This four-part volume uses an exceptional art program–with sumptuous color pictures–to introduce readers to a succession of art styles from prehistoric times and ancient Egypt, to the vast world of Western painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and the minor arts. Elegantly written, it contains a balanced and interesting narrative that increases ones ability to understand art. Parts I and II cover The Ancient World and The Middle Ages, with a look at prehistoric; Egyptian; ancient near eastern; Aegean; Greek; Etruscan; Roman; early Christian, Byzantine, and Medieval; Romanesque; and Gothic art. Part III looks at the Renaissance through the Rococo–with a focus on the early and high renaissance in Italy; mannerism and other trends; “Late Gothic” painting, sculpture, and the graphic arts; and the Baroque in Italy, Spain, Flanders, Holland, France and England. Part IV is a treatment on the modern world, including Neoclassicism and Romanticism; Realism and Impressionism; Post-impressionism, Symbolism, and Art Nouveau; Twentieth-Century painting, sculpture, architecture, and photography; and Postmodernism. For those who appreciate art as individual works, rather than a mere collection of data.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
Penelope J. E. Davies
holds a B.A. from Cambridge University and a Ph.D. from Yale University and is currently Associate Professor at the University of Texas in Austin. Her research focuses on public art and architecture and politics in ancient Rome. She is author of Death and the Emperor: Roman Imperial Funerary Monuments from Augustus to Marcus Aurelius (Cambridge University Press 2000 and University of Texas Press 2004, winner of the Vasari Award, as well as articles and essays on ancient Rome.
In her own words, why she joined the project:
“I joined this project hoping that the new edition would bear witness to a constantly evolving dialogue about art, in which formulating new questions is as important as finding new answers. The new edition also necessitates balancing an accepted canon of ‘great works’ with new additions to reflect changing definitions of art and artists, and to incorporate recent discoveries — a responsibility to be approached with caution. The project has proved challenging at every step, but tremendously invigorating and rewarding.”
Reviewer quote:"Professor Davies has managed to include and condense the basic developments of these ancient art traditions in clear, interesting and well-integrated prose. Throughout, she never fails to introduce the various theories and ideas about these works of art and indicate what we don’t know, as well as controversies ... The result is an authoritative, lively and challenging text that cannot fail to stimulate and challenge university undergraduate students and prepare them for subsequent chapters in this new book." David Gordon Mitten, Harvard University
Walter B. Denny
is a Professor of Art History at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and also currently serves as Consulting Curator for Islamic Art at the Smith College Museum of Art. He received his B.A. from Oberlin College and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University.While his research interests concentrate mainly on the art and architecture of the Ottoman Turks, his teaching and consulting range from Museum Studies and Orientalism to serving as guest curator for a wide variety of museum exhibitions. In addition to exhibition catalogues, his publications include books on Ottoman Turkish carpets, textiles, and ceramics, and articles on miniature painting, architecture and architectural decoration.
In his own words, why he joined the project:
“For me, introducing students to the history of art for the first time is the most exciting, the most worthwhile, and the most important task that any art historian can hope for. After thirty-five years of teaching, I welcome the chance to participate in a project where I am able to introduce a large student audience to the beauty, the breadth, the complexity, and the challenge of Islamic art. I hope that Islamic art, a mirror reflecting an important and often misunderstood culture and society, will provide students with a way to understand and appreciate the achievements and the aspirations of Islamic people today, as well as an understanding of their important and deeply-rooted historical accomplishments in the visual arts.”
Reviewer quote:
"Walter Denny’s pan Islamic view of the material over time and space makes this updated Janson’s survey an enlightened pleasure." Charles Little, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Frima Fox Hofrichter,
Professor and Chair of the History of Art and Design department at Pratt Institute, received her Ph.D. at Rutgers University and wrote her doctoral dissertation on the seventeenth-century Dutch artist, Judith Leyster (supported by a Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation Award for Women’s Studies). The resulting book was later published as JUDITH LEYSTER, A DUTCH ARTIST IN HOLLAND’S GOLDEN AGE (Davaco, 1989) and granted CAA’s Millard Meiss Publication Fund Award. Her work in gender and social history continued with the notable exhibition, Haarlem, the Seventeenth Century (Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers) and Leonaert Bramer, 1596-1674, A Painter of the Night (Haggerty Museum, Milwaukee). Hofrichter has maintained her investigations of art and social history, weaving both together in publications examining aspects as diverse as astronomy and prostitution.
