Greek Art

Art & Ideas (Phaidon)

by Nigel Spivey

A study of Greek art from the 8th-2nd century BC.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, History

448 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 1997

Reviews

[St-Loup · Rating 3 out of 5]

Je découvre avec plaisir que tous les "Art&Idées" de Phaidon ne sont pas égaux et que le livre de Spivey pourrait bien être l'ouvrage global, clair et simple que j'attendais, une vue d'ensemble sur tout l'art grec sans trop de simplifications ni trop de jugements (il y en a tout de même bien suffisamment). Une approche polyvalente de l'art, par le biais de l'histoire, de la littérature, c'est très classique mais ça fonctionne. Beaucoup d'anecdotes antiques, connues et moins connues.

La traduction française ne s'est pas donnée la peine de vérifier les formes que prennent les noms propres et parfois le genre des termes grecs, et je ne sais pas si j'ai envie de rire ou de pleurer devant la gêne récurrente de Spivey pour l'homoérotisme grec (c'est donc possible d'être un antiquisant expérimenté et de continuer à être choqué), qui va jusqu'à lui faire froncer les sourcils devant les biais qu'il attribue à Winckelmann. Malgré tous ces défauts, quand même, il reste sur le podium des manuels d'introduction à l'art grec pour non-spécialistes, au moins pour l'instant.

[Xander · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although outdated in points, this is a good look at Greek art from the earliest of times to how art is being located as presented in the modern age. Enjoyable and recommended, although, watch out for some points of bias in Spivey’s narrative.

[loli reads a lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

very dense and took me a long time to read but i’m also just a little stupid. yeah definitely an art history book. i read 400 pages and decided i couldn’t keep going so i’m calling this finished even though technically it’s not

[elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps my favourite book on Greek Art, purely because when I discovered Spivey I found that his ideas and concepts were creative and a little different. He covers areas that I find interesting.

The pictures throughout this book are fantastic. And the chapters are clearly defined.

However, his interpretation on Greek Art is what sets Spivey apart for me. I enjoy his writing style as well.

This is a great book, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in Greek Art.

[Raymonds009 · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book for me. Having studied this years ago my recollections were imperfect with many forgotten items. The writing is clear, well organized and illustrated throughout. I would highly recommend it to anyone in a position like mine or even the general student looking for good scholarly insight.

[Lazarus P Badpenny Esq · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the addition of a dash of history and Greek literature what should have been as dry and dusty as a pile of old potsherds becomes a darn good yarn.

[keereads · Rating 4 out of 5]

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