Greek and Roman Art

by Susan Woodford

For more than two thousand years the art of Greece and Rome has been hugely influential throughout the Western world. This book recaptures the passion and inspiration that first drove ancient artists to create the art that continues to captivate us to this day. It traces the daring innovations of those who, defying traditional wisdom, explored new ideas; it describes the noble struggles of sculptors and painters to portray both the complexities of the human form and the richness of human emotions.


In Greek and Roman Art, classical art expert Susan Woodford illuminates the achievements of classical art and architecture in a concise, coherent breakdown of styles from Archaic Greece to the Roman Empire. Intelligent, clear, and compelling, this indispensable guide gives readers all the information they need to approach ancient art with confidence.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Art History, Classics, History, Ancient History

176 pages, Paperback

Published May 5, 2020

Reviews

[Maan Kawas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book about ancient Greek and Roman art, highly recommend!!!

[Jenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good starter to Greek and Roman art which I picked up at in Naples' museum shop after being absolutely astounded by the frescoes and mosaics from Pompeii. I think the best thing about the book was explaining the development of art over time by referencing the previous chapters - this work is a reinterpretation of that work, this work is a rebuttal to that work, etc. I guess I wish it went in a bit deeper - but it's a starter book (that's a good read on the plane home) so it's not really fair to complain. I just need to find something between a starter and the 500 page tomes the musem shop also offered :)

[St-Loup · Rating 1 out of 5]

Il est déplorable qu'on puisse encore écrire l'histoire de l'art antique en termes d'améliorations et d'acquis, de progrès et de déclin, d'audace et de manque d'inspiration. Il m'est difficile de fermer les yeux sur la vision essentialiste des civilisations grecque et romaine et sur la façon dont l'art est abordé en ne faisant que peu de références à l'usage des objets, au statut de l'artiste et au poids du commanditaire, tous variables ; mais c'est un véritable défi que d'écrire une introduction à l'art de l'antiquité gréco-romaine. J'espérais que ce petit livre réussirait, dommage.

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

An extraordinary book that tackles the history of Greek and Roman art from a fresh perspective - analysing the contemporary mentality and approach to learning, which reflected in the art created at the time.

I recommend this to anyone interested in history or art. It is engaging, easy to follow, has fantastic illustrations and uses both text and visuals to follow the development of Greek and Roman art.

It also served as a fantastic guide for the art found in Pompeii, Herculaneum and the National Archeological Museum in Naples. A must read before visiting the area.

[Chandler · Rating 3 out of 5]

a good introduction, but -- man (and i know i can't really blame the /book/ for this) the actual printing makes some of this difficult. like at least two or three times there would be some near-full-page spread with something in the center that our attention is explicitly called to by the text....and it's just not visible b/c of the split across pages =\

i know i can google! but i have the book so i dont gotta!

[zoë berry · Rating 4 out of 5]

i lowk got clowned for reading this so hard

[Beijing Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Susan Woodford and adore her way of making history, culture, and art so easily digestible.

[May Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good overview of Greek and roman art history, in sculpture, ceramics, paintings and even mosaics. It's engaging and easy to read.