Book

A little history of art / Charlotte Mullins.

Summary:

"Why did our ancestors make art? What did art mean to them and what does their art mean for us today? Why is art even important at all? Charlotte Mullins brings art to life by focusing on those who made it, from teenage prodigies to nonagenarians. This little history introduces us to overlooked artists, busts a few art history myths, and celebrates global networks of art, from Japan and India to South America and the Middle East. Mullins shows us the first artworks ever made and early masterpieces such as the Terracotta Army and Nok sculptures. She tells the story of the Renaissance, from Giotto to Michelangelo, and introduces us to subsequent leading artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, and Hokusai. Through the turbulence of the twentieth century, we see artists group together and break apart and meet trailblazers including Kathe Kollwitz, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo, and Jacob Lawrence. More recently contemporary artists such as Ai Weiwei and Shirin Neshat create art as resistance as they address today's urgent issues. This extraordinary journey through 100,000 years celebrates art's crucial place in understanding our collective culture and history."-- Publisher's description.

Record details

ISBN: 0300253664
ISBN: 9780300253665
Physical Description: vi, 330 pages : illustrations (some colour) ; 23 cm.
Publisher: New Haven : Yale University Press, [2022]
Copyright: ©2022

Content descriptions

General Note:

Includes index

Formatted Contents Note:

First marks -- The story unfolds -- The illusion of life -- Copycats -- Paths to the afterlife -- Art embraces religion -- Storm clouds gather -- The art of propaganda -- Masons, moai and materials -- The Renaissance begins -- Northern lights -- A matter of perspective -- East meets West -- The return of Rome -- Fire and brimstone -- Here come the barbarians -- The reign in Spain -- The theatre of life -- New ways of seeing -- The lie of the land -- Still life and life stilled -- Rococo escapism and London life -- The Royal Academy: home and away -- Liberty, equality, fraternity? -- Romanticism to Orientalism -- Reality bites -- The impressionists -- Artists take a stand -- The post-impressionists -- Standing on the shoulders of giants -- Ripping up the rule book -- Art becomes political -- Land of the free? -- The aftermath of war -- American art comes of age -- Sculpture breaks the mould -- We don't need another hero -- A postmodern world -- Go large or go home -- Art as resistance.