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Art, Patronage, and Nepotism in Early Modern Rome (Visual Culture in Early Modernity)
by Karen J. LloydDrawing on rich archival research and focusing on works by leading artists including Guido Reni and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Karen J. Lloyd demonstrates that cardinal nephews in seventeenth-century Rome – those nephews who were raised to the cardinalate as princes of the Church – used the arts to cultivate more than splendid social status. Through politically savvy frescos and emotionally evocative displays of paintings, sculptures, and curiosities, cardinal nephews aimed to define nepotism as good Catholic rule. Their commissions took advantage of their unique position close to the pope, embedding the defense of their role into the physical fabric of authority, from the storied vaults of the Vatican Palace to the sensuous garden villas that fused business and pleasure in the Eternal City. This book uncovers how cardinal nephews crafted a seductively potent dialogue on the nature of power, fuelling the development of innovative visual forms that championed themselves as the indispensable heart of papal politics. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, early modern studies, religious history, and political history.
Art, Power, and Patronage in the Principality of Epirus, 1204–1318 (Routledge Research in Byzantine Studies)
by Leonela FundićThe Principality of Epirus was a medieval Greek state established in the western part of the Balkans after the fall of Constantinople to the forces of the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The Epirote rulers from the Komnenos Doukas family claimed to be legitimate successors to the Byzantine imperial throne and, with the support of the high clergy and the aristocracy within their domain, carefully maintained their Byzantine identity under the conditions of exile. This book explores a corpus of Epirote architecture, frescoes, sculpture, and inscriptions from the early thirteenth to the early fourteenth century within a comparative and interdisciplinary framework, focusing on the nexus of art, patronage, and political ideology. Through an examination of a vast array of visual and textual sources, many of them understudied or hitherto unpublished, the book uncovers how the Epirote elite mobilised art and material culture to address the issues of succession and legitimacy, construct memory, reclaim Constantinople, and mediate encounters and exchanges with the Latin West. In doing so, this study offers a new perspective on Byzantine political and cultural history in the aftermath of the Fourth Crusade.
Art, Power, and Resistance in the Middle Ages (Signa: Papers of the Index of Medieval Art at Princeton University)
by Pamela A. PattonThis volume addresses a vital point of intersection between images in the Middle Ages and those in the modern world: the potential of medieval works of art to convey messages of power and resistance. Provoked by the misuse of medieval imagery in modern discussions, the contributors to this volume assess how medieval images connect to discourses of power in both the past and the present.The contributors each began with a single question: In the eyes of their makers and viewers, how were medieval images understood to assert or to resist forces of power? Their case studies come from a wide range of cultural, geographic, and historical contexts: the Byzantine, Ottonian, and Valois courts; the Umayyad and Castilian regimes of the Iberian Peninsula; the pluralistic military and commercial zones of the eastern Mediterranean; and the metaphorical as well as personal battlegrounds linked to medieval “courtly love” culture. Over eight chapters, the authors highlight patterns of visual rhetoric still evident in art today. They invite readers to contemplate how modern priorities and sensibilities might amplify, mute, or transform the discourses related to power and resistance that were threaded through the visual culture of the Middle Ages.This insightful book should be of value to anyone interested in medieval art history and art’s relationship to power and authority in society.In addition to the editor, the contributors include Heather A. Badamo, Elena N. Boeck, Thomas E. A. Dale, Martha Easton, Eliza Garrison, Anne D. Hedeman, Tom Nickson, and Avinoam Shalem.
Art, Religion and Resistance in: Nostalgia for Paradise Lost (Modernity, Memory and Identity in South-East Europe)
by Maria Alina AsaveiThis book illuminates the interconnections between politics and religion through the lens of artistic production, exploring how art inspired by religion functioned as a form of resistance, directed against both Romanian national communism (1960-1989) and, latterly, consumerist society and its global market. It investigates the critical, tactical and subversive employments of religious motifs and themes in contemporary art pieces that confront the religious ‘affair’ in post-communist Romania. In doing so, it addresses a key gap in previous scholarship, which has paid little attention to the relationship between religious art and political resistance in communist Central and South-East Europe.
