Art in History, 600 BC - 2000 AD: Ideas in Profile

Book excerpt: Ideas in Profile: Small Introductions to Big Topics Art has always been part of history. But we often think of it as outside history. When we look at a painting by Raphael, Rembrandt or Rubens it speaks to us directly, but it's also an historical document, part of a living world. Renowned art historian Martin Kemp takes the reader on an extraordinary trip through art, from devotional works to the revolutionary techniques of the Renaissance, from the courtly Masters of the seventeenth century through to the daring avant-garde of the twentieth century and beyond. Along the way we encounter the great names of art history: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo; Vermeer and Velasquez; Picasso and Pollock. We get under the skin of the many 'isms', schools, styles and epochs. We see the complex sweep of art history with its innovations, collaborations, rivalries, break-throughs and masterpieces. Above all, Kemp puts art in context; art isn't about disembodied images, art itself is history. Part of the Ideas in Profile series, uniquely enlivened with animations and illustrations from the award winning studio Cognitive Media, Art in History is an indispensable, accessible and richly detailed guide to our culture, our history, our heritage and our art. Also available in two ebook formats. Please note that ISBN 9781782831020 is for the usual ebook format and 9781781254110 is for an enhanced edition with additional video and audio which should be used only with tablet devices that are capable of playing this additional content.