Art History - a Very Short Introduction

This clear and concise new introduction to the history of art covers all the major debates and issues in the subject, citing a wide range of well-known examples. It discusses the challenge of using verbal and written language to analyse a visual form. Dana Arnold also examines the ways in which art has been written about, and the changing boundaries of the subject of art history. Topics covered include the role of the artist and the viewer and our preoccupation with authorship, authenticity, and chronology. Importantly, this book explains how the standard emphasis on periods and styles originates in western art production and can obscure other approaches and art from non western cultures.