「美術史とは何か」から出発し、その特徴、フェミニスト美術やクイアー美術などの社会史的なアプローチの台頭にも目を向ける本書は、美術がどう記述、表現、読解、鑑賞され、またそれが美術の理解にどのような影響を持つのかを考察します。改訂新版は従来の西洋美術史学的方法論では漏れてしまう批判的アプローチがあることを指摘し、グローバルな文脈で非西欧文化圏の美術に言及する新章を追加。文字で伝える歴史とは異なる視点をもたらす、美術と歴史の関係性について考えます。(cf. Art Theory, #083; Renaissance Art, #129; Modern Art, #120; Contemporary Art, #146)
    

• Introduces the study of art history considering the artefacts and debates which it covers
• Discusses how we write, present, read, and look at art

New to this Edition:

• This new edition includes a new chapter on global art histories, explanding the disucssion of art from non-western cultures
• Includes new material on the relationship between art and history, and the ways in which art can tell a different history from the one narrated by texts

     
Art history encompasses the study of the history and development of painting, sculpture and the other visual arts. In this Very Short Introduction, Dana Arnold presents an introduction to the issues, debates, and artefacts that make up art history. Beginning with a consideration of what art history is, she explains what makes the subject distinctive from other fields of study, and also explores the emergence of social histories of art (such as Feminist Art History and Queer Art History). Using a wide range of images, she goes on to explore key aspects of the discipline including how we write, present, read, and look at art, and the impact this has on our understanding of art history.
               
This second edition includes a new chapter on global art histories, considering how the traditional emphasis on periods and styles in art originated in western art and can obscure other critical approaches and artwork from non-western cultures. Arnold also discusses the relationship between art and history, and the ways in which art can tell a different history from the one narrated by texts.
  
  
The Very Short Introductions Podcast: Episode 14 Art History