The History of Western Art

388 Pages·1959·65.477 MB·English

by  Erwin O. Christensen

THE
HISTORY OF
WESTERN
A BRILLIANT,
COMPREHENSIVE
HISTORY OF ART
FROM THE PRIMITIVE
CAVE PAINTERS TO
TODAY'S ABSTRACT
EXPRESSIONISTS...
WITH NEARLY
400 ILLUSTRATIONS.
IKWIN O. CHRISJJ.NSJ.N
A MINI OR BOOK

Art Through The Ages
With the aid of almost 400
illustrations,
fcrwin O. Chnstensen traces the evolution
ot Western painting, sculpture, architecture
decorative arts and crafts from the cave
painters to the abstractionists.
This lively and comprehensive history of art
discusses the distinctive style and creative
inspiration of each major artist and places
each major work in its own historical setting.
All the great periods in art are covered-
Egyptian, Greek, Etruscan, Gothic and
Renaissance—down
to nineteenth-century
Impressionism and the most modern experi-
ments of today. In each period, Mr Chris-
tensen shows how the restless striving for
change produced new problems and new
solutions that gave Western art its drive and
makes its discovery and contemplation an
exciting adventure.
7Erwi^n O. Christensen is Curator ofDecora-
and TheIndexofAmericanDesign
at The NaTtional Gallery ofArtin Washing-
W^'r' 1S aUth°r°fE«rlyAmerican
Wood Carvntg, tT*h,e Index of American De-
111.
Erwin O. Christensen 1 llfci
HISTORY OF
WESTERN
ART
™&o^> a mentor book
Ami/ W^
Published by THE NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
COPYRIGHT © 1959 BY ERWIN O. CHRISTENSEN
The author is indebted to many museums and to several collec-
tors and publishers for having granted permission to reproduce
from their photographs, or to quote from their books, and here-
with expresses his thanks. Specific acknowledgments appear with
the captions. I am grateful to Dr. Fern Rusk Shapley, Assistant
Chief Curator of the National Gallery of Art, and Mr. Jerome
Rothlein, for having read the manuscript and for having made
valuable suggestions that improved the accuracy on specific
works of art. Mr. Henry Beville is responsible for the photo-
graphs of works in the National Gallery of Art. As always, my
wife, Edna Florance Christensen, has contributed much by her
constructive criticism.
Color Plate: (FrontCover) Titian: Venus with a Mirror.
Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Mellon Collection, 1937
Color Plate: (Back Cover) Matisse: Odalisque with Raised
Arms. Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Chester Dale Collec-
tion.
First Printing, September, 1959
Second Printing, January, 1960
Third Printing, October, 1961
Fourth Printing, May, 1962
Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 59-14350
MENTOR TRADEMARK REG,
REGISTERED TRADEMARK-
HliCHO EN CHICAGO, U.S.
MENTOR BOOKS are published by
The New American Library of World Literature, Inc.
501 Madison Avenue, New York 22, New York
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
CONTENTS
Preface viii
Introduction **
1. Prehistoric Art in Europe 11
Origins. HandSilhouettes. Periods. Caves and Rock
Shelters. Aurignacian Art. Lascaux. Magdalenian
Art: Altamira. Magic. Sanctuaries and Studios.
Scandinavian Rock Pictures. Sculpture. The East
Spanish Style. Transition to Agriculture. Neolithic
Art: Megalithic Structures. Dolmens. Menhirs.
Dwellings. Pottery. Bronze Age Art. Bronze Age
Rock Engraving. Bronze Weapons and Utensils.
2. Egyptian Art 27
Civilization. Environment. The Predynastic Period,
before 4000 B.C. Historical Periods: 3200 b.c-640
a.d. Beliefs. Gods. Myths. Architecture: Pyramids.
Temples. Sculpture in the Round. Old Kingdom.
Middle Kingdom. New Kingdom. Reliefs. Paint-
ings. Crafts.
