Overview
For forty years, this widely acclaimed classic has remained unsurpassed as anintroduction to art in the Western world, boasting the matchless credibility of the Janson name. This newest update features a more contemporary, more colorful design and vast array of extraordinarily produced illustrations that have become the Janson hallmark.A narrative voice makes this book a truly enjoyable read, and carefully reviewed and revised updates to this edition offer the utmost clarity in contributions based on recent scholarship. Extensive captions for the book's incredible art program offer profound insight through the eyes of twentieth-century art historians speaking about specific pieces of art featured throughout.
Significantly changed in this edition is the chapter on “The Late Renaissance,” in which Janson offers a new perspective on the subject, tracing in detail the religious art tied to the Catholic Reform movement, whose early history is little known to many readers of art history. Janson has also rearranged early Renaissance art according to genres instead of time sequence, and he has followed the reinterpretation of Etruscan art begun in recent years by German and English art historians.
With a truly humanist approach, this book gives written and visual meaning to the captivating story of what artists have tried to express—and why—for more than 30,000 years.
Author Biography: Anthony F. Janson has forged a distinguished career as an author, museum professional, and teacher. He has written books, catalogs, and articles on a wide range of subjects from the Renaissance to the present day. He served as Chief Curator at the Indianapolis Museum of Art; the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art in Sarasota; and the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. He has taught at three universities, most recently at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Janson took over authorship of History of Art and History of Art for Young People upon the death of his father, H. W. Janson, in 1982.
The most thorough, cogent, and lavishly illustrated survey of art in the Western tradition, Janson's History of Art has now been completely redesigned and updated to make it the ultimate visually and intellectually exciting resource for today. Timelines; glossary; bibliography; index. 1,266 illustrations, more than 775 in full color.