The Visual Arts: A History [Hardcover]

Hugh Honour (Author), John Fleming (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0810939282 | ISBN-13: 978-0810939288 | Publication Date: February 1, 1995 | Edition: 4th

Generously illustrated with over 1,370 photographs, architectural plans, and color maps, this highly regarded survey encompasses the arts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas—covering painting, mosaic, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, architecture and photography, and ranging from a statuette carved in central Europe some 30,000 years ago to video art of the 1990s. It delves into the purpose and meaning of art to show readers how art can deepen our self-knowledge, sharpen our awareness of our own and other religious beliefs, and enlarge our understanding of alternative ways of life. Divides material into five parts (Foundations of Art, Art and the World Religions, Sacred and Secular Art, The Making of the Modern World, and Twentieth-Century Art), with discussions on late Gothic art; 17th century Dutch landscape painting; Native American art; Far Eastern and African art; photography; women in art, and much more. Integrates boxes throughout that reflect on the full spectrum of factors which have conditioned artistic production at different times and in different parts of the world. Contains many new illustrations and photos, including the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in south-west France, and the late second-millennium BC figurative sculptures found at Sanxindui, China. All chapters include a handy timechart for easy reference. For art historians.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A delight to read . . . that makes us all just that much more alive and alert" -- John Russell, New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

The Visual Arts is recognized as the most up-to-date and wide-ranging history of art available in one volume. Now completely revised, it's more comprehensive and compelling than ever. Authors Honour and Fleming take readers from prehistory to Post-Modernism, exploring all the familiar movements and masterworks but also delving into non-Western traditions, architecture, and the decorative arts. The incisive text (incorporating new research and discoveries), more than 1,350 illustrations (nearly 20% new), maps (all redrawn), time charts (all redesigned), and sidebars (including the new "Concepts" and "Urban Development") make this an invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand art in context. 1,352 illustrations, 585 in full color, 20 color maps, 928 pages, 811/2 x 10" Hugh Honour is one of the leading art historians of the century. He is co-author, with Nikolaus Pevsner and John Fleming, of The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, and, with John Fleming, of The Penguin Dictionary of Decorative Arts. John Fleming founded and edited, with Hugh Honour, the Style and Civilization, Architect and Society, and Art in Context series for Penguin Books. He is a winner of the Banister Fletcher Prize and of the Alice Devis Hitchcock Medal. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 63 pages
• Publisher: Harry N. Abrams; 4th edition (February 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810939282
• ISBN-13: 978-0810939288
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.7 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,376,961 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Lucid Overview of Art in Context, April 4, 2000

By 

L. Nguyen (California, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visual Arts: A History (Hardcover)

This book is a marvelously wide-ranging foray into art as practiced from prehistoric to modern times. What sets it apart from other surveys is the care the authors have taken to place art and artists in their cultural, political, and religious context. (For instance, the economics and theology of medieval Christendom are discussed as a background that focuses more sharply the true significance and accomplishment of the Gothic cathedral.) The book also provides time charts for each chapter, and sidebars quoting primary sources and contemporary responses to art. Over 1,300 illustrations, maps, and diagrams are included. In elegant and readable prose, the authors explore the creation of art not only through time but also across continents. Art from the Americas, Africa, and the East (Near and Far) are discussed in addition to the more familiar Western European masterpieces. I consider The Visual Arts: A History to be a lucid, thorough, and wonderfully written account of the impulse toward and creation of art as it has developed throughout history and within different cultures.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Survey Of Art History, December 29, 2007

By 

William G. Pratt (Connecticut, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Visual Arts: A History (5th Edition) (Paperback)

For anyone remotely interested in art & art history, this is the book to buy. This was the textbook for an art history course I took in college and since that course, I have been through the whole book twice now and referred back to it many more times. Wonderfully illustrated, cogently organized and extremely comprehensive in it's scope, this book is a tour de force in the history of the visual arts. The way in which the authors interweave and elaborate upon the social history of a particular political, religious, military, and/or economic clime's impact upon the art produced at that time is extremely valuable and effective. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in art history or even if you're looking for a great coffee table book to put out for discussion or for a guest's delectation. Five stars was an easy choice to make when rating his text!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Make sure you don't need to carry this!!, August 9, 2009

By 

Juillet Marie "FaeTale Believer" (Southern Cali.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Visual Arts: A History (6th Edition) (Paperback)

This book is just marvelous if you don't have to carry it back and forth to class. It's approximately 6-8 llbs and it's a killer to transport. Other than that, the language is pretty concise, and the photos of the artworks are really helpful for referencing back to the artists.