"The ancient Greeks developed their own very specific ethos of art appreciation, advocating a rational involvement with art. This book explores why the ancient Greeks started to write art history and how the writing of art history transformed the social functions of art in the Greek world. It looks at the invention of the genre of portraiture, and the social uses to which portraits were put in the city state. Later chapters explore how artists sought to enhance their status by writing theoretical treatises and producing works of art intended for purely aesthetic contemplation which ultimately gave rise to the writing of art history and to the development of art collecting. The study, which is illustrated throughout and which draws on contemporary perspectives in the sociology of art, will prompt the student of classical art to rethink fundamental assumptions on Greek art and its cultural and social implications."--BOOK JACKET.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1850 Edition.

An introduction to the study of ancient Roman art in its social context.

Are copies of Greek and Roman masterpieces as important as the originals they imitate?

Explains the origins, materials, and meaning of traditional art in China, and describes the development of painting, sculpture, calligraphy, architecture, and other media.