Art, Religion, Amnesia: The Enchantments of Credulity
by Donald PreziosiArt, Religion, Amnesia addresses the relationship between art and religion in contemporary culture, directly challenging contemporary notions of art and religion as distinct social phenomena and explaining how such Western terms represent alternative and even antithetical modes of world-making. In this new book, Professor Preziosi offers a critique of the main thrust of writing in recent years on the subjects of art, religion, and their interconnections, outlining in detail a perspective which redefines the basic terms in which recent debates and discussions have been articulated both in the scholarly and popular literature, and in artistic, political and religious practice. Art, Religion and Amnesia proposes an alternative to the two conventional traditions of writing on the subject which have been devoted on the one hand to the ‘spiritual’ dimensions of artistry, and on the other hand to the (equally spurious) ‘aesthetic’ aspects of religion. The book interrogates the fundamental assumptions fuelling many current controversies over representation, idolatry, blasphemy, and political culture. Drawing on debates from Plato’s proposal to banish representational art from his ideal city-state to the Danish cartoons of Mohamed, Preziosi argues that recent debates have echoed a number of very ancient controversies in political philosophy, theology, and art history over the problem of representation and its functions in individual and social life. This book is a unique re-evaluation of the essential indeterminacy of meaning-making, marking a radically new approach to understanding the inextricability of aesthetics and theology and will be of interest to students and researchers in art history, philosophy and religion and cultural theory.
Art, Science, and Diplomacy: A Study of the Visual Images of the Macartney Embassy to China, 1793
by Shanshan ChenThis book examines how the Embassy members approached, selected, and represented information, and how, in doing so, they helped to shape European perceptions of China. The Macartney Embassy of 1793 was the first British diplomatic mission to China, seeking to open ties between the two empires. As part of the mission, the British government commissioned writers and artists to chronicle the geography and culture of a civilization that had, until then, been shrouded in mystery. A central focus of the book is the artwork itself, which provides a window into the diplomatic, artistic and scientific viewpoints underlying the mission. Drawing on archival research, the study recreates the processes through which the Embassy’s draughtsmen, scientists, and diplomats collaborated to represent the visual images, and how the materials were reworked for publication in London. The finished product demonstrates that the artists offered a distinct viewpoint in the representation of China, sometimes differing from the textual accounts, by blending scientific elements and artistic aesthetics in order to demystify China and make it more knowable to a British audience. It was in the interposition of text and image that the British public formulated an ambivalent perception of China that embraced both admiration and disdain. In addition to the scholars, the book targets general readers who are interested in global art and history, and East–West interactions. It contains important images with detailed visual and historical analysis that enable readers to acquire knowledge on how the British represented China and how that image helped to shape the European perception of China during the British global expansion in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and beyond.
Art, Science, and the Politics of Knowledge
by Hannah Star RogersHow the tools of STS can be used to understand art and science and the practices of these knowledge-making communities.In Art, Science, and the Politics of Knowledge, Hannah Star Rogers suggests that art and science are not as different from each other as we might assume. She shows how the tools of science and technology studies (STS) can be applied to artistic practice, offering new ways of thinking about people and objects that have largely fallen outside the scope of STS research. Arguing that the categories of art and science are labels with specific powers to order social worlds—and that art and science are best understood as networks that produce knowledge—Rogers shows, through a series of cases, the similarities and overlapping practices of these knowledge communities. The cases, which range from nineteenth-century artisans to contemporary bioartists, illustrate how art can provide the basis for a new subdiscipline called art, science, and technology studies (ASTS), offering hybrid tools for investigating art–science collaborations. Rogers&’s subjects include the work of father and son glassblowers, the Blaschkas, whose glass models, produced in the nineteenth century for use in biological classification, are now displayed as works of art; the physics photographs of documentary photographer Berenice Abbott; and a bioart lab that produces work functioning as both artwork and scientific output. Finally, Rogers, an STS scholar and contemporary art–science curator, draws on her own work to consider the concept of curation as a form of critical analysis.
Art, Trade, and Cultural Mediation in Asia, 1600–1950
by Raquel A. ReyesThis Palgrave Pivot explores the social and cultural impact of global trade at a micro-level from around 1600 to 1950. Bringing together the collaborative skills of cultural, social, economic, and art historians, it examines how the diffusion of trade, goods and objects affected people’s everyday lives. The authors tell several stories: of the role played by a host of intermediaries – such as apothecaries, artisans and missionaries who facilitated the process; of objects such as Japanese export lacquer-ware and paintings; of how diverse artistic influences came to be expressed in colonial church architecture in the Philippines; of revolutionary changes wrought on quotidian tastes and preferences, as shown in the interior decoration of private homes in the Dutch East Indies; and of transformations in the smoking and drinking habits of Southeast Asians. The chapters consider the conditions from which emerged new forms of artistic production and transfer, fresh cultural interpretations, and expanded markets for goods, objects and images.
