The Story of Art

About a year ago, I suddenly decided that it was about time I learned something about art history. After reading all the reviews about this book, I decided that this was the book for me. And so it was. I would never have imagined that it could be so entertaining to read about art history. A previous reviewer called this a simplified historical description of art from the perspective of an authoritarian male, white, european. Maybe it is simplified. So what! That's excactly what I needed at the time I bought this book. It has always been quite clear to me that this book was only an introduction to art. Since it was so entertaining I was able to finish it, and I have finally learnt to appreciate art. Because of this my second visit to Louvre in Paris was a lot more fun than my first visit there. I guess it's true that the author was a white, european male. What does this have to do with anything? The book is mainly about western art, so I don't see why it matters that he's european. And in the history of western art, how many non-white or female artists are there? I guess there are some from the previous century, but that is quite a small part of the book. So the author was a white, european male, like most of the artists in the history of western art. Some people have pointed to the fact that the book is a bit biased. Well, that is probably one of the things that makes it such an entertaining read. I highly recommend this book if you need an introduction to art.

Gombrich, the leading art historian and critic of the latter half of the 20th century, sets forth in his opening pages what he going to do in this book and then actually does it. More than that, he surpasses all expectations. I have never read a book so quickly and so enjoyably. I read it to prepare for a lengthy vacation in Paris and Italy (six weeks). I took the vacation, took some copies of certain pages in his book and enjoyed the ubiquitous art in Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris and other smaller towns. Although obviously a highly intelligent and knowledgable person, Gombrich in The Story of Art wears his learning lightly. He makes it possible for people of varying interests, abilities, knowledge and intelligences to enjoy and understand art. What sets him apart from so many writers is a totally sincere interest in educating people about art and the appropriate way to respond to it. I realize the utopian nature of this suggestion, but every college should require at least one quarter or semester on art and use The Story of Art as the main textbook. Even mediocre teaching cannot undermine the knowledge and enthusiasm a student will gain from this magnificent book.

In my opinion, "The Story of Art" is the best gift for yourself and others. Why?. Because it is one of those few books that allows you to achieve several objectives at the same time... It can introduce the reader to art, or allow him to continue with his studies. It gives him the opportunity of learning, but also entertains and captivates him. Yes, of course that it is long, and because of that somehow scary the first time you see it. But if you manage to start it, you will find that you will finish it in no time at all. The reason for that is the author, E.H. Gombrich. His prose is fluent, and easy to understand, but what is more important, he doesn't merely enumerate facts: he tries to explain them, setting them in a historical background. And by doing that, compels and engages the reader, making him think about art and its "evolution", and about why the story of art is "A story without end". The book brings a lot of illustrations regarding the artworks discussed by the author, including several fold-outs that I appreciated enormously. The reproductions allow the reader to "see" what the author tries to explain, and make the book even more dynamic. Now in its 16th updated edition, this book is already a classic. Maybe the reason for that popularity can be explained by the author. Gombrich's aim was to help others to understand art, from cave painting to postmodern art. He believes that his book is immensely liked by students and art-lovers because "it has made them see how the story of art hangs together". On the whole, I highly recommend "The story of art" to everybody interested in art. I believe it is exactly what you need :) Belén

this is a wonderfully conceived and written history of western art from cave painting to the late 20th century. gombrich tells the story by focusing on the essential ideas or achievements characteristic of each artist and art epoch. each chapter is about 5 or 6 pages of text and several large format art reproductions (there are several fold out images of works such as botticelli's "birth of venus" or pollock's "one"). the narrative is conversational, concise, well informed, and extremely intelligent; the book reads as though you are strolling through an immense museum with gombrich at your side, commenting on paintings and sculptures as you go. gombrich manages to teach the reader how to look at art at the same time he explains the main historical developments and style points of each movement or period. new students of art will find the book is a pleasurable and clear guide; experienced readers will enjoy gombrich's judicious use of detail and selection. a bibliography, chronological charts of art epochs and artists' lives, maps of europe and an index conclude the book.

Too heavy. I ordered the book because I greatly admired his little history of the world. It took real discipline to create a readable, enjoyable, useful history of mankind. The Story of Art is very well written but lost control of its weight and size, even with resort to smaller font size than I can comfortably read. Recommended for those with bright lighting, strong arms, and superb eyesight and who wish to read a masterly summary of world art. I particularly enjoyed the reproductions of art.

