Stories of Art

Elkins, James

ISBN 10: 0415939437 / ISBN 13: 9780415939430

Published by Routledge, 2002

About this Item

This book is in very good condition, with only minor signs of wear and use. The pages may contain limited notes or highlighting, but overall, the text remains clean and legible. The cover and spine are also in great shape, with only minimal shelf wear or creasing. This book has been well-maintained and still presents a clean and attractive appearance. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc.

Seller Inventory # AM02557

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Stories of Art
• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0415939437
• ISBN 13: 9780415939430
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 8 ounces
• Seller catalogs:
  • Art&Music

About this title

Synopsis

Stories of Art is James Elkins's intimate history of art. Concise and original, this engaging book is an antidote to the behemoth art history textbooks from which we were all taught. As he demonstrates so persuasively, there can never be one story of art. Cultures have their own stories - about themselves, about other cultures - and to hear them all is one way to hear the multiple stories that art tells. But each of us also has our own story of art, a kind of private art history made up of the pieces we have seen, and loved or hated, the effects they had on us, and the connections that might be drawn among them.

Elkins opens up the questions that traditional art history usually avoids. What about all the art not produced in Western Europe or in the Europeanized Americas? Is it possible to include Asian art and Indian art in ‘the story?’ What happens when one does? To help us find answers, he uses both Western and non-Western artworks, tables of contents from art histories written in cultures outside the centre of Western European tradition, and strangely wonderful diagrams of how artworks might connect through a single individual. True multiculturalism may be an impossibility, but art lovers can each create a ‘story of art’ that is right for themselves.

About the Author

James Elkins is Professor of Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is the author of many books. Among is books are Pictures and Tears, How to UseYour Eyes, and What Painting Is, all published by Routledge.