In her own words, why she joined the project:
“I was honored when I was invited to participate in the Janson Project. It was an incredible compliment, yet an overwhelming responsibility at the same time. But more than this rush of emotions, it meant that I would have the opportunity to have Janson’s History of Art read more like I taught! There could be not only more women artists included, but also more images of women, more of a sense of the fabric of social history that set the stage for the art. Writing for Janson, contributing to this basic historical survey, meant that I would have the possibility to not just re-invent, but also re-invigorate, the canon for the next generation of art history students.”
Reviewer quote:
"By their nature, survey texts tend to lag behind contemporary developments in the discipline, but Hofrichter has brought Janson’s text as close to the scholarly moment as is likely to be possible. In particular, I would signal her engagement with new methodologies, enhanced contextualization, up-to-date interpretation of individual pieces, and inclusion of thoughtfully
chosen new works." John Beldon Scott, University of Iowa
Joseph Jacobs
is an independent art historian, writer, and critic living in New York City. He was the curator of modern art at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota, Florida, director of the Oklahoma City Art Museum, and curator of American art at The Newark Museum, Newark, New Jersey. His publications include SINCE THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE: 50 YEARS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN ART, THIS IS NOT A PHOTOGRAPH: TWENTY-FIVE YEARS OF LARGE-SCALE PHOTOGRAPHY, and A WORLD OF THEIR OWN: TWENTIETH-CENTURY AMERICAN FOLK ART.
In his own words, why he joined the project:
“Life is about challenges, and for me as an art historian, writing a large portion of a major survey book on the history of art has to be one of the greatest challenges in the profession. My goal is to bring art history alive in a way that is rarely done in survey books. This means organizing the material in an especially meaningful and powerful fashion, in effect, creating a narrative thread that is both exciting and in its clarity educational.”
Reviewer quote:
"This is a great leap forward for the Janson text ... This version is smart, clear, very carefully organized and extremely fluid and highly readable. I would say that apart from providing the basic historical information and offering excellent formal analysis-a foundation of the Janson text since Peter Janson’s original version–this new version is also steeped in material culture and social/cultural history. It is jargonfree: thank you. It is politically sensitive without pandering; and it is always thorough." Ken Silver, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University
Ann M. Roberts
holds a B.A. from the Johns Hopkins University and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. An art historian specializing in the Renaissance, she has published essays articles, and reviews on both Northern and Italian Renaissance topics. Her research focuses on women in the Renaissance. She has taught at Illinois State University, the University of Iowa, and is currently Professor of Art at Lake Forest College.
In her own words, why she joined the project:
“The discipline of art history has changed in the decades since Janson wrote his textbook. We are no longer so comfortable ...
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a standard,
By
This review is from: Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition (Hardcover)
This is one of the standard history of art textbooks. Of course it includes color prints of all the most famous art of the Western tradition, as well as numerous photographs and floorplans of famous architecture. It has a little coverage of Islamic art, but that is a topic that deserves better than it can be given in a textbook on the Western tradition. Painting, architecture and sculpture are clearly the focus, but photography and decor each get a nod. Other forms of art--from gardening to appliance design--although interesting, evidently cannot fit in this space.
The text is adequate: a little better than standard textbook composition, less dull, perhaps a touch less condescending, and of course perfectly informative. Issues in technique, interpretation and so on are well-introduced. If you, like me, are not a student but an adult just curious about art, this is a fine choice. I've also enjoyed work by Robert Hughes ("The Shock of the New," which I strongly recommend, and "American Visions"), Andre Malraux ("The Voices of Silence") and David Morgan ("The Sacred Gaze"). (I'm not widely read in this field by any means: those are the only books I've read about Western art history! So there could be various better books out there. But still, this textbook has been very useful to me, helping me fill out my knowledge in many areas.)
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Historical context makes art more meaningful,
By student 09 "student 09" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition (Hardcover)
This book is incredibly comprehensive and covers all aspects of art in different cultures, including painting, sculpture, architecture, and burial sites. It is remarkably detailed (almost too much so), and has many great pictures.
The most distinctive aspect of this book is the primary sources it includes that explain the historical context of artworks. For example, there are numerous letters (translated, of course) from Italian artists in the Renaissance to their clients. Another text includes excerpts from the law code of Hammurabi, to accompany the sculptural piece on which it was originally engraved.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
HUGE BOOK,
By Reviewer "Auguste Part" (Auguste Part) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Janson's History of Art: The Western Tradition (Hardcover)
I'm using the book for an art history class. It might've been more useful to buy the book in sections. I hear that the book is also printed as two books (halves) which would be much more useful and convenient to move around.
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