Title:	Art History, Combined (3rd Edition)
Categories:	Art & Design
BookID:	GD-HND-0050
Authors:	Marilyn Stokstad
ISBN-10(13):	9780132368544
Publisher:	Prentice Hall
Publication date:	2007-02-15
Edition:	3
Number of pages:	1296
Language:	English
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Description:	Product Description In tune with today's readers–rich but never effete–this is the art history book of choice for a new generation. Presenting a broad view of art through the centuries, it sympathetically and positively introduces the works of all artists. This includes women, artists of color, and the arts of other continents and regions, as well as those of Western Europe and the United States. The new edition contains even more full-color reproductions, larger images, redrawn maps and timelines, and new photographs and higher quality images. Balancing both the traditions of art history and new trends of the present, Art History is the most comprehensive, accessible, and magnificently illustrated work of its kind. Broad in scope and depth, this beautifully illustrated work features art from the following time periods and places: prehistoric art in Europe; ancient art of the Near East, Egypt, the Aegean, and Greece; Roman and Etruscan art; Jewish, early Christian, and Byzantine art; Islamic art; art from ancient India, China, Japan, and the Americas; medieval art in Europe; Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance art; Baroque art; art of the Pacific cultures; the rise of modern art; and the international Avant-Garde since 1945. An excellent reference work and beautiful edition for any visual artist. Amazon.com Review This attractively packaged two-volume set attempts an almost impossible task: to present the art of the entire world, from vibrant cave paintings dating back 30,000 years to the creative trends of the late 20th century. Though the arts of Europe are the most thoroughly analyzed, respected scholars in several specialized fields cover other cultures with cogent essays. A more unusual feature is the space devoted to art created by women, such as the late-Renaissance painters Sofonisba Anguissola and Lavinia Fontana--the latter was invited in 1560 to be an official painter at the Spanish court. Relationships between the art of different cultures are emphasized and, while each section can stand alone, each is shown to fit meaningfully into the overall development of the world's artistic heritage. Beautiful images grace the production's 1,200 pages, not only well-known icons but a wealth of lesser-known gems are here, carefully chosen to demonstrate the points made in the text. There are many delightful surprises among the illustrations, many of which are in color, printed to high quality standards in Japan. For instance, line drawings explain technical details, from "Lost-wax Bronze-casting" to "Elements of the Skyscraper." A vast amount of information is presented, but it is very well organized and easy to access, and an extensive glossary answers many questions. Marilyn Stokstad's Art History is a true tour de force, and its light and humanistic approach is a refreshing change from previous encyclopedic art-historical studies. --John Stevenson