Art, the Sublime, and Movement: Spaced Out (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)
by Amanda du PreezThis book is a critical interdisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary visual culture and image studies, exploring ideas about space and place and ultimately contributing to the debates about being human in the digital age. The upward and downward pull seem in a constant contest for humanity’s attention. Both forces are powerful in the effects and affects they invoke. When tracing this iconological history, Amanda du Preez starts in the early nineteenth century, moving into the twentieth century and then spanning the whole century up to contemporary twenty-first century screen culture and space travels. Du Preez parses the intersecting pathways between Heaven and Earth, up and down, flying and falling through the concept of being “spaced out”. The idea of being “spaced out” is applied as a metaphor to trace the visual history of sublime encounters that displace Earth, gravity, locality, belonging, home, real life, and embodiment. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, media and cultural studies, phenomenology, digital culture, mobility studies, and urban studies.
Art, the Sublime, and Movement: Spaced Out (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)
by Amanda du PreezThis book is a critical interdisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary visual culture and image studies, exploring ideas about space and place and ultimately contributing to the debates about being human in the digital age. The upward and downward pull seem in a constant contest for humanity’s attention. Both forces are powerful in the effects and affects they invoke. When tracing this iconological history, Amanda du Preez starts in the early nineteenth century, moving into the twentieth century and then spanning the whole century up to contemporary twenty-first century screen culture and space travels. Du Preez parses the intersecting pathways between Heaven and Earth, up and down, flying and falling through the concept of being “spaced out”. The idea of being “spaced out” is applied as a metaphor to trace the visual history of sublime encounters that displace Earth, gravity, locality, belonging, home, real life, and embodiment. The book will be of interest to scholars working in art history, visual culture, media and cultural studies, phenomenology, digital culture, mobility studies, and urban studies.
Art: A Beginner's Guide (Beginner's Guides)
by Laurie Schneider AdamsArt has existed for as long as humankind, but defining it is notoriously difficult. In this whirlwind tour spanning from prehistory up to the present day and beyond, Laurie Schneider Adams explores how art and our views on it have evolved. Delving into fascinating issues such as why some artworks can be so controversial, why a forgery can never be as "good" as the original, and what the future of art may hold, this beautifully crafted introduction provides a deft overview of Western artistic tradition. Also providing a helpful guide to understanding art terminology and to reading artworks for meaning, Art: A Beginner's Guide is an essential tool for every budding art critic. Laurie Schneider Adams is Professor of Art at John Jay College, City University of New York. She is the author of A History of Western Art and Looking at Art, and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Source: Notes in the History of Art.
Art: A Brief History
by Marilyn Stokstad Michael W. CothrenFor Art History Survey courses The most student-friendly, contextual, and inclusive art history survey text on the market Now in its sixth edition, Art: A Brief History continues to balance formal analysis with contextual art history in order to engage a diverse student audience. Authors Marilyn Stokstad and Michael Cothren, both scholars as well as teachers, share a common vision that survey courses should be filled with as much enjoyment as learning, and that they should foster an enthusiastic, as well as an educated, public for the visual arts. By treating the visual arts as one component of a vibrant cultural landscape (which also includes politics, religion, economics, and more), Art: A Brief History helps students recognize and appreciate the central role that art and architecture have played in human history.
Art: A Brief History (4th edition)
by Marilyn Stokstad Michael W. CothrenThis book features excellent scholarship, takes a global approach with an emphasis on the Western tradition in art. It reflects new interests and issues, expanding the topic to include women and minorities, and showing media and techniques other than painting, sculpture, and architecture. This book serves as an introduction to the history of art and a ready reference for people working in the arts, including museum docents, and art gallery employees, owners, and managers.
Art: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Artists and Their Works
by Susie HodgeArt introduces readers to 100 of the world's most important artists and their paintings, from the 13th century to the modern era. Works by artists including Caravaggio, Vermeer, van Gogh and Warhol are reproduced in superb high quality, arranged chronologically and set in their historical context by Susie Hodge's concise and readable narrative. Including explanations of key periods in art history - from the Early Renaissance to Dutch Realism, and from Rococo to Pop Art - a guide to the world's best art galleries and a helpful glossary of key terms, this is the perfect book for any art lover.
