History of Art

9780130197290

0130197297

History of Art, the classic survey of Western art by H.W. and Anthony F. Janson, has, for generations, maintained the highest quality in both scholarship and art reproduction. This definitive text, remaining forever vital, has undergone several significant changes in its Sixth Edition. Rewritten in a more accessible style, this already sumptuously illustrated book has been further enhanced by the inclusion of over 150 new illustrations, approximately 75% of which are in color. Many of these images have been added to informative, cross-disciplinary essays that focus mainly on music and theater but also on such topics as Greek and Roman mythology. Christian iconography, Western monastic orders, and medieval guilds. This new feature further enriches the updated and reworked narrative, as do the expanded Primary Source readings, which are keyed to the text. Solid pedagogy is reinforced by the inclusion of glossaries with clear and concise definitions illustrated by figure references from the chapters. With an aim toward greater clarity and usefulness, the maps have been consolidated, revised, and handsomely redesigned. An updated Website directory of museums and general art sites, as well as an outstanding bibliography, complete the featured changes to this edition. The quality of this book's 288 strikingly accurate color reproductions and 159 rich black-and-white photographsprinted on matte-coated paperfar surpasses that found in any other survey. The verity of the color tones and black-and-white values is an invaluable asset in the study and appreciation of individual works of art, and the proximity of all the illustrations to the discussions about them is critical to a book that is based on the understanding of formal elements and style. The intelligence, verve, and clarity that have always characterized History of Art remain. This great book rises above its many imitators in its comprehension of the Western tradition, its clarity of expression, and its physical beauty as an artbook. From the 30,000-year-old paintings at Chauvet cave in Southern France to today's experimental installations, the connections, transitions, and comparisons among styles and cultures are explained. The narrative of art history is told with majesty, balance, and witenlarging our capacity to understand and appreciate the works of art themselves, not merely t accumulate data about them. As the Jansons tell it, the story of art becomes an adventure, a quest for the forms and techniques that have been devised to satisfy the ageless human drive for self-expression.