Art History Find (Pages from the Past: Good Reads Message Board)

Art History Find
Author: Cindy Marsch	January 25, 2000 at 21:34:37

I ran across an extra-heavy hardback at a library book sale
one day last year and saw it had high-quality glossy paper
and b/w reproductions of art and had been done by Phaidon
Publishers, a subsidiary of Oxford University Press. It was
only $3, so on the strength of those facts, I bought it.

Great book so far! The author is E.H. Gombrich and the title is "The Story of Art," 1951. As far as I can tell, it is designed for an art history "survey" at the college level, but my children at 11, 8, and 6 are listening raptly as I read from it.
Today we got to the discussion of the Greek sculptures that have mostly survived for us only in their inferior Roman marble versions, and along with Gombrich's descriptions of their former glory we have also a good discussion of Jeremiah's warnings about idols. Gombrich notes that, for instance, the Athena of the Parthenon was not originally the "blank" Roman marble we've seen but a huge wooden sculpture (the huge you see in the plaster version in Nashville, and that alone is impressive!). The original 36-foot Athena was wood overlaid with ivory for skin and gold on her garments, with jewels for eyes.

Gombrich is not explicitly Christian in his (?) treatment
of the subject, but he treats things fairly, I think (at
least so far), and I'm sorely tempted to continue reading
on my own tonight while the kiddoes are in bed! To me
that's a sign of a great school book.

Just on a whim I decided to see if it's still in print, and Barnes and Noble has a paperback for about $24, hardback for $34, and the book is in its umpteenth edition since the one I have! The newer editions may be dumbed down or otherwise messed up, but they have more illustrations and more in color than mine.

You can search yourself for "The Story of Art" through my
WRASSE Bookstore search engine, link below.

Cindy Marsch

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> I ran across an extra-heavy hardback at a library book sale > one day last year and saw it had high-quality glossy paper > and b/w reproductions of art and had been done by Phaidon > Publishers, a subsidiary of Oxford University Press. It was > only $3, so on the strength of those facts, I bought it. > > Great book so far! The author is E.H. Gombrich and the title is "The Story of Art," 1951. As far as I can tell, it is designed for an art history "survey" at the college level, but my children at 11, 8, and 6 are listening raptly as I read from it. > Today we got to the discussion of the Greek sculptures that have mostly survived for us only in their inferior Roman marble versions, and along with Gombrich's descriptions of their former glory we have also a good discussion of Jeremiah's warnings about idols. Gombrich notes that, for instance, the Athena of the Parthenon was not originally the "blank" Roman marble we've seen but a huge wooden sculpture (the huge you see in the plaster version in Nashville, and that alone is impressive!). The original 36-foot Athena was wood overlaid with ivory for skin and gold on her garments, with jewels for eyes. > > Gombrich is not explicitly Christian in his (?) treatment > of the subject, but he treats things fairly, I think (at > least so far), and I'm sorely tempted to continue reading > on my own tonight while the kiddoes are in bed! To me > that's a sign of a great school book. > > Just on a whim I decided to see if it's still in print, and Barnes and Noble has a paperback for about $24, hardback for $34, and the book is in its umpteenth edition since the one I have! The newer editions may be dumbed down or otherwise messed up, but they have more illustrations and more in color than mine. > > You can search yourself for "The Story of Art" through my > WRASSE Bookstore search engine, link below. > > Cindy Marsch
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