Western Art Dictionary

Author: Hol
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: Reveals stories within images, interprets Western painting art. An encyclopedic work on Western art themes and symbolic imagery, and an outline-style book on Western classical texts.
Toolbox function—Nearly 1,200 entries, arranged in Pinyin order, with a bilingual (English-Chinese) entry comparison table and index for easy reference. Entries are cross-referenced within the text, interconnected yet independent, creating a rigorous yet cohesive whole. Concise and vivid language conveys rich information with minimal words.
Professionalism—Pioneering approach, focusing on Western art themes and their origins, revealing stories within images, and enhancing the understanding and appreciation of Western painting art, thereby improving aesthetic taste. Currently the only dictionary in China that explains Western art themes and symbolic imagery.
Accessibility—Civilization and art mutually bear witness. Art themes originate from Greek and Roman mythology, biblical religious texts, and other sources, while art works give these sources eternal life. Not only for the reference of art professionals but also for literary enthusiasts and amateur art lovers.
Appreciation—Breaking from the traditional art dictionary format of "images illustrating text, text dominating images," the number, selection, quality, and size of images are used to enhance their appreciation, restoring true artistic value to art dictionaries. Over 800 illustrations of famous artworks provide a visual and textual comparison for most entries, allowing readers to perceive different artists' interpretations and expressions of the same themes.
The dialectic of the moment and eternity—Every work is an expression of fleeting emotion, and it is precisely this momentary surge of beauty that freezes both the artwork itself and ancient civilization in eternal time.
(Note: The repeated sections in the original text have been consolidated for brevity while maintaining all key information.)