Teach Yourself Art History

by Pooke, Grant

• ISBN13: 9780071439695
• ISBN10: 0071439692
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-04-22
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Summary

Whether attending an art appreciation class, visiting a museum, or checking out a gallery exhibit,Teach Yourself Art Historyintroduces neophytes to the fine art of interpreting paintings. Accessible text is accompanied by a 16-page color section and black-and-white images and illustrations. Together these words and visuals provide a framework for understanding the work of great artists in terms of form, social and historical contexts, representation of gender, psychology, and more. Additionally, the book provides a reference for key terms and definitions currently used by art connoisseurs.

Author Biography

Grant Pooke and Graham Whitman both teach art history at the unversity level.

Table of Contents

acknowledgements	viii
preface	xv
Introduction	xvii
01 what is art and what is art history?	1	(20)
section 1 art: different things in different times and places	2	(5)
section 2 artistic status	7	(8)
the status of painting	11	(3)
academies	14	(1)
section 3 what is 'good painting'?	15	(6)
the canon	17	(4)
02 judging by appearances	21	(17)
section 1 formalism: what it means	22	(7)
section 2 formalism and art history	29	(9)
Clement Greenberg and Modernism	30	(8)
03 looking beyond the picture frame	38	(30)
section 1 art in context	39	(9)
contextual approaches to art: pros and cons	47	(1)
section 2 the life of the artist: biography	48	(10)
psychological biography	54	(1)
biographical and psychobiographical approaches: pros and cons	55	(3)
section 3 representing gender	58	(10)
04 art today: contemporary ways of looking	68	(20)
section 1 where to start	69	(4)
section 2 postmodernism and art histories	73	(8)
section 3 seeing difference: non-Western art	81	(7)
the non-Western canon and art history	84	(4)
05 art in museums and galleries: spectacle and display	88	(24)
section 1 the art museum experience	89	(14)
section 2 the art exhibition and the 'blockbuster' show	103	(4)
section 3 museums and exhibitions: other meanings	107	(5)
06 categorizing the history of art	112	(19)
section 1 art periods and styles	113	(4)
genres	116	(1)
section 2 painting materials and techniques	117	(9)
section 3 finding out more: what to look for	126	(5)
taking it further	131	(18)
where to take art history from here	131	(1)
study	131	(1)
books and other published material	132	(1)
art museums and galleries	132	(17)
glossary	149	(14)
references	163	(2)
index	165