From Library Journal
Because works of art can be interpreted in a variety of ways, this book surveys "methodologies," diverse approaches to artistic analysis used by art historians, philosophers, and critics to enlighten viewers. The author, whose works include Art and Psychoanalysis (LJ 9/15/93) and A History of Western Art (LJ 3/15/94), then relates these methods to masterpieces of Western art. Adams's well-crafted, thoughtful essays consider biography and the presence of such artists as Gauguin, van Eyck, and Raphael in their paintings; Marxist readings of Giotto and Delacroix; a deconstructionist analysis of van Gogh's "Shoes"; the feminist approach to O'Keeffe and Chicago; a Freudian analysis of Donatello's "David"; and much more. With 70 black-and-white photos and four color plates, this is a good choice for introductory college art history courses. Libraries needing a more scholarly study should consider Art History and Its Methods (LJ 12/95), which contains excerpts from original sources.?Joan Levin, MLS, Chicago
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Laurie Schneider Adams teaches undergraduate and graduate students at John Jay College, CUNY and the Graduate Center. She has previously taught at Sarah Lawrence College, University of Florida, Columbia University, and Mount Holyoke College. She is the author of Art Across Time, The Methodologies of Art, A History of Western Art, Art and Psychoanalysis, Art on Trial, and editor of Giotto in Perspective. She is the editor or the quarterly journal Source: Notes in the History of Art.
