Description

pp. 406, b/w and color illustrations, “The Oxford History of Classical Art offers readers the definitive companion to the artistic and architectural achievements of the Greco-Roman world, from the rise of the Greek city-states to the fall of the Roman Empire. Written by Boardman and a team of distinguished experts, this sumptuous volume presents the full pageantry and glory of the classical world, tracing the origins and evolution of classical art as it gradually moved from the art of individuals and small communities to the art of a world power. Particular attention is paid throughout to the splendor and quality of the arts themselves, aptly represented in 528 stunningly beautiful black and white and full-color plates. From the stiffly representational style of early antiquity and the oriental influence of Egypt and Mesopotamia to the full flowering of the Greece’s Golden Age, text and illustrations work together to enhance our appreciation of the fascinating process through which humanity itself became the central focus of art, and artists and artisans sought for the first time not just to imitate the natural world, but to actually improve on nature through perfection of form and composition. Turning to Rome, the contributors dramatically illustrate that Roman art was far more than a mere pastiche of Greek influences. They take an in-depth look at the Romans’ profound contributions to architecture, as they used their technical progress with arch, vault, and the use of brick and concrete, to create new attitudes to the use of space and light and principles of design which went far beyond the more limited ambitions of the Greek world.”