How does an artist’s interpretation of historical events alter our understanding of them? Kings, queens, presidents, and generals from Alexander the Great to Theodore Roosevelt have commissioned paintings, drawings, sculptures, and photographs of major events, and artists have responded to important moments with works that forever shape historical memory. The book deals with specific episodes, from the proclamation of the Code of Hammurabi to more recent events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It also deals with broader themes, such as the founding of states (Persia, Rome, the Chinese Empire, the United States) and war (Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People, Picasso’s Guernica). Here too are the great voyages of exploration, the industrial revolution, and much more. World history is vividly elucidated in these works of art.

"The World's Greatest Art" series has been hugely successful on the back of the best-selling bigger book "The World's Greatest Art". Now, to fit in with the series as a whole we've introduced this "Brief History of Art" which covers popular art from 1200.

This is a collection of two volumes covering the History of Art and its relationship with human development, religion and cultures. Volume One starts from the early civilisations and the origins of art in early artifacts, the kingdoms of Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt, Eastern Mediterranean and the empire in China. It continues onto the sixteenth century, taking in Classical Greece and Rome; Byzantine Art, the Carolingian Empire, explain to the rise of Islamic African Art and the development of India Art around the religions of Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism, as well as Chinese Art of Taoism and Confucianism. Much of art in the medieval age was influenced by the conquests, religion and faith as well as gothic and Italian City State art. The early renaissance of the fifteenth century is heavily steeped in the history of Florence and the Papacy as well as the princes and merchants of northern Europe; compassing Venetian art at the end of the sixteenth century. Volume Two continues until the twentieth century, looking at the themes of power and image in the European courts as well as the Muslim Courts. The strength of the Catholic church influences the Roman and Baroque art developments of the seventeenth century, as well as expeditions to the Americas, Spain and the Netherlands. The frivolity and extravagance dominates eighteenth century art with the arrival of Rococo and a return to neoclassicism, which moved to romanticism in the nineteenth century and the freedom of realism, impressionism, and the new materials of the industrial revolution in the twentieth century. Both volumes contain an index of names and places.

Over two decades this art historical tour de force has consistently proved the classic introduction to humanity's artistic heritage. From our paleolithic past to our digitised present, every continent and culture is covered in an articulate and well-balanced discussion. In this Seventh Edition, the text has been revised to embrace developments in archaeology and art historical research, while the renowned contemporary art historian Michael Archer has greatly expanded the discussion of the past twenty years, providing a new perspective on the latest developments. The insight, elegance and fluency that the authors bring to their text are complemented by 1458 superb illustrations, half of which are now in colour. These images, together with the numerous maps and architectural plans, have been chosen to represent the most significant chronological, regional and individual styles of artistic expression.

This is a quick, handy reference guide to art from prehistoric times up-to-the present. The book is arranged in chronological order, covering all the main time periods, movements and well-known artists. There are time lines for each section as well as brief introductions to what was happening politically, socially etc. at the time, and also an in-depth look at famous artists. The text is accessible and authoritative. The layout is easy to follow and well laid out. In short, this is the ideal student's or layman's guide to the history of art.

“Why do artists love books?” This volume takes this tantalizingly simple question as a starting point to reveal centuries of symbiosis between the visual and literary arts. First looking at the development of printed books and the simultaneous emergence of the modern figure of the artist, The Art of Reading appraises works by the many great masters who took inspiration from the printed word. Authors Jamie Camplin and Maria Ranauro weave together an engaging cultural history that probes the ways in which books and paintings represent a key to understanding ourselves and the past. Paintings contain a world of information about religion, class, gender, and power, but they also reveal details of everyday life often lost in history texts. Such artworks show us not only how books have been valued over time but also how the practice of reading has evolved in Western society. Featuring over one hundred works by artists from across Europe and the United States and all painting genres, The Art of Reading explores the two-thousand-year story of the great painters and the preeminent information-providing, knowledge-endowing, solace-giving, belief-supporting, leisure-enriching, pleasure-delivering medium of all time: the book.