Art History Textbooks ReviewsArt History Textbooks Reviews

Extreme overview
Daniel Headrick has provided a slim (179 pages including index, notes, etc.) overview of the history of technology, from the Stone Age through today. Essentially it's an executive summary of six thousand years of the history of technology (not counting the Stone Age as history).

This is the book's strength and weakness. The strength is that you can quickly read a top line review of the evolution of technology and the societies that invented or exploited it. He looks at where certain technologies were invented, how they moved from one civilization to another, and how they were exploited and by whom. Another good thing about the book is that although it's about technology the author addresses the fact that technology is not necessarily the driver in whether or not a civilization is successful. He points out that geography, climate, governments, religion, and peoples' attitudes towards technology often impact invention and exploitation.

At the same time he doesn't focus on any one civilization. He reviews technologies as they impacted, or not, all the major civilizations around the world. It's not Euro-centric, but it also goes beyond China and the Arabs to discuss early American and African civilizations - all at a very high level.

The weakness is that it lacks depth and rarely provides context. In fact, the last chapter, covering WWII through the present, is nothing more than a laundry list of technological advances in the last 70 years without any historical analysis or context. The author acknowledges that, "it is difficult to draw conclusions from events that are still happening," but it's almost as if it's an excuse to not provide any analysis of the period.

Is the book worth the money? Tough call....you either have to be very interested in the subject and have a desire to keep up with the literature, or you're new to the subject and want nothing more than an abridged version for you to to want to have this book.

Academic Overview
This is an excellent survey of portrait art from ancient to modern times with a great bibliography, lots of references, and good illustrations. I appreciated the historic timeline and a list of websites for further research.
I'd recommend this book for anyone interested in portraiture. As a portrait artist I thoroughly enjoyed it. For some reason, art historians have largely ignored portraiture as a field of research.
My only criticism is that I found the book a bit dry, lacking creative insight and humor. The emphasis on painting, at the expense of drawing and sculpture is also a notable shortcoming.

Portraiture
For someone interested in this aspect of art history, it provides an excellent overview with examples from the sweep of history and insightful, trenchant study. Not only useful for students of the subject but gives good background for museum docents. It's also enjoyable reading--even @ bedtime.

A unique and novel perspective on Renaissance Art and Life
An excellent examination of the role of art in Renaissance life, including the actual day to day workings of the artists, their roles in the society as a whole, and the role of art itself in the display of "Magnificence" of the respective ruling authorities of the various Italian states. I have run across no other book with this unique perspective. It also discusses the role of women and women artists, while recognizing the extreme limits set for women, both in the society and in the creation of art works. I regret not being able to contact the author directly to offer my respect and admiration for such a formidable and at the same time completely accessible work of scholarship.

Early Art and Architecture of Africa by peter garlake
book was in good condition well packed

often underappreciated or neglected
Howard seeks to redress a longstanding underappreciation or neglect about eastern European art. Outsiders to this region often have little knowledge about its greatest artists and their accomplishments. In this account, some of our ignorance is dissipated.

One example is the Russian painter, Mikhail Tikhanov. Whose painting, "The Execution of Russian Patriots by the French in 1812" is rightly compared to the far better known "The Executions of the Third of May" by Goya. The resemblances are striking. But Tikhanov's predates the Goya work by a year. It is unclear from the text if Goya knew of Tikhanov's painting before commencing his. The Goya work is often shown, not just in art books, but also in history texts of the Napoleonic era. Yet, outside Russia, Tikhanov's painting rarely appears in those texts.

Other parts of Howard's account also tie in cited paintings and artists with the times that they lived in. Along with the political and social trends that often provide the context and a better appreciation of the works. Naturally, there is lengthy coverage of Soviet art. Which raises the question of a sequel, from 1950 to the present. It would be interesting to see Howard's remarks on changes in Russian art brought on by the end of the Soviet Union.

Exelent book great images
I couldn't put it down. I am glad to add it to my library of art history books. The images are detailed.

Interesting
A very interesting book if you are brushing up on Italian Art and paintings.

Dense and anachronistic
I think the reader will get lost here and possibly come away with a misapprehension about the times unless they have a fairly strong background in European history. Overall, it was a bit puzzling.

You really have to read this book critically because some parts are bizarre. I remember at one point she describes artists as being involved in several businesses, with the aim of providing for their retirement. While in individual cases, it is likely true that successful artists owned rental property and so forth, but "providing for retirement" certainly sounds like an anachronism. It's not immediately clear what is meant by "retirement" in a time when several generations of a family might live in the same house, and work work together in the same artists' workshop.

Good Historical Overview
A good addition to your Art Book Library. Good analysis of art in the 18th and early 19th centuries, in conjunction with world events.