Art: Everything You Need to Know About the Greatest Artists and Their Works
by Susie HodgeArt introduces readers to 100 of the world's most important artists and their paintings, from the 13th century to the modern era. Works by artists including Caravaggio, Vermeer, van Gogh and Warhol are reproduced in superb high quality, arranged chronologically and set in their historical context by Susie Hodge's concise and readable narrative. Including explanations of key periods in art history - from the Early Renaissance to Dutch Realism, and from Rococo to Pop Art - a guide to the world's best art galleries and a helpful glossary of key terms, this is the perfect book for any art lover.
Art: Inside a Socially Situated Practice (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)
by Loraine LeesonThis book brings a practitioner’s insight to bear on socially situated art practice through a first-hand glimpse into the development, organisation and delivery of art projects with social agendas. Issues examined include the artist’s role in building creative frameworks, the relationship of collaboration to participation, management of collective input, and wider repercussions of the ways that projects are instigated, negotiated and funded. The book contributes to ongoing debates on ethics/aesthetics for art initiatives where process, product and social relations are integral to the mix, and addresses issues of practical functionality in relation to social outcome.
ArtCurious: Stories of the Unexpected, Slightly Odd, and Strangely Wonderful in Art History
by Jennifer DasalA wildly entertaining and surprisingly educational dive into art history as you've never seen it before, from the host of the beloved ArtCurious podcastWe're all familiar with the works of Claude Monet, thanks in no small part to the ubiquitous reproductions of his water lilies on umbrellas, handbags, scarves, and dorm-room posters. But did you also know that Monet and his cohort were trailblazing rebels whose works were originally deemed unbelievably ugly and vulgar? And while you probably know the tale of Vincent van Gogh's suicide, you may not be aware that there's pretty compelling evidence that the artist didn't die by his own hand but was accidentally killed--or even murdered. Or how about the fact that one of Andy Warhol's most enduring legacies involves Caroline Kennedy's moldy birthday cake and a collection of toenail clippings?ArtCurious is a colorful look at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces. Through these and other incredible, weird, and wonderful tales, ArtCurious presents an engaging look at why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore.
Artangel and Financing British Art: Adapting to Social and Economic Change (British Art: Histories and Interpretations since 1700)
by Charlotte GouldThe Artangel Trust has been credited with providing artists with all the money and logistics they need to create one-off dream projects. An independent art commissioning agency based in London, it has operated since 1985 and is responsible for producing some of the most striking ephemeral and site-specific artworks of the last decades, from Rachel Whiteread’s House to Jeremy Deller’s The Battle of Orgreave. Artangel’s existence spans three decades, which now form a coherent whole in terms of both art historical and political periodisation. It was launched as a reaction to the cuts in funding for the visual arts introduced by the Thatcher government in 1979 and has since adapted in a distinctive way to changing cultural policies. Its mixed economic model, the recourse to public, private and corporate funds, is the result of the more general hybridisation of funding encouraged by successive governments since the 1980s and offers a contemporary case study on broader questions concerning the specificities of British art patronage. This book aims to demonstrate that the singular way its directors have responded to the vagaries of public funding and harnessed new national attitudes to philanthropy has created a sustainable independent model, but also that it has been reflected more formally, in their approach to site. The locational art produced by the agency has indeed mirrored new distinctions between public and private spaces, it has reflected the social and economic changes the country has gone through and accompanied the new cultural geographies shaping London and the United Kingdom. Looking into whether their funding model might have had a formal incidence on the art they helped produce and on its relation to notions of publicness and privacy, the study of Artangel gives a fresh insight into new trends in British site-specific art.
Arte Ambientale, Urban Space, and Participatory Art (Routledge Advances in Art and Visual Studies)
by Martina TangaWorking in 1970s Italy, a group of artists—namely Ugo La Pietra, Maurizio Nannucci, Francesco Somaini, Mauro Staccioli, Franco Summa, and Franco Vaccari—sought new spaces to create and exhibit art. Looking beyond the gallery, they generated sculptural, conceptual, and participatory interventions, called Arte Ambientale (Environmental Art), situated in the city streets. Their experiments emerged at a time of cultural crisis, when fierce domestic terrorism aggravated an already fragile political situation. To confront the malaise, these artists embraced a position of artistic autonomy and social critique, democratically connecting the city's inhabitants through direct art practices.
