Art History: The Basics

The Basics

by Diana Newall, Grant Pooke

Now in its second edition, this volume is an accessible introduction to the history of art. Using an international range of examples, it provides the reader with a toolkit of concepts, ideas and methods relevant to understanding art history.

This new edition is fully updated with colour illustrations, increased coverage of non-western art and extended discussions of contemporary art theory. It introduces key ideas, issues and debates, exploring questions such



What is art and what is meant by art history?

What approaches and methodologies are used to interpret and evaluate art?

How have ideas regarding medium, gender, identity and difference informed representation?

What perspectives can psychoanalysis, semiotics and social art histories bring to the study of the discipline?

How are the processes of postcolonialism, decolonisation and globalisation changing approaches to art history? Complete with helpful subject summaries, a glossary, suggestions for future reading and guidance on relevant image archives, this book is an ideal starting point for anyone studying art history as well as general readers with an interest in the subject.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction, History, Academic, Philosophy, Reference

321 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

Diana Newall has been an Associate Lecturer at the University of Kent, the Open University, Birmingham University, and Birkbeck College London. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and was the Konstantinos Leventis Research Fellow at the Open University (2008–2010). Newall is co-author of Art History: The Basics (2008) and The Chronology of Pattern (2011). Her research includes late Medieval and early Modern Venetian-dominated Crete (1211-1699), especially the cross-cultural and artistic interactions in the capital Candia, and postcolonial perspectives and issues of globalization in contemporary art and theory.

Reviews

[Talie]

سرفصل‌های کتاب جامع بود اما خیلی خلاصه به موضوعات پرداخته بود در نتیجه به جای اینکه روشنگر باشد بیشتر سوال و ابهام بر می‌انگیخت. مثلن تنها در یک پاراگراف به هابرماس پرداخته بود. یا تنها یک صفحه درباره‌ی کریستوا و هنر ابجکت بود که یک پاراگرافش هم به زندگینامه او اختصاص داشت. من ترجمه‌ی هادی آذری نشر حرفه نویسنده را خواندم. مترجم تلاشش را کرده بود. اسامی خاص را به انگلیسی پانویس کرده بود و گاهی توضیحی تکمیلی در پانویس آورده بود.

[Dora]

Finally! A book that can explain complex ideas in a clear way. And on top of that, it's extremely precise and gives plenty of additional resources on each topic it covers. What I also found valuable was the fact that the authors put in additional effort to actually explain the various concepts, movements and ideas through examples of artworks.

I would recommend this book to any slightly more experience art historian who has a general grasp on the various artists and art movements but needs a bit more information and context to fully grasp complex notions such as "Modernism", "Postmodernism", various Marxist, psychoanalytic, feminist, postcolonial theories, etc.

[Mayra]

El libro perfecto para que cualquier persona de cualquier ámbito pueda entender. Es un repaso bastante general, fácil de leer y que sirve muy bien como una introducción a la historia del arte y de sus teorías.

[Stephanie Borges Folarin]

You can truly teach yourself the basics about anything. This text is a great place to start with art history. I have created an Artbook filled with information and now I'm ready to apply what I've learned from this text to my studies at museums around the city!

[Kaylee Motley]

A good basic coverage of different theories that critiques, philosophers, and artists use to contextualize art.

[AP Kybett]

For an undergraduate so-called "Primer" this is near-impenetrable to me!