A Brief History of Foreign Art

Author: Pan Yaochang, Ji Xiaohui, Zhong Ming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-09-20
Features: In recent years, the enrollment exams for art and design universities across the country have been heating up, with a significant increase in the number of applicants, creating a buzz. Every spring, various media extensively report on the process and details, sparking diverse opinions. We generally hold a positive attitude toward this phenomenon, as the reasoning is simple: as long as the guidance is appropriate, it indeed aligns with the career and entrepreneurship development direction of today's students. With China's modernization process, not only has art education become a key topic in the humanities education of university students, but also enriching and enhancing the quality of life for the Chinese people through aesthetic forms and applied technology has become an inevitable trend. The majority of art departments focus on cultivating applied talents rather than traditional painting or pure art creation talents, and this shift naturally brings about adjustments in teaching approaches. It is the duty of publishers to serve teaching, and in the face of this change, the first thought is to reform and adjust textbooks. In the teaching of applied talent cultivation in university art and design programs, practical and applied technology-related content and knowledge have become the core of the curriculum, and most students spend a considerable amount of time on these subjects during their studies. To meet this demand, universities adjust faculty allocation, curriculum arrangements, and even educational models to suit the development of the disciplines. Our publishing house has actively cooperated by publishing a series of applied foundational textbooks across various categories to meet these needs, many of which have been recognized and praised by teachers and students, gaining a certain influence. This book attempts to describe the history of global art from the perspective of world art history, referencing the progress of civilizations, cultural and religious systems, and the distinctions of nation-states. It selects representative and influential parts based on the characteristics of different eras, regions, cultures, and arts, focusing on factors such as the status of art audiences at the time and the channels of art dissemination, while combining the relationship between social existence and aesthetic consciousness. It does not emphasize the value judgment of works themselves or delve too deeply into work analysis, dividing the history of world art into 17 chapters.