Arte Programmata: Freedom, Control, and the Computer in 1960s Italy
by Lindsay CaplanTracing the evolution of the Italian avant-garde&’s pioneering experiments with art and technology and their subversion of freedom and control In postwar Italy, a group of visionary artists used emergent computer technologies as both tools of artistic production and a means to reconceptualize the dynamic interrelation between individual freedom and collectivity. Working contrary to assumptions that the rigid, structural nature of programming limits subjectivity, this book traces the multifaceted practices of these groundbreaking artists and their conviction that technology could provide the conditions for a liberated social life.Situating their developments within the context of the Cold War and the ensuing crisis among the Italian left, Arte Programmata describes how Italy&’s distinctive political climate fueled the group&’s engagement with computers, cybernetics, and information theory. Creating a broad range of immersive environments, kinetic sculptures, domestic home goods, and other multimedia art and design works, artists such as Bruno Munari, Enzo Mari, and others looked to the conceptual frameworks provided by this new technology to envision a way out of the ideological impasses of the age.Showcasing the ingenuity of Italy&’s earliest computer-based art, this study highlights its distinguishing characteristics while also exploring concurrent developments across the globe. Centered on the relationships between art, technology, and politics, Arte Programmata considers an important antecedent to the digital age.
Arte anotado (Art, Annotated): La historia del arte en 500 obras
by DKTranspórtate a una galería de arte en este recorrido por más de 3000 años de pintura, escultura y grabados. Lleno de información e imágenes, y organizado cronológicamente, este libro de arte presenta una exquisita recopilación de las obras más importantes de todo el mundo, acompañadas de anotaciones y análisis detallados que te ayudarán a comprender el simbolismo de cada de una de ellas y su contexto histórico.¡Aprende cómo Miguel Ángel pintó desnudos, qué es el cubismo o de dónde vino la abstracción y disfruta observando las imágenes de tus pinturas y esculturas favoritas!Pasa sus páginas y prepárate para descubrir: Obras realizadas por más 450 artistas de todo el mundo y de culturas diferentes, pertenecientes a diferentes períodos y movimientos artísticos.La composición, el color, la técnica y el simbolismo de cada una de ellas.Imágenes grandes que reproducen cada detalle de manera brillante, acompañadas de explicaciones y comentarios que te ayudarán a entenderlas mejor.Una sección con todos los autores de las obras que aparecen a lo largo del libroContempla frescos del antiguo Egipto, descifra las pistas visuales de La última cena de Leonardo da Vinci y descubre qué inspiró a Louise Bourgeois y Banksy en este libro de consulta visual. Una fuente de inspiración inigualable para todo amante del arte que busca seguir aprendiendo sobre la historia del arte universal.---------------------------------------------------A stunning art gallery in a book, art, annotated spans more than 3,000 years of paintings, sculptures, and prints. Combining reproductions of each work of art with precise annotations and visual analysis, it is an expertly curated selection of the finest art ever created.Immerse yourself in this book and learn all about art - how Michelangelo painted nudes, what cubism is, and where abstraction came from. Discover ancient Egyptian frescoes, read the visual clues to Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, and find out what inspired Louise Bourgeois and Banksy. In this art book, you will find:Art from all over the world exploring key elements such as composition, color, technique, and symbolism.Profiles the work of more than 450 artists from across the world and many different cultures, covering every period and major art movement.Art set in its historical context, which makes art, annotated a complete overview of art history.A 32-page directory of biographies of all the artists featured at the back of the book. Packed with information and full of inspiration, art, annotated brings the finest paintings and sculptures right into your home. It is the ultimate history of art and visual sourcebook for all art lovers.
