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Jul 22, 2012 Rebecca rated information technology it was amazing

This book is getting a 5 star rating not for critical theory itself (which I pretty much loathe in the the abstract!), but because information technology is a actually clear introduction to a lot of dissimilar theory. I've just done a (compulsory) grade in fine art theory equally function of my degree, and honestly I experience like this book is more useful than the lecture series was! It actually helps explicate how theories which weren't originally related to fine art, e.g. Marxism or psychotherapy, can exist related to fine art, as well every bit outlining This volume is getting a 5 star rating not for critical theory itself (which I pretty much loathe in the the abstract!), only because it is a actually clear introduction to a lot of unlike theory. I've simply washed a (compulsory) course in fine art theory equally part of my caste, and honestly I feel similar this volume is more useful than the lecture series was! It really helps explicate how theories which weren't originally related to art, e.g. Marxism or psychotherapy, can be related to fine art, as well equally outlining the full general theories and explaining all the main figures for each theory. I honestly don't know how I'd have got through the class without this book, highly recommended! ...more

May 07, 2021 Filip Šimek rated information technology actually liked it

Very useful book to help with unlike approaches to fine art history and historiography; well researched, with helpful bibliography and logical sectioning of the chapters. I am glad to take bought this one.

Jun 27, 2020 Amy Laverick rated it it was astonishing

A fantastic introduction to some of the methods of analysis used by art historians.

After a plunge into a unmarried painting, Picasso'due south Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, to illustrate the many modes of interpretation, the book scans "the most important methods that have been used in art history since the early nineteenth century". As an introductory text, its telescopic is limited, perchance necessarily. 'Art' in its title sounds large, simply examples are fatigued from merely one category, namely painting in Western Europe. That means that plenty of things -- sculpture, photography, architecture, concep Later on a plunge into a single painting, Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, to illustrate the many modes of interpretation, the book scans "the most important methods that have been used in fine art history since the early nineteenth century". As an introductory text, its scope is limited, perhaps necessarily. 'Fine art' in its title sounds big, but examples are drawn from just one category, namely painting in Western Europe. That ways that plenty of things -- sculpture, photography, architecture, conceptual art and installations, along with not-Western fine art -- are scarcely mentioned, and a discussion of the art market and patronage is nowhere to be found.

Function one consists of 5 solid chapters on major theories and methods. Bundled roughly in chronological social club, these pivot on changing means and ways of interpretation. Hegelian philosophy is kickoff up, followed by a chapter on connoisseurship with its focus on stylistic hallmarks. The chapter on iconographical methods was especially illuminating for me, and the following one on methods drawn from social history was a good tour of those horizons.

Simply and so comes part two. Here the volume veers off into wholly dissimilar domains – feminism, psychoanalysis, semiotics, and postcolonialism. These chapters offer discussion rather than interpretive frameworks like those of the volume'south first role. Because they impact on fine art only tangentially, the chapters seem bolted on. Hot topics added maybe to lure a wider range of readers? Hard to say. In whatever case the authors' critical appraisals of these domains are insightful, but the chapters themselves provide simply rickety bridges to the mainland of fine art history and its methodologies. In critical commentary on psychoanalysis, the authors discover that Freud and Lacan disliked visual evidence, and didn't look for it; therefore psychoanalysis really has little to tell us most fine art. Similarly, almost semiotics, the authors conclude that for nearly fine art historians, that once fashionable field is pretty much a dead end. Such conclusions left me puzzled; if these intellectual fashions are so irrelevant in art history, why include them?

Only never listen, these bolted-on $.25 tin exist skipped; the book is worthwhile for its beginning part lone.

