History of Art: The Western Tradition ANNOTATION
The most thorough, cogent, and lavishly illustrated survey of art in the Western tradition, Janson's History of Art has now been completely redesigned and updated to make it the ultimate visually and intellectually exciting resource for today. Timelines; glossary; bibliography; index. 1,266 illustrations, more than 775 in full color.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Added to the Fifth Edition Revised are more than forty concise discussions of cultural developments paralleling movements in art, from ancient Greek times through our own Postmodern era. These masterly essays focus mainly on music and theater, and also include such topics as Greek and Roman mythology, Christian iconography, Western monastic orders, and medieval guilds. These new features enrich the updated and reworked text and the 115 primary-source readings that are unique to History of Art.
SYNOPSIS
Now the definitive survey of Western art is available in a deluxe, one-volume slipcased edition-an appropriately elegant presentation for a matchless classic. This new History of Art is bound in rich cloth and stamped in gold foil, and placed in a slipcase bearing Botticelli's Primavera, a favorite painting of artlovers everywhere. Inside, the Fifth Edition Revised includes such useful features as parallel discussions of cultural developments and art movements from ancient Greek times through our own era, and a gazetteer of art museums and architectural sites. Of course, the book's sumptuous five-color reproductions and rich black-and-whites far surpass in number and quality those found in any other survey. History of Art is truly without peer.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
Horst W. Janson died in 1982, not long after the second edition of his best-selling History of Art was published. His son Anthony (art history, Univ. of North Carolina, Wilmington) inherited the franchise and has contributed to four subsequent updates, this one appearing four years after the last revision. Familiar to art history students throughout the world, this massive survey of 30,000 years of Western art is generally regarded as the fundamental text for teaching the subject to undergraduates. It is a deserving reputation, for in addition to the ecumenical enthusiasm and economy of description infusing the Jansons' writing, the work features time lines densely packed with data, four sections of over 100 primary sources, well-chosen illustrations, and an updated bibliography including web references. Its graphic design is rich with imagery and progresses without any affectations. New to this edition are rewritten sections covering architecture, ancient art, and French painting, as well as a discography of related recordings. A benchmark text brought up-to-date, this is an essential purchase for libraries not already owning a good copy of the fifth edition. Douglas F. Smith, Oakland P.L., CA. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Booknews
There's somewhat less of a focus on style and more interest in current concerns of use and context in Anthony Janson's sixth revision of his father's 1962 survey text. Writing an entire survey text is a heroic task for a single individual; other standard texts are written by committee in the interest of doing justice to each topic. The images and structure of the fifth edition have been retained, while the book's layout has been improved, with readings from primary texts and special topics such as music now highlighted by color borders. Changes have been made to the text in the areas of ancient art and Enlightenment architecture. The highlight of the book remains its quality illustrations. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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