Description
Considered a great classic by all who seek for a meeting ground between science and the humanities, Art and Illusion examines the history and psychology of pictorial representation in light of present-day theories of visual perception information and learning. Searching for a rational explanation of the changing styles of art, Gombrich reexamines many ideas on the imitation of nature and the function of tradition. In testing his arguments he ranges over the history of art, noticing particularly the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, and the visual discoveries of such masters as Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, as well as the impressionists and the cubists. Gombrich's triumph in Art and Illusion arises from the fact that his main concern is less with the artists than with ourselves, the beholders.
About the Author
E. H. Gombrich (1909-2001) was director of the Warburg Institute and Professor of the History of the Classical Tradition at the University of London. His best-known book, The Story of Art, has been translated into many languages, and he was also the author of A Little History of the World.
Reviews
"Ernst Gombrich is indeed Master Scholar of the highest distinction. He has explored the mysterious links between perception and art--adding to both in the process, with a score of superb books on the history and philosophy of art... [Art and Illusion's] riches can only be appreciated by careful reading, more than once."--Richard Gregory, Perception "[Sir Ernst's] own theory of perception, put forward in Art and Illusion ... arguably his most important book, was controversial in almost every detail. But it brought the topic of the visual back to the centre of the history of the visual arts, from where it had been strangely displaced."--The Economist "I have learned a great deal from this volume, but what I shall remember about it is the author's warmth and wit, the fabulous range of his references and the richness of personality that lies behind the whole performance."--The New York Times
Book Information
ISBN 9780691070001
Author E. H. Gombrich
Format Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 1219g
About the Author
E. H. Gombrich (1909-2001) was director of the Warburg Institute and Professor of the History of the Classical Tradition at the University of London. His best-known book, The Story of Art, has been translated into many languages, and he was also the author of A Little History of the World.
Reviews
"Ernst Gombrich is indeed Master Scholar of the highest distinction. He has explored the mysterious links between perception and art--adding to both in the process, with a score of superb books on the history and philosophy of art... [Art and Illusion's] riches can only be appreciated by careful reading, more than once."--Richard Gregory, Perception "[Sir Ernst's] own theory of perception, put forward in Art and Illusion ... arguably his most important book, was controversial in almost every detail. But it brought the topic of the visual back to the centre of the history of the visual arts, from where it had been strangely displaced."--The Economist "I have learned a great deal from this volume, but what I shall remember about it is the author's warmth and wit, the fabulous range of his references and the richness of personality that lies behind the whole performance."--The New York Times
Book Information
ISBN 9780691070001
Author E. H. Gombrich
Format Paperback
Page Count 512
Imprint Princeton University Press
Publisher Princeton University Press
Weight(grams) 1219g