Arte año a año (Art Year by Year): De las pinturas rupestres al arte urbano
by DKEste excelente libro está recorrido de principio a fin por una sola línea cronológica, creando una fantástica galería de arte a través de la historia, desde las pinturas rupestres hasta el arte callejero, y mucho más.Se exploran y explican movimientos artísticos como el Renacimiento, el Impresionismo, el Surrealismo y el Pop Art. También hay biografías de las figuras clave tras algunas de las obras de arte más conocidas del mundo, desde Rembrandt hasta Rodin, Botticelli y Banksy. Con cada historia trazada en una línea temporal, las páginas de este libro ofrecen una fotografía instantánea de cada época y revelan las influencias y conexiones detrás de las obras de arte y movimientos artísticos que han reflejado nuestro mundo.Con más de 1,000 imágenes de pinturas, dibujos, fotografías y esculturas, 'Arte año a año' es la mejor guía visual de la historia del arte, siglo a siglo, año tras año.This terriffic book has a single timeline running through it – a glorious gallery of art through history, from prehistoric cave paintings to street art, and everything in between.Art movements such as the Renaissance, Impressionism, Surrealism, and Pop Art are explored and explained. There are biographies, too, of key figures behind some of the world&’s best-known artworks, from Rembrandt to Rodin, Botticelli to Banksy. With every story plotted on a timeline, the pages give a snapshot of each era, and reveal the influences and connections behind the works of art and artistic movements that have reflected our world.With more than 1,000 images of paintings, drawings, photographs, and sculptures, 'Arte año a año' is the ultimate visual guide to the history of art, century by century, year by year.
Arte para niños (Children's Book of Art)
by DKDescubre el poder del arte e inspírate con culturas de todo el mundo con 'Arte para Niños'. Aprenderás sobre las vidas y los fascinantes logros de grandes artistas y escultores, desde Leonardo da Vinci y Fernando Bolero hasta Picasso.El libro está repleto de datos y fotos que destacan estilos artísticos de todo el mundo, desde las primeras pinturas rupestres hasta el arte renacentista y el surrealismo, pasando por los soldados de terracota de China y la escultura africana.Además, incluye actividades y proyectos divertidos para que los más pequeños creen sus propias obras de arte: el regalo ideal para futuros pintores y escultores.Discover the power of art and be inspired by cultures from all over the world with 'Arte para Niños'. You'll learn about the fascinating lives and achievements of great artists and sculptors, from Leonardo da Vinci to Bolero and Picasso. The book is packed with facts and photos highlighting artistic styles from around the world, from the very earliest cave paintings to Renaissance art and surrealism, via China's terra-cotta army, and African sculpture.Plus, there are fun activities and projects so you can create your own works of art-the perfect gift for budding painters and sculptors.
Arte y belleza en la estética medieval
by Umberto EcoEl concepto de «estética» nace en Europa en el siglo XVIII y, por lo tanto, muchas historias de la estética tomaron en escasa consideración las teorías de la belleza y del arte elaboradas anteriormente. Ahora bien, desde hace más de cincuenta años la actitud de los historiadores ha cambiado y la Edad Media se ha valorizado como una época rica en especulaciones fascinantes sobre la belleza, el placer estético, el gusto, la belleza natural y artificial, las relaciones entre el arte y las demás actividades humanas. En este compendio de las teorías estéticas elaboradas por la cultura del Medioevo, desde el siglo VI hasta el XV de nuestra era, Eco recorre, de forma accesible para el lector no especializado, las etapas de un debate que, a partir de la Patrística y hasta los albores del Renacimiento, presenta aspectos dramáticos y apasionantes, y nos permite entender mejor la mentalidad, el gusto y los humores del hombre medieval.«Un estudio delicioso? Tremendamente lúcido y fácil de leer, el ensayo de Eco está cargado de excelencia y de la energía de un hombre enamorado de la materia.» Boston Globe
Arte y belleza en la estética medieval
by Umberto EcoUna compilación de las teorías estéticas elaboradas por la cultura del Medioevo, desde el siglo VI hasta el XV de nuestra era. El concepto de «estética» nace en Europa en el siglo XVII y, por lo tanto, muchas historias de la estética tomaron en escasa consideración las teorías de la belleza y del arte elaboradas antes de estas fechas. Ahora bien, desde hace muchos años la actitud de los historiadores ha cambiado y la Edad Media se ha valorizado como una época rica en especulaciones fascinantes sobre la belleza, el placer estético, el gusto, la belleza natural y la artificial, las relaciones entre el arte y las demás actividades humanas. En este compendio de las teorías estéticas elaboradas por la cultura del Medioevo, desde el siglo VI hasta el XV de nuestra era, Eco reconoce, de forma accesible para el lector no especializado, las etapas de un debate que presenta aspectos dramáticos y apasionantes, y nos permite entender mejor la mentalidad y el gusto artístico del hombre medieval. Reseña:«Un estudio delicioso... Tremendamente lúcido y fácil de leer, el ensayo de Eco está cargado de excelencia y de la energía de un hombre enamorado de la materia.»Boston Globe