - Sunlight streams into some of these pictures and yet some show the contrast in the harsh realities of life. The Impressionists - Claude Monet and Renoir. Art reaches a delicate beauty. Post-Impressionism - Exquisite paintings by Gustave Moreau The Modern Style - Detailed information about Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" Edvard Munch really worries me, but who could forget "The Scream." Artistic Cultures of sub-Saharan Africa - Statues Artistic Cultures of the Pacific - Statues 6. Art of the 20th Century Expressionism & Fauvism The Great Avant-garde Movements The New Architecture Art & Politics Art in the Postwar Period The New Avant-garde & Postmodernism Architecture in the Second Half of the 20th Century Toward a New Century - Computer art, fashion, consumer goods, publicity, architecture and movies "This is not a cold, scholarly history of art. What we are trying to do is to share with the reader our love of art, to reflect on its past splendor, its present vitality, and its future potential." -Art, A World History I think they succeeded. I was mesmerized for hours! ~The Rebecca Review
30 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great summary for beginning art lovers,
By A Customer
This review is from: Art: A World History (Hardcover)
I was given this book as a gift by a friend who knew I was interested in learning more about art. It is a wonderful, overall introduction to the subject. It is easy and interesting reading with 1000's of pictures. I enjoy it in short segments when I wish to be taken to another place.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
If you only own one book about art . . .,
By Strategy Doctor (Michigan) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Art: A World History (Paperback)
If you could only own one book about art, this book should be it. The reproductions are true, the writing insightful, and the coverage extensive. All significant periods in art history are covered, including non-western, and the book is more than just about art, but about history, as well. I found some fascinating tidbits that I didn't know before: the Emporer Claudius proposed to the Roman Senate that Christianity be officially recognized (the Senate refused); the Chinese practiced a form of Cubism centuries before Picasso and Braque; archeologists date the arrival of Christianity in areas by how the dead were buried (all pretty cool stuff). This is one of those books that is worth rereading with the expectation of greater enjoyment the second time around.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
So You'd Like to...
|
|
