Western art history from the Renaissance to the present : a thematic approach / Claudia Mesch, Karen Carter, Samantha Kavky, and Keri Watson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mesch, Claudia, author.

Carter, Karen L. (Karen Lynn), 1962- author.

Kavky, Samantha, author.

Watson, Keri W., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Art--Western countries--History.

Art.

Art--History.

Genre:

Art.

Physical Description:

xxii, 229 pages : illustrations (some color), portraits (some color) ; 26 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

San Diego, CA : Cognella Academic Publishing, [2026]

Summary:

"Western Art History from the Renaissance to the Present: A Thematic Approach explores how visual art and architecture has engaged with social, cultural, political, and economic landscapes. It highlights renowned artworks since the Renaissance and key themes in art history. The book emphasizes how artists challenge religious and secular power, racism, ableism, and sexism within Western culture. Its thematic structure helps students to connect art to big cultural issues that matter to them. The text opens with a guide to formal and architectural elements and principles of design before expanding to art's intersection with historical and contemporary contexts. Chapters focus on the construction of museums; new definitions of artistic genius; turning points in modern architecture; how the nude in art reveals changing social attitudes; and more. Art and architecture's role in the rise of capitalism and the art market is also explored. In accentuating twenty-first-century debates, this book moves beyond the traditional art history survey. Its up-to-date discussion of convergences between art history, contemporary art, and social and economic issues promises to engage students of the visual arts. With its modern and timely approach, it is an ideal text for introductory courses in Western art history."--Back cover.

Contents:

Introduction : Short guide to formal and architectural elements

The museum : Making "art," renewing the classical, and decolonizing the order of things / Claudia Mesch

Identifying and defining artistic genius / Samantha Kavky

The Classical and its legacy / Karen L. Carter with Claudia Mesch and Keri Watson

Turning points in modern architecture : Industrial materials and the challenge of sustainability / Claudia Mesch

The nude and after : Gender and sexuality in art / Samantha Kavky

Other bodies : Art, disability, and therapy / Keri Watson

The rise of markets : The market for art / Claudia Mesch

The rise of markets II : Extraction capitalism, colonialism, and resistance, as revealed in art / Claudia Mesch

Art as social critique : Challenging privilege and political oppression in visual art / Karen L. Carter

The irrational : Psychology, society, and the self in art / Samantha Kavky.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9798823396981

OCLC:

1565452833

Publisher Number:

90104508512