3. Ancient Near Eastern Art 49
Mesopotamia. Regions and Periods. Sumeria: Pre-
historic Period, 4000-3000 B.C. Early Dynastic
Period: 3000-2340 B.C. Akkadian Period: c. 2340-
2180 B.C. Neo-Sumerian Period: 2125-2025 b.c.
Reliefs. Architecture. The Late Babylonian Period:
c. 612-539 B.C. Persian Art. Cretan Art. Myce-
naean Art.
4. Greek Art 63
Significance. General Character. Early Historical
Background, 1400-650 B.C. Sculpture: Archaic Pe-
riod, 625-480 B.C. Transitional Period: 480-450
B.C. The Second Half of the Fifth Century b.c:
Phidias and Polycleitus. The Fourth Century, 400-
323 B.C.: Scopas, Praxiteles, and Lysippus. Hellen-
istic (323-146 B.C.) and Greco-Roman Period (146
B.C. to about 1 a.d.). Painting. Architecture: Ar-
chaic Temples. The Acropolis of Athens. Doric
Order. Ionic Order. Gems, Coins, and Metalwork.
Conclusion.
5. Etruscan and Roman Art 98
Etruscan Art, 800 B.c.-Empire Period. Painting.
Sculpture. Imperial Roman Art, 31 b.c-313 a.d.;
Emperor Augustus to Constantine. Architecture:
Forums. Dwellings. New Types of Buildings. Con-
^1 CONTENTS
struction. The Pantheon, Built during the Reign of
Emperor Hadrian (117-138 a.d.). Baths of Em-
peror Caracalla (211-217 a.d.). Basilica of Max-
entius (306-312 a.d.) and Emperor Constantine
(316-337 a.d.). The Colosseum. Architectural
Decoration. Reliefs. Portrait Sculpture. Painting
and Mosaics. Conclusion.
6. Early Christian and Byzantine Art:
100 A.D.-1453 A.D, 114
Historical Background. The Art of the Catacombs.
Sculpture. Architecture. Mosaics. The Byzantine
Style. Origins. Periods. Architecture. Iconography.
Mosaics. Ravenna. Hagia Sophia. St. Luke at Stiris,
and Daphni near Athens. Sicily. Torcello and Ven-
ice. Book Illumination. Sculpture, Stone Carving,
andIvories. Metalwork. Textiles. Conclusion.
7. Early Medieval and Romanesque Art:
100 B.C.-1150 A.D. 138
Periods. The Early Iron Age, 1000-100 B.C. Art of
the Migration Period, 370-800 a.d. Crafts.
Architecture. Early Art in Britain and Ireland:
Manuscripts and Stone Crosses. Carolingian and
Romanesque Art, 750-1050a.d. Architecture. Lom-
bard Style. Tuscan Romanesque. Sicilian Roman-
esque. German and Scandinavian Romanesque.
French Romanesque. English Romanesque. Spanish
Romanesque. Mural Painting. The Bayeux Tapes-
try. Illuminated Books. Goldsmithery and Metal-
work. Ivory Carving. Stone Sculpture. Conclusion.
8. Gothic Art: 1150-1400 167
Significance. Economic Factors. Religious Enthu-
siasm. Patron and Architect. Origins. Periods.
General Character. StructuralFrame. Development.
Late Gothic Architecture in France. Gothic Archi-
tectureinEngland.GothicArchitectureinGermany.
GothicArchitectureinSpain.Netherlandish:Belgian
and Dutch Gothic Architecture. Gothic Architec-
ture in Italy. Secular Architecture in Italy during
the Gothic Period. Gothic Sculpture: General.
Countries. Architectural Carving. Sculpture in
France, Burgundy, and the Netherlands. Sculpture
in England. Germany and Austria, Italy and Spain.
