Theories of Art

This book, the first in Moshe Barasch's series on art theory, offers a comprehensive analysis and reassessment of major trends in European art theory and its development from the time of Plato to the early eighteenth century. Barasch expertly guides the reader from the interwoven attitudes and traditions of antiquity, through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the aesthetic values of the Middle Ages, to the branching out of several disciplines--art history, art criticism, abstract aesthetics--in the late Renaissance. Clearly outlining the development of art theory and exploring the central issues of each historical period, Theories of Art is a valuable resource for the art historian as well as a stimulating introduction for the general reader.

This book, the first in Moshe Barasch's series on art theory, offers a comprehensive analysis and reassessment of major trends in European art theory and its development from the time of Plato to the early eighteenth century. Barasch expertly guides the reader from the interwoven attitudes and traditions of antiquity, through the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas and the aesthetic values of the Middle Ages, to the branching out of several disciplines--art history, art criticism, abstract aesthetics--in the late Renaissance. Clearly outlining the development of art theory and exploring the central issues of each historical period, Theories of Art is a valuable resource for the art historian as well as a stimulating introduction for the general reader.

In this volume, the third in his classic series on art theory, Moshe Barasch traces the hidden patterns and interlocking themes in the study of art, from impressionism to abstract art. Barasch details the immense social changes in the creation, presentation, and reception of art which have set the history of art theory on a vertiginous new course: the decreased relevance of workshops and art schools; the replacement of the treatise by the critical review; and the emerging interrelationship between scientific inquiry and artistic theory. The consequent changes in the ways in which critics as well as artists conceptualized paintings and sculptures were radical, marked by an obsession with intense sensory experiences, psychological reflection on the effects of art, and an attraction to the exotic and alien--making for the most exciting and fertile period in the history of art criticism.

In this volume, the third in his classic series on art theory, Moshe Barasch traces the hidden patterns and interlocking themes in the study of art, from impressionism to abstract art. Barasch details the immense social changes in the creation, presentation, and reception of art which have set the history of art theory on a vertiginous new course: the decreased relevance of workshops and art schools; the replacement of the treatise by the critical review; and the emerging interrelationship between scientific inquiry and artistic theory. The consequent changes in the ways in which critics as well as artists conceptualized paintings and sculptures were radical, marked by an obsession with intense sensory experiences, psychological reflection on the effects of art, and an attraction to the exotic and alien--making for the most exciting and fertile period in the history of art criticism.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.