Art in Theory 1648-1815: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (Paperback)

Charles Harrison (editor), Paul Wood (editor), Jason Gaiger (editor)

£31.95

Paperback 1248 Pages
Published: 18/01/2001

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Synopsis

Art in Theory (1648-1815) provides a wide-ranging and comprehensive collection of documents on the theory of art from the founding of the French Academy until the end of the Napoleonic Wars. Like its highly successful companion volumes, Art in Theory (1815-1900) and Art in Theory (1900-1990), its' primary aim is to provide students and teachers with the documentary material for informed and up-to-date study. Its' 240 texts, clear principles of organization and considerable editorial content offer a vivid and indispensable introduction to the art of the early modern period.

Harrison, Wood and Gaiger have collected writing by artists, critics, philosophers, literary figures and administrators of the arts, some reprinted in their entirety, others excerpted from longer works. A wealth of material from French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch and Latin sources is also provided, including many new translations.

Among the major themes treated are early arguments over the relative merits of ancient and modern art, debates between the advocates of form and color, the beginnings of modern art criticism in reviews of the Salon, art and politics during the French Revolution, the rise of landscape painting, and the artistic theories of Romanticism and Neo-classicism.

Each section is prefaced by an essay that situates the ideas of the period in their historical context, while relating theoretical concerns and debates to developments in the practice of art. Each individual text is also accompanied by a short introduction. An extensive bibliography and full index are provided.

For more details of our book and journal list in Art, visit http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/arttheory

Publisher: John Wiley and Sons Ltd
ISBN: 9780631200642
Number of pages: 1248
Weight: 1633 g
Dimensions: 246 x 173 x 56 mm

MEDIA REVIEWS

"All three of these books are essential additions to any public or private library concerned with Art. For the reader who comes a novice to this discipline they provide a superb first entry point to an otherwise bewildering array of publications concerned with the theory of art. Rather like a jigsaw puzzle they encourage the reader to make the connections that will complete the picture. But more importantly, what each of these anthologies does brilliantly is to tempt the relative novice to go further with their research. By presenting an overview of the evolution of a set of ideas within defined parameters and over a specified period of time through the erudite selection of sensitively edited primary texts, the reader is subtly invited to seek out the originals and flesh out their understanding. For those who are more experienced in the field they cleverly provide a means of prompting new ideas within the reader's field of enquiry."
--Journal of Art & Design