The History of Western Art

By: Peter Whitfield

Narrated by: Sebastian Comberti

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic.

From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the 19th and 20th centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind. He has always started with reality, but has selected and reshaped that reality to create a parallel world; a world of the imagination.

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Great book

Little slow to start. Great synopis of modern art.
The reader has a lovely British accent.

What’s his problem with Turner?

This is a decent, fast paced review of Western Art phases, written for more of a beginner or casual art enthusiast. Then, out of nowhere the author rips into JMW Turner, even using the word “embarrassment” to attack his work. He’s certainly in the minority here. The great art historian Kenneth Clark calls Turner “far the greatest painter England has ever produced”.

A whirlwind tour of Western art

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to refresh their previous study of art history, as well as to students who need a concise introduction. Tourists can benefit from the book also: it is a valuable adjunct to European museum visits and city walks. Whitfield takes us on a whirlwind tour of major artistic themes and styles, mostly European, from cave paintings to the edge of postmodernism. Comberti's reading is pleasant and well-paced. The only thing that's missing: the paintings themselves. Having a visual art reference on hand is recommended. I'm an artist, so the subject fascinates me. But I believe anyone can benefit from reading this accessible guide, free from pretentious "art speak."

ART

Peter Whitfield offers a whirlwind tour of “The History of Western Art”. He begins with cave paintings and ends with performance art by an “artist” locked in a library with a wild animal. The distressing thought is that “art is anything you can get away with.”

In slightly more than five hours of narration, a listener traverses 30,000 years (some say 40,000 years) of art history. Whitfield is a poet and critic. “The History of Art” is an intelligent introduction to a mystifying, fascinating, and intimidating subject.

At the end, one wonders whether art is entering a new dark age where the value of art is degraded by technology that makes too much of medium as message. Art needs to be more than a transaction between willing seller and buyer.

A very good introduction to the western art

A very good introduction to the history of western art. In depth written and very nice to hear.

AWESOME ART

The author puts art and history together. Easy to listen to and understand.I found I was researching artists and works as the narrative continued. Of course there will be some gaps -- but overall pretty cool.

Every thing you need to know about western Art.

Would you consider the audio edition of The History of Western Art to be better than the print version?

Dunno

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vincent Van Gogh - he was so ahead of his time.

What about Sebastian Comberti’s performance did you like?

Excellent

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This is what makes life worth it. Culture and Art.

Any additional comments?

I listen to it over and over. A joy to hear. Still, I don't understand why Hockeny was so great.

Good standard overview

This is the same stuff you get in an intro to art history. There's not much to challenge the classic view of art from European male perspect

Superbly Written

Would you consider the audio edition of The History of Western Art to be better than the print version?

Peter Whitfield has a deep understanding of art history and manages to communicate it undiluted without pretence. Some of his observations are stunning, and always concise. The other art history university textbooks I've read are watered down and politically bent, but Whitfield just states it like it is with utter virtuosity. His sentences are art.The narration is good, I'm cherishing listening to this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The History of Western Art?

The Renaissance

Quick review

This book was a nice review of art history class. It helps to Google the paintings as you go for a deeper engagement with the text, but it's not necessary to understand the overall survey of art history.