How Art Made the World : A Journey to the Origins of Human Creativity

by Spivey, Nigel

• ISBN13: 9780465081820
• ISBN10: 0465081827
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-11-27
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

In the late nineteenth century, the first discoveries of prehistoric painting were greeted with incredulity. How could there have been such deft and skillful artists in the world over 30,000 years ago? Noted art historian Nigel Spivey begins with this puzzle to explore the record of humanity's artistic endeavors and their impact on our own development. Embarking with the motto, "Everyone is an artist," Spivey takes us on a quest to find out when and how we humans began to explore the deepest questions of life, using visual artforms. With the help of vivid color illustrations of some of the world's most moving and enduring works of art, Spivey shows how that art has been used as a means of mass persuasion, essential to the creation of hierarchical societies, and finally, the extent to which art has served as a mode of terror management in the face of our inevitable death. Packed with new insights into ancient wonders and fascinating stories from all around the globe,How Art Made the Worldis a compelling account of how humans made art and how art makes us human.

Author Biography

Nigel Spivey is a lecturer in Classics at Cambridge University. He has written several books on Greek and Etruscan art. He is the presenter of the BBC/PBS television series “How Art Made the World,” which this book accompanies. He lives in Cambridge, England.

Table of Contents

The Human Artist	p. 6
The Birth of the Imagination	p. 16
More Human Than Human	p. 50
Once Upon a Time	p. 84
Second Nature	p. 122
Art and Power	p. 154
Seeing the Invisible	p. 200
In the Face of Death	p. 254
Selected Further Reading	p. 282
Acknowledgements	p. 284
Index	p. 286
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