Gothic Painting; Tapestries. Illuminated Manu-
scripts. The International Style. Gothic Painting in
Italy, 1300-1450. The Fresco Technique. Practice
of Painting. Crafts: Needlework, Wood, Ivory and
Gold. Conclusion
9. Renaissance Art: 1400-1600 208
Netherlandish Painting of the Fifteenth Century.
The Van Eyck Technique. The Style of the Van
Eycks. The "Modes" of Painting. The Cultural
Background of the Italian Renaissance. Religion as
CONTENTS Vll
a Source of Inspiration. Patrons. The Social Status
of the Artist. Humanistic Learning. An Economic
Interpretation of Renaissance Art. Individualism.
Italian Painting of the Early Renaissance; the
Grammar of Art. Character of Style in Painting.
Venetian Painting before Titian. The Sentimental
Trendin Florentine Painting. ItalianPaintingofthe
High Renaissance. Mannerism in Painting. Renais-
sance Sculpture in Italy. Painting in France, Spain,
the Netherlands and Germany, 1400-1600: France.
The School of Fontainebleau. Spain. The Nether-
lands. Hieronymus Bosch, c. 1450-1511. Pieter
Brueghel theElder, b. before 1530-1569. Germany.
Renaissance Architecture: Italy. Renaissance Ar-
chitecture and Sculpture Outside of Italy. France.
Spain. England. The Netherlands and Germany.
Decorative Art. Conclusion.
10. Baroque and Rococo Art: 1600-1800 253
Cultural Background. Characteristics of the Ba-
roque Style. The Baroque in Italy: Architecture
and Sculpture. Academic and Baroque Painting.
Venetian Painting. The Baroque in Germany. The
Baroque in Spain. Flemish Painting in the Seven-
teenth Century: Rubens and Van Dyck. The Dutch
School of Painting. Art in England after the Ren-
aissance: Painting. Architecture. The Baroque
Period in France. Economic Background. Architec-
ture and Sculpture. Painting. Decorative Arts.
Conclusion.
11. Modern Art in Europe: 1800-1950 279
Cultural Background. General Survey: Architec-
ture. Painting. Neo-Classicism. Romanticism.
Painting Outside of France. Realism. Impression-
ism. Post-Impressionism. Neo-Impressionism.
AbstractTraditions. Cubism. Guernica. Non-Objec-
tive Painting. Expressionism. Matisse and the
"Fauves." Various Trends: Cubistic, Futuristic,
Primitive, Fantastic. Dada and Surrealism. Sculp-
ture. Modern Architecture. Conclusion.
12. Art in the United States: 1700-1958 298
Introduction. The Colonial Style. The National
Period. Modern Trends. The "Group of Eight."
Stieglitz, Marin, Demuth, O'Keeffe, Sheeler, Hop-
per, and Burchfield. American Scene Painters.
Federal Art Projects. Social Realism. Abstraction.
Contemporary Painting. Professional Primitivism.
Graphic Art. Sculpture, Architecture, and Indus-
trial Art. Conclusion.
Notes 313
Selected Bibliography 314
Index 318
PREFACE
Writing a history of Western art is possible only because
the research of many scholars has laid a foundation. The
specialized literature, old and new, is considerable, and is
being added to constantly. Newly discovered facts correct
old errors, expand our horizon and give us new insight. The
kind of research that rounds out and fills in the lesser areas
has no effect on the total development, which is the topic
of this book. But even in this broad account of major
periods and leading artists, more recent sources of informa-
tion have been favored. The names of specialists identified
with particular points of view have been indicated in the
text; essential publications are listed in the bibliography.
The author has tried to see the art of the past in the
light of its own objectives and to present it in an unbiased
manner. For the most part, this has not been difficult, as
much of what is here said reflects an informed consensus.
Lack of space made it necessary to select a few among
many masterpieces and to pass over lesser periods and
minor artists. To have emphasized faults within the
limitations of a highly condensed text would have indicated
a lack of sympathy. Instead it has been a pleasure to
record achievements, and it is our hope that the reader
will gain both in understanding and enjoyment of Western
art.
vin