A History of Western Art

Article number 10125584

312 illustrations, 83 in colour. This deliberately concise history is something of a tour-de-force, intended to stimulate the expert as well as to guide the layman. Throughout, it is powered by the author’s belief in art as a vital activity and therefore as something that—in words which open and close the book—‘has not ceased to be produced’. It tries to concentrate on individual works of art, whether an Egyptian unguent jar, a Gothic reliquary or a Raphael portrait. What is told is, in effect, the story of Western man’s creative energy, constantly finding new ways to fill the world with non-natural objects. The author imposes no arbitrary pattern or simple explanation, but emphasises that novel surprise element in every work of art which has often disconcerted people at first sight—long before nineteenth- and twentieth-century controversies about ‘modern’ art. The result is a book which does justice to major styles and many artists over the whole course of Western art but which—above all—communicates a sense of the author’s own enjoyment in looking at works of art of every kind. Among the younger art historians of our day, Michael Levey has won exceptionally wide recognition for the independence of his judgement, the breadth of his knowledge and of his sympathies, and the clarity and liveliness of his style. An earlier book by him in this series, A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cézanne, received an enthusiastic welcome from the press. ‘Mr Levey’s clarity of thought, elegance of style, and utter rightness in the way he presents his material show how this kind of book ought to be written.’ The Times Literary Supplement. Michael Levey is the author of several catalogues and books, including A Concise History of Painting: From Giotto to Cézanne and Rococo to Revolution: Major Trends in 18th-Century Painting. Mr Levey has been Slade Professor of Fine Art at Cambridge, and gave the 1968 Wrightsman Lectures in New York. At present he is Keeper of the National Gallery in London. He is married to Bridget Riley and they have a daughter, Kate. Contents Introduction I From the Cave to the City II The Impact of Christianity III The Gothic World IV In a New Perspective V Perfect Manners VI High Art and Low Nature VII Facing up to Reality VIII ‘We must go on searching’ List of Illustrations Index