Greek Myth and Western Art: The Presence of the Past - Hardcover

Kilinski II, Karl

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1107013321 ISBN 13: 9781107013322

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2013

Synopsis

Greek myth has played an unparalleled role in the formation of Western visual traditions, for which it has provided a nearly inexhaustible source of forms, symbols and narratives. This richly illustrated book examines the legacy of Greek mythology in Western art from the classical era to the present. It reveals the range and variety with which individual Greek myths, motifs and characters have been treated throughout the history of the visual arts in the West. Tracing the emergence, survival and transformation of key mythological figures and motifs from ancient Greece through the modern era, it explores the enduring importance of such myths for artists and viewers in their own time and over the millennia that followed.

About this title

Review:

“Karl Kilinski’s lifelong fascination with the afterlife of classical myths in the art of Europe and America comes to fruition in this learned yet lively and fast-paced romp through three thousand years of art history, from Gilgamesh to Richard Nixon. Scholars, students, and aficionados of mythology will all be captivated by the results.” – H. A. Shapiro, Johns Hopkins University

“With Greek Myth and Western Art, Karl Kilinski has not just contributed another compendium of classical mythology, but has done something much more useful, imaginative, and synthetic: he has created an accessible, readable, and insightful analysis of the original principles of Greek mythology, and its various artistic and literary expressions, and of its remarkable ability to adapt and address new religious and cultural issues within the rich and continually evolving cultural, artistic, and technological contexts of the Western world. It will become standard reading for students of classical art and mythology, from beginners to professionals, as well as for students of classical revival, from antiquity to the present. Perhaps even more remarkably, as an enlightening overview of classical continuity and its influence and application in Western culture, this book will stand not only as a specific study of Greek mythology but also as an intellectual history, a paradigm of the interdisciplinary methods and goals of the liberal arts.” – Robin F. Rhodes, University of Notre Dame

"The text is succinct, clear, easy to follow, at times humorous, and always scholarly. Readers may feel that they are sitting in a lecture hall. A readable, insightful analysis of a sometimes elusive subject, this book reflects a lifetime of study and thought. A solid purchase for art history or English literature collections." --Choice

Book Description:

This richly illustrated book examines the legacy of Greek mythology in Western art from the classical era to the present. It explores the enduring importance of key mythological figures and motifs for artists and viewers in their own time and over the millennia that followed.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1107013321
• ISBN 13: 9781107013322
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 337