The art of the body : antiquity and its legacy / Michael Squire.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Squire, Michael.

Series:

Ancients and moderns series

Ancients and moderns

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Human beings in art--Psychological aspects.

Human beings in art.

Art, Classical.

Art and society.

Civilization, Modern--Classical influences.

Civilization, Modern.

Physical Description:

xv, 240 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

New York : Oxford University Press, [2011]

Summary:

"The classical human body is perhaps the single most important and wide-ranging legacy bequeathed to the modern world by antiquity. Not only has it directed the evolutionary trajectory of western art; it has also saturated almost every aspect of the contemporary subconscious, as ideal, anti-type and point of departure. This short book represents the first concerted attempt to grapple with the complex nature of that legacy. Writing in an attractive and accessible style, and supplementing his text with a rich array of illustrations, Michael Squire guides his readers through a multifaceted range of modern interactions with ancient visual representations of the body. From Byzantine diptych to Hollywood cinema screen, and from Aphrodite to the Venus de Milo, The Art of the Body demonstrates the wide range of cultural ideas and anxieties that were explored by the figure of the body both in antiquity and in the various cultural landscapes that came afterwards. In exploring the fascinating connections between ancient and modern in the broadest sense, the book offers an ideal starting point and a stimulating textbook for undergraduate students of ancient history, classical archaeology and classical civilization"-- Provided by publisher.

"The classical human body is perhaps the single most important and wide-ranging legacy bequeathed to the modern world by antiquity. Not only has it directed the evolutionary trajectory of western art; it has also saturated almost every aspect of the contemporary subconscious, as ideal, anti-type and point of departure. This short book represents the first concerted attempt to grapple with the complex nature of that legacy. Writing in an attractive and accessible style, and supplementing his text with a rich array of illustrations, Michael Squire guides his readers through a multifacted range of modern interactions with ancient visual representations of the body. From Byzantine diptych to Hollywood cinema screen, and from Aphrodite to the Venus da Milo, The Art of the Body demonstrates the wide range of cultural ideas and anxieties that were explored by the figure of the body both in antiquity and in the various cultural landscapes that came afterwards. In exploring the fascinating connections between ancient and modern in the broadest sense, the book offers an ideal starting point and a stimulating textbook for undergraduate students of ancient history, classical archaeology and classical civilization"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Embodying the classical

Figuring what comes naturally? Writing the 'art history' of the body

The ancient female nude (and other modern fictions)

Stripping down and undressing up

On gods made men made images.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780195380804

0195380800

9780195380811

0195380819

OCLC:

669754021