A Concise Handbook of World Art History

Author: Zhang Huailin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-08-01
Features: The author, Mr. Zhang Huailin, has long been engaged in art editing and has conducted systematic and in-depth research on the history of art. From a relatively objective perspective, he has selected over a thousand works that have survived in the history of art, covering various representative schools and artists in the history of art. The content is quite extensive, aiming to enhance the amount of information within a limited space. The text is concise and to the point, with prominent themes and distinctive features, incorporating unique insights of the present while filling in the gaps left by predecessors.
What is particularly valuable is that the author has devoted considerable attention to introducing and arranging illustrations of art from the Middle East, India, Japan, Southeast Asia, Africa, and South America. This allows readers to approach the history of art from new perspectives, think about it in new ways, and understand it more comprehensively, enabling them to grasp the pulse of the development of world art history.
The book consists of two parts: Part One traces the evolution of Western art history, starting from prehistoric art and progressing through Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt, the Aegean, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, medieval Europe, the Renaissance, and European art from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, up to the mid-20th century. In the 19th-century section, the author has invested significant effort, as this period represents another peak in Western art history following the Renaissance. Given the complexity of 20th-century Western modern art, the author provides precise interpretations of modern art concepts and the various schools of the 20th century, such as "rebellion against tradition, pursuit of individuality, pursuit of difference, and self-expression." The shift from imitation and representation to subjective spiritual expression, the abandonment of unified standards of beauty, and the emphasis on discovery and creation in art are all highlighted. Art is moving toward a process and toward life, allowing readers to systematically and comprehensively understand Western modern art.
Part Two categorizes the art of countries in Asia, such as Persia, India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, as well as regions in Africa and South America like Mexico, the Maya, and the Andes. The author has clearly intended for this arrangement, particularly in the case of Southeast Asian art, which readers may be less familiar with. This intention is reflected in the author's holistic grasp of world art history, aiming to leave readers with a unified impression and facilitate memorization and reference.
Each page of the book follows a layout with text at the top and illustrations at the bottom, including introductions to schools of art, biographies of artists, lineage relationships, influences, and lists of major works along with illustrations. This creates a complementary effect between images and text. The high-quality illustrations and clear, concise text provide readers with a good visual impression and satisfactory answers when quickly referencing content.
As a broad framework for the history of foreign art, artists and works from various countries, regions, and eras are placed in corresponding positions within the book's structure. The appended index of artists at the end of the book further facilitates readers' searches.
The history of art is the history of human development in the field of visual and plastic arts. It can be said that as a part of human culture and a track of human development, the history of art itself is diverse and intricate. From a cultural perspective, the readership of this book should not be limited to those in the field of art. As a legacy of human culture, its cultural value should naturally extend to a broader readership. As the preface of the book states: "If every nation's art works are a way of observing and thinking about the world, then for readers of this Concise Handbook of the History of World Art, it means not only gaining knowledge about visual culture from different nations but also enriching their ways of observing and thinking about the world."
This book is the result of a thoughtful and comprehensive re-planning and arrangement of the history of art, based on the needs of its intended readership, as well as the development of the times, academic progress, and changes in perspective. The author adopts a perspective of viewing the world from China, breaking the "Eurocentric" view of art history. While providing accurate introductions to famous schools, artists, and works in European art history, the author has also devoted significant space to showcasing the achievements of art in regions outside Europe. This provides readers with the opportunity to understand the overall picture of the development of Chinese art and related knowledge.
In a sense, although this book is a concise art history written for everyone, the perspective on art history that the author offers to readers is one that belongs to all of humanity, not just Europe-centric.