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Introduction
My goal in writing Art History For Dummies, 2E was to make it as useful, fun to read, and handy as a good travel guide. This book covers a lot of art history, but not everything. I focus on the Western art tradition and cover some art and art movements that other art history books neglect.
Most art history books these days weigh in at about 20 pounds. I made this book leaner so you could stick it in your backpack and carry it to class without feeling weighted down, or so you can take it on a long trip as a guidebook or carry it around a museum as a ready resource.
As you read Art History For Dummies, you’ll journey around the world and travel back in time. Reading many of the chapters is like going on a vacation to an exotic land in a past life. You can hobnob with a Byzantine empress or an Egyptian pharaoh, attend the ancient Olympics (the games were often depicted on Greek vases), or stroll through the Ishtar Gate in ancient Babylon.
Art history is the visual side of history — they’re sister subjects. Studying art history and history together is like adding pictures to text. It makes the story clearer and more interesting. In Art History For Dummies, I often splice history and art history together, giving you a context for the art.
Some people believe art history is a high-brow subject. With all those Italian and French terms, it just has to be snobby, right? I disagree. I believe art history is an everyman/everywoman subject because it’s about humankind’s common cultural heritage. Art history mirrors human evolution. It shows humankind through the ages, from cave to castle, jungle