An Introduction to Art

Charles Harrison

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300109156 ISBN 13: 9780300109153

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2010

This original and inspiring book offers clear and wide-ranging introduction to the arts of painting and sculpture, to the principal artistic print media, and to the visual arts of modernism and post-modernism. Covering the entire history of art, from Paleolithic cave painting to contemporary art, it provides foundational guidance to the basic character and techniques of the different art forms, to the various genres of painting in the western tradition, and to the techniques of sculpture as they have been practiced over several millenia and across a wide range of cultures. Throughout the book, Harrison discusses the relative priorities of aesthetic appreciation and historical inquiry, and of the importance of combining the two approaches. Written in a style that is at once graceful, engaging, and personal, as well as analytical and exact, this illuminating book offers an impassioned and timely defense of the importance and value of the first-hand encounter with works of art, whether in museums or in their original locations. Designed to be useful and attractive to students and teachers of art, art history, and aesthetics, the book will appeal also to the interested general reader and to those visitors to museums and exhibitions who welcome guidance to the objects on display, and to the means of gaining the maximum pleasure and instruction from them. The 250 color illustrations, each with generous, informative captions, include both well-known works and a host of less familiar examples from different cultures and periods.

Review:

"An exceptionally ambitious and exciting book. It introduces sophisticated theoretical ideas . . . and makes them directly relevant to the spectator's experience. And it ranges across the entire history of art, from paleolithic cave-painting to contemporary art . . . It is hard to think of a book with such a broad range which succeeds as well in equipping beginning students and general readers to think intelligently and fruitfully about art."--John Hyman, University of Oxford

"This sprawling book--an introduction to the experience and history of sculpture, painting, and prints--presents nothing less than a rethinking of the way art is approached both in literal and figurative terms: how is it seen in a museum? And, how is it to be described by the art historian and the 'lay' museum-goer?"--Christopher Heuer, Princeton University

"Anyone familiar with the history and criticism of modern art will know that Harrison's credentials are unsurpassed for the task he sets himself in An Introduction to Art. This book exceeds expectations in every respect. The breadth of materials handled by the author--and the clarity of his claims about them--make this book illuminating for students, useful for teachers, and a welcome alternative to other introductory texts. Most importantly, it is original in its approach and compelling in its expression."--Michael Schreyach, Trinity University

"This book is made up of absolutely superb and foundational discussions and arguments."--Susan Hollis Clayson, Northwestern University

"The book is tremendously successful as a narrative about contemplating why one bothers to look at art . . . Harrison's aphoristic economy positively influences the readerly experience in many ways--most of all, it produces a tone that is relaxed and conversational, yet also probing and serious."--Matthew Jesse Jackson, University of Chicago

About the Author:

Charles Harrison (1942-2009) was Emeritus Professor of the History and Theory of Art, The Open University and author of numerous books including English Art and Modernism 1900-1939 and, most recently, Since 1950: Art and Its Criticism. He is co-author of French Painting in the Nineteenth Century, Primitivism, Cubism, Abstraction, and Modernism in Dispute.