Selected Textbooks from China's Higher Fine Art Academies - A History of Western Art

Author: Ma Xiaolin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: A History of Western Art is discussed in a fresh and intellectual style by a female scholar, providing an in-depth yet accessible exploration of the development of European and North American art history, spanning from prehistory to the 1980s. This book not only incorporates aesthetic emotions but also offers unique insights. First, it provides a more thorough examination of Aegean art, medieval art, and Baroque art, particularly offering a fair assessment of the contributions of medieval art to Western art history. To some extent, it corrects the biases found in currently popular domestic Western or foreign art history textbooks and works, enabling readers to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the overall state of Western art history. Second, it makes efforts to refine the narrative concepts of art history by appropriately analyzing and reviewing the achievements of outstanding female artists in Western history, making the subject of art history no longer limited to a single gender. Some contemporary art historians abroad have already taken women as the
Regarding the format, while discussing the main historical line, the author combines their professional research findings to offer innovative analyses and critiques of major artists and their works from each period, striking a balance between the big picture and details. The book features a complete, clear explanatory process and an aesthetically pleasing perspective that delights the mind.