The History of Western Art, Peter Whitfield
The History of Western Art, Peter Whitfield
3 Rating(s)
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The History of Western Art

Author: Peter Whitfield

Narrator: Sebastian Comberti

Unabridged: 5 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Naxos

Published: 10/31/2011

Categories: Nonfiction, Art


Synopsis

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic. From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind. He has always started with reality, but has selected and reshaped that reality to create a parallel world; a world of the imagination.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valentina on January 08, 2024

A very good though brief outline of the basics in the history of western art. What is valuable for me is the musings of the author at the very end: have we come to the end of art because we have come to the end of belief? I wonder.........more

Goodreads review by Zachary on December 08, 2023

Considering every artist mentioned could each have an audiobook of double this length, this is a brilliant introduction- but an introduction and no more. There again, it seems self aware of those limitations and does a good job at providing a wide understanding.......more

Goodreads review by Paul on April 01, 2021

I once took a personality test that said my art appreciation score was 0%. Reading this book was an attempt to improve. This book is a short and concise history of Western Art, starting all the way from cave paintings. Good to get an overview but not if you want to go really in-depth. This fits well......more

Goodreads review by Hermien on August 10, 2016

Very informative.......more

Goodreads review by Francisco on December 30, 2024

Frankómetro: 86% Pudo haberse llamado: From cave to canvas. * Tip: Casi cualquier libro cuyo título sea "La Historia de..." suele resultar interesante. La Historia de la Ópera, la Historia del Arte, la Historia del Basketball, la Historia de la Filosofía, etc. De alguna manera, las clases de historia......more