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Clear and very well structured. Even as a short introduction information technology gives a very expert overview of the main art theory problems. Easy to sympathize and from there read more than thoroughly on a particular subject from original works to which Hatt and Klonk address. Also good book to use against those who claim that fine art history is easy, yous just 'apathetic' about pictures ;) Articulate and very well structured. Even as a short introduction it gives a very good overview of the main art theory issues. Easy to empathize and from there read more thoroughly on a particular subject from original works to which Hatt and Klonk address. Likewise good book to use against those who claim that art history is like shooting fish in a barrel, you merely 'apathetic' nearly pictures ;) ...more than

Aug 16, 2019 Chris rated it actually liked it

Art History: A Critical Introduction to Its Methods
by Michael Hatt and Charlotte Klonk

'At that place is no art history without theory or methode'

What makes 1 interpretation of a work of fine art ameliorate than some other? Some ways of interpreting are more comprehensive than others. They take fewer contradictions and account for more detailed observations. If you take a framework inside which to view an artwork your interpretation will exist more plausible and more than persuasive. This book is concerned with these fra

Art History: A Critical Introduction to Its Methods
by Michael Hatt and Charlotte Klonk

'In that location is no art history without theory or methode'

What makes one interpretation of a work of art better than another? Some ways of interpreting are more comprehensive than others. They have fewer contradictions and account for more than detailed observations. If you lot take a framework within which to view an artwork your interpretation volition be more plausible and more persuasive. This book is concerned with these frameworks or methods and offers an business relationship of the most important methods since early nineteenth century.

This book makes a distinction between theoretical questions in art history and the philosophical bailiwick of aesthetics. While aesthetics is interested in the universal characteristics involved in the perception of beauty, art historians require theories that negotiate the human relationship between the specific and the full general. While aesthetics looks at the universal features of the perception of art, theoretical fine art history focuses on historically and culturally specific ways of seeing.

The aim of this book is quite straight forward, to provide an introduction to the key approaches in art history and set up them in context. The volume is organised chronologically, from the German philosopher Hegel (Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel 1770 – 1831) to postcolonialism. The dissimilar methods can be, and are, combined by scholars, simply there are limits to how this van be done.

Office I of the volume is concerned with;
Hegel's postulation of an 'Absolute Spirit' which makes it possible to see a piece of work of fine art every bit a product of unlike societies while at the same fourth dimension being able to see the 'logic' between the unlike works of art.
Connoisseurship (Berenson) as a reaction on Hegel's approach to fine art and focusses on individual creativity.
Formalism (Riegl and Wölfflin) that raises the question of the historicity of vision.
Iconography – iconology (Panofsky) how under different historical circumstances particular themes or ideas are articulated.
Marxism and the social history of fine art marks the shift from the search for a single causal explanation for historical alter to the more than multi-factorial contempo approaches.

Office 2 of the volume examines these more recent approaches such every bit;
Feminism, has not only another subject area of study, for instance the work of woman artists or images of masculinity. Feminism is as well methodologically various since feminist art history frequently draws from Marxism and psychoanalysis, as well as other theoretical traditions.
Psychoanalysis on the difference between Freud and the mode unconscious desires are expressed in works of art and Lacan who shows how such desires are culturally determined.
Semiotics, in art history is has been used to try to grasp more than conspicuously the different functions of pictorial elements and forms of representation.
Postcolonialism, focuses on ii positions, 1 following Edward Said, which polarises Western and non-Western culture. The other arguing that all cultures are created by cross-cultural exchange.

Conclusions
Art history has always been informed by intellectual debates elsewhere and art-history has ever been an interdisciplinary enterprise. Many scholars use insights and principles from different art historical methods. Are all these unlike methods uniform? To some extent it is possible
To combine different methods, simply information technology is ofttimes necessary to make choices and give a solid motivation.

The 'hermeneutic problem' is how is it that a contemporary observer from one historical and cultural position can merits and sympathize works from a different context.
From Hegel's 'Accented idea' to Marxism offers a mechanism that gives art its place in history yet allows us to understand information technology from where we are now.

