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.

About the Author

Moshe Barasch is Jack Cotton Professor of Architecture and Fine Arts at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and author of numerous books on art, including The Languageof Art: Studies in Interpretation (1997) and Icon:Studies in the History of an Idea (1995).

Book Information
ISBN 9780415926270
Author Moshe Barasch
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 740g