Abstract

Art Theory: An Historical Introduction is a unique survey of Western thought about art from ancient times to the present. Provides a lucid and lively narrative geared to the needs of the general reader and beginning student. Covers the major periods of Western art history: Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the early modern period (Renaissance and Baroque), the Enlightenment, the nineteenth century, early twentieth-century modernism, and postmodernism. Relates theory to the practice as well as to the intellectual- and cultural-historical currents of each period, thus demonstrating the value of an historical approach to theoretical issues. Includes an extensive bibliography that provides a useful and up-to-date guide to the primary sources and secondary literature and 93 illustrations.