Le langage distingue l'espèce humaine, et l'Art est la forme suprême du langage. C'est ce langage que ce livre donne à apprendre et à comprendre sur une échelle de temps et d'espace qui permettent de mettre l'art en perspective. Une expérience fascinante, comme la découverte d'un ressort secret de ce qui nous fait ce que nous sommes

本書は英語で読める西洋美術の通史としては、もっとも人気があり、かつ、もっとも評価の高いものだろう。本書の著者E. H. Gombrich（1909-2001）は20世紀を代表する美術史家だ。彼の邦訳書も多く、本書も『美術の歩み』（1972）、『美術の物語』（2007）と二度にわたって翻訳されている。 本書の流れは、ラスコーやアルタミラの洞窟壁画から始まり、古代エジプト、メソポタミア、古代ギリシャ・ローマを経てヨーロッパに続き、その後は「西欧」を中心に年代記的に記述されていく。ときに中国、近世に入れば日本などについて章が割かれているとはいえ、西洋的な進歩史観を引きずっているのではないかと思われる方もいるかもしれない。しかし著者はそれを承知のうえで “わかりやすさ” を優先し、あえて単線的な美術史の流れを提示しているのだ。 また、本書は11版（1966）から15版（1989）にいたるまで、版を重ねるごとに著者自身により加筆訂正されている。そのため初版が1950年でありながら、ジャクソン・ポロック（1912-1956）やジョルジョ・モランディ（1890-1964）の後期作品など、「現代アート」の部類に括られる芸術家まで射程に入れられている。 まえがきで著者が十代の読者を想定したと述べる通り、本文はやさしい文法と語彙で書かれており、美術史家にありがちな回りくどいレトリックもない。くわえて地味にすごいのは、数千年におよぶ美術史が本書に掲載されている図版だけで説明されていること。限られた数（全413点）の作品だけで、これほど過不足なく解説できるのは偉業というほかないだろう。はじめて美術史を勉強するのなら、間違いなくおすすめできるテクストだ。 ハードカバー版であれば、かさばる分、文章と図版が同一ページに掲載されているので、絵を見ながら文字を追うことができる（ポケット・エディションは、本文ページと図版ページが分かれている）。 以下は目次。 Introduction - On art and artists 1. Strange Beginnings - Prehistoric and primitive peoples Ancient America 2. Art for Eternity - Egypt, Mesopotamia, Crete 3. The Great Awakening - Greece, seventh to fifth century BC 4. The Realm of Beauty - Greece and the Greek world, fourth century BC to first century AD 5. World Conquerors - Romans, Buddhists, Jews and Christians, first to fourth century AD 6. A Parting of Ways - Rome and Byzantium, fifth to thirteenth century 7. Looking Eastwards - Islam, China, second to thirteenth century 8. Western Art in the Melting Pot - Europe, sixth to eleventh century 9. The Church Militant - The twelfth century 10. The Church Triumphant - The thirteenth century 11. Courtiers and Burghers - The fourteenth century 12. The Conquest of Reality - The early fifteenth century 13. Tradition and Innovation I - The later fifteenth century in Italy 14. Tradition and Innovation II - The fifteenth century in the North 15. Harmony Attained - Tuscany and Rome, early sixteenth century 16. Light and Colour - Venice and northern Italy, early sixteenth century 17. The New Learning Spreads - Germany and the Netherlands, early sixteenth century 18. A Crisis of Art - Europe, later sixteenth century 19. Vision and Visions - Catholic Europe, first half of the seventeenth century 20. The Mirror of Nature - Holland, seventeenth century 21. Power and Glory I - Italy, later seventeenth and eighteenth centuries 22. Power and Glory II - France, Germany and Austria, late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries 23. The Age of Reason - England and France, eighteenth century 24. The Break in Tradition - England, America and France, late eighteenth century and early nineteenth centuries 25. Permanent Revolution - The nineteenth century 26. In Search of New Standards - The late nineteenth century 27. Experimental Art - The first half of the twentieth century 28. A Story Without End - The triumph of Modernism

Astonishing printing quality, richness of content and super useful apendixes(tables).

Un básico para el estudio de la Historia del Arte

If you have to buy just 1 book about art history, buy this one.