Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph: The Art of the Roman Empire AD 100-450 (Oxford History of Art)

Elsner, Jas

ISBN 10: 0192842013 / ISBN 13: 9780192842015

Published by Oxford University Press, 1998

Good condition ex-library book with usual library markings and stickers. Seller Inventory # 00101854738

Synopsis:

Western culture saw some of the most significant and innovative developments take place during the passage from antiquity to the middle ages. This stimulating new book investigates the role of the visual arts as both reflections and agents of those changes. It tackles two inter-related periods of internal transformation within the Roman Empire: the phenomenon known as the 'Second Sophistic' (c. ad 100300)two centuries of self-conscious and enthusiastic hellenism, and the era of late antiquity (c. ad 250450) when the empire underwent a religious conversion to Christianity. Vases, murals, statues, and masonry are explored in relation to such issues as power, death, society, acculturation, and religion. By examining questions of reception, viewing, and the culture of spectacle alongside the more traditional art-historical themes of imperial patronage and stylistic change, Jas Elsner presents a fresh and challenging account of an extraordinarily rich cultural crucible in which many fundamental developments of later European art had their origins. 'a highly individual work ...wonderful visual and comparative analysis ...I can think of no other general book on Roman art that deals so elegantly and informatively with the theme of visuality and visual desire. ' Professor Natalie Boymel Kampen, Barnard College, New York 'exciting and original ...a vibrant impression of creative energy and innovation held in constant tension by the persistence of more traditional motifs and techniques. Elsner constantly surprises and intrigues the reader by approaching familiar material in new ways.' Professor Averil Cameron, Keble College, Oxford.

About the Author:
Jas Elsner is Lecturer in the History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, London.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Imperial Rome and Christian Triumph: The Art...
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication Date: 1998
Binding: Soft cover
Condition: Good