Sumerian Art

For forty years, this widely acclaimed classic has remained unsurpassed as an introduction to art in the Western world, boasting the matchless credibility of the Janson name. This newest update features a more contemporary, more colorful design and vast array of extraordinarily produced illustrations that have become the Janson hallmark. A narrative voice makes this book a truly enjoyable read, and carefully reviewed and revised updates to this edition offer the utmost clarity in contributions based on recent scholarship. Extensive captions for the book’s incredible art program offer profound insight through the eyes of twentieth-century art historians speaking about specific pieces of art featured throughout. Significantly changed in this edition is the chapter on “The Late Renaissance,” in which Janson offers a new perspective on the subject, tracing in detail the religious art tied to the Catholic Reform movement, whose early history is little known to many readers of art history. Janson has also rearranged early Renaissance art according to genres instead of time sequence, and he has followed the reinterpretation of Etruscan art begun in recent years by German and English art historians. With a truly humanist approach, this book gives written and visual meaning to the captivating story of what artists have tried to express—and why—for more than 30,000 years.

This book examines the sculptures created during the Early Dynastic period (2900-2350 BC) of Sumer, a region corresponding to present-day southern Iraq. Featured almost exclusively in temple complexes, some 550 Early Dynastic stone statues of human figures carved in an abstract style have survived. Chronicling the intellectual history of ancient Near Eastern art history and archaeology at the intersection of sculpture and aesthetics, this book argues that the early modern reception of Sumer still influences ideas about these sculptures. Engaging also with the archaeology of the Early Dynastic temple, the book ultimately considers what a stone statue of a human figure has signified, both in modern times and in antiquity.

"For both admirers and students of Henry Moore's work, this book will be a blessing. Moore's humanity and intelligence make this compendium a plea-sure to dip into as well as scholarly and comprehensive."--Roger Berthoud, author of The Life of Henry Moore "Alan Wilkinson has trawled the rich material with exemplary thoroughness.... The nature and purpose of Moore's writing is illuminated. The introduction reflects Wilkinson's long friendship with Moore, and the commentary and notes testify to a remarkable knowledge of the artist's work, his circle and his ideas."--Sir Alan Bowness, editor of the Henry Moore Complete Sculpture Series

Animals and their symbolism in diverse world cultures and different eras of human history are chronicled in this lovely volume.