If we give up the idea of a connecting principle mutual to different cultures, and so how practise we know that we are giving a valid interpretation?
All nosotros can hope to do than is to construct and tell a compelling story. Are (Art) historians more like novelists than similar scientists?
This book provides a very interesting read, but please take it chapter by chapter, because the writers are for sure hardcore scientists and not still novelists.

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October 06, 2017 Esperança rated it really liked information technology

Dr. Klonk was one of my docents for a semester, and she gave a lecture on this same topic. I had to miss the lecture sometimes, and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to catch up, only this book made it then that I could read i or two chapters on certain art historical methods whenever I wasn't able to attend and still be upwardly to speed with everyone else. No extensive background knowledge is required to grasp the contents of this volume, which are quite valuable to students of fine art history. I haven't Dr. Klonk was one of my docents for a semester, and she gave a lecture on this aforementioned topic. I had to miss the lecture sometimes, and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to grab up, but this book made it and so that I could read one or two capacity on certain art historical methods whenever I wasn't able to attend and still be upwardly to speed with everyone else. No extensive groundwork knowledge is required to grasp the contents of this book, which are quite valuable to students of fine art history. I haven't run across any other book that breaks down the almost important analytical methods in so few pages. ...more

Dec 20, 2017 Mamie rated it actually liked it

Helpful book! With an overwhelming amount of reading to do for my Art History Methods class, this was the only book I fully got through. I chose this 1 to help me through my overview form of all the complicated concepts and methodologies, and information technology really helped clear things up and was pretty interesting and enjoyable. A valuable resource for me!

February 28, 2022 Rosalie rated information technology really liked it

Dit boek heeft een maand in beslag genomen om uit te krijgen. Ik geef toe dat ik twee weken/20 dagen een pauze ervan heb genomen omdat er zoveel informatie op nog maar 256 pagina'southward geschreven staat. Het las desalniettemin redelijk vlot en het is op een boeiende manier geschreven. Interessante samenvatting van de westerse historiografie zoals we die kennen. Dit boek heeft een maand in beslag genomen om uit te krijgen. Ik geef toe dat ik twee weken/20 dagen een pauze ervan heb genomen omdat er zoveel informatie op nog maar 256 pagina's geschreven staat. Het las desalniettemin redelijk vlot en het is op een boeiende manier geschreven. Interessante samenvatting van de westerse historiografie zoals nosotros dice kennen. ...more

A necessary read for my class.

Read for my university class. A very useful book to grasp a vast and complex discipline.

A very good introduction to the methods of Art History, though very heavy going at times.

Aug 09, 2019 Lieke✨ rated it really liked it

three,v/five stars ⭐️

This is a skilful introduction to fine art historiography, although you practice need to have some knowledge well-nigh fine art history/know the catechism of artists to empathize this book. Some chapters were articulate and understandable, only others (especially the one most semiotics) were awful.
What I appreciated was the disquisitional appraisement at the end of each chapter, it made the content that you just read much more understandable.

i think that hatt and klonk are good and laying out the methods of looking at art very well. helping me, and co-learners, understand the manufactures we read in class past the actual fine art historians who apply the methods. cheers h&k!

Art History: A Critical Introduction to Its Methods

Sep 03, 2008 Leah rated information technology really liked information technology

Oh, I crammed for an exam with this little gem. Covers the major occurances in the evolution of Fine art History every bit a subject field, and its surprisingly an piece of cake read. Well, I recollect so anyway.

A bully introduction to various methods used in fine art history. Very curtailed and easy to follow.

Apr 25, 2010 Kathryn rated information technology actually liked it

Recommends it for: Anyone interested in art criticism

A very easy read because the amount of relatively hard concepts!

May 31, 2012 Allyson rated it really liked it

I'll say I'm finished with this, since it's really a reference book for school, anyway. Very useful and succinct, which is a rare quality in art historical theory. I'll say I'k finished with this, since information technology's really a reference book for school, anyway. Very useful and succinct, which is a rare quality in art historical theory. ...more