I first saw this book for sale at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for way more than I could afford. Thank goodness for Amazon. This full-color, art-filled guide to Gods and Heroes (including characters from the epics of Homer) has to be one of my favorite books on the shelf.
Each subject gets at least a short caption explaining the major myths surrounding him or her, then one or more of the world's great paintings protraying an episode from the myth, with short but excellent captions explaining features of the painting and symbols that identify the God or Hero. Of course Art History majors will find this book irresistable -- but I think most people with any kind of interest in art or Greek and Roman mythology will too.
Case in point: I showed this book to an IT guy I work with and he was so impressed by it he immediately went online and ordered two copies, one for himself and one for a young cousin he knew would love it. I know I would've loved to have it as a kid, when I was in that phase where I was deep into Greek mythology and Homeric tales. It also would've made field trips to the museum a lot more interesting too, since half the fun is taking what you've learned and applying it: "That must be Athena. See the spear, and the shield and the helmet. Cool. Hey, that one was in the book!"
Or something like that. I also plan to check out the other books in the series: Old Testament Figures in Art, Gospel Figure in Art and Saints in Art. I'm not as much into Christian iconography, but if those books are half as cool as this one is, I'll really enjoy them. 5 big stars out of 5!
Average Rating:
Author: Lucia Impelluso
ISBN: 0892367024
Number Of Pages: 386
Languages:
Original Language: English
Unknown: English
Published: English
Product Description:
As archetypes of human virtue and vice, the gods and heroes of ancient Greece and Rome have figured prominently in Western culture. In art, they have been portrayed time and time again, especially during the Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical periods.
Gods and Heroes in Art aims to help museum patrons and art lovers recognize the legendary characters of classical antiquity in art. The characters are each described in entries summarizing their distinctive stories, their special attributes, and the ways in which artists have depicted them. Each entry is richly illustrated with reproductions of works of art in which the god or hero is pictured, giving readers a chance to examine images of the character and to understand the work of art better.
The informative guide first surveys the pantheon of the Greco-Roman world, then focuses on characters from the Trojan War and The Odyssey. The next sections describe kings, philosophers, warriors, and other historical figures. The book concludes with useful indexes, including a list of iconographic symbols associated with the subjects, and a bibliography of essential resources.
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Customer Reviews
Gods and heroes well; presented
This book-Gods and Heroes in Art-contains some 400 or so full-color pictures of great artistic works with concise and informative notes. As a myth enthusiast, this book is a valuable addition to my reference collection.
The wrong title?
Once again I am not overly impressed by the breadth and depth of this piece of the Getty Publications "Art" series. It might have been more properly titled; "Key Figures of Ancient Greco-Roman Legend and Mythology."
Nothing about Celtic, Norse, Germanic or Slavic is included, let alone out of the center of the Greco-Roman's Europe. All of these bits and pieces are instrumental in understanding modern Western civilization and artwork, and it's roots. The simple arrogance of ignoring them in such an all inclusive title is insulting.
The colour plates are the one strong point, and saving grace of this publication. While they are undersized at just under 6" x 8", some plates being as small as 1" x 3", so as to not be able to truly appreciate the masterpieces of art included; the collection is one of the most concise I've seen. I would have prefered this in a coffee table size, to be able to truly appreciate the subtles hues and tones, and complex imagery in the included art.
I am not overly thrilled with the callouts and pointers on top of the artwork. "Hero throws herself from the tower in desperation after Leander's death." and an ugly line across the art to the robed body falling to the rocky reaches below. The style is overtly reminiscent of a seventh grade biology text book, which I would presume is the level this work is written to.
I don't believe it is meant to be presented to a literary adult audience. If you obtain this as an equivilant of Cliffs Notes to Greco-Roman mythology artworks, then it will be spot on. Even with the authors' pompous of evaluation in the introduction of how difficult it is to understand and interpret artwork and legend and the wonderful work in making such a compilation; I still feel somewhat cheated buying it used.
I feel a work such as Celtic Myths and Legendshas more worth on my bookshelf, without the colourful plates and descriptors.
Wonderful!!!
This book was wonderfully done and very useful for the appreciation and study of the ancient gods and the works of art depicting them. This book is chuck full of artwork (375 pages). You will not be disappointed! Great to use along side the study of ancient history, as the art is captivating and really brings the gods to life! Good for all ages.
Full-color plates of masterpiece artworks from human history
400 full-color plates of masterpiece artworks from human history superbly illuminate the pages of Gods And Heroes In Art, which presents the readers with a brief introduction to (and an informative summary of) the legends behind the deities of Greek and Roman mythology that are often depicted in classical art. Gods And Heroes In Art is visual feast as well as a convenient reference for art and mythology buffs. Also very highly recommended is a companion volume from the J. Paul Getty Museum, Saints In Art (0892367172, $..., 384 pages, 400 color plates).
