Greek and Roman Art (Art Essentials)

by Susan Woodford

Overview

A fascinating and accessible introduction to the art of ancient Greece and Rome. For everyone from casual museumgoers to students.

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780500295250
Publisher:	Thames & Hudson
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Series:	Art Essentials , #9
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	669,115
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Susan Woodford received her BA from Harvard University and her MA and PhD from Columbia University. She now teaches art history as well as lectures at the British Museum. She is the prize-winning author of Looking at Pictures, also in the Art Essentials series.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

Statues in Stone: The Perils of Progress 10

Statues in Bronze: Discovering New Possibilities 24

Decorating Architecture with Sculpture: Reconciling Shapes and Stories 44

Greek Painting: Creating a Convincing Image 64

Widening Horizons: Innovation and Renovation in Later Greek Sculpture 82

Painting Captures the Visible World: Figures in Space and Light 98

Roman Sculpture: Adoption and Adaptation of the Greek Legacy 110

Roman Painting: Using the Inheritance for Decoration 128

Unity and Diversity in the Art of the Roman Empire 144

Glossary 159

Timeline 166

Written Sources of Information 168

Selected Reading 171

Index 172

Acknowledgements 175