Art History

İKÜ Publishing House presents "Art History," the fourth book in its "A Very Short Introduction" series, carefully selected from Oxford University Press's world-renowned "Very Short Introductions" series. The book, written by Dana Arnold, Professor of Art History at the University of East Anglia, England, was translated into Turkish by Tuncay Birkan, an expert translator in social sciences and art theory. Professor Dr. Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu, an art historian and faculty member in the Department of Archaeology and Art History at Koç University, also penned a special preface for the Turkish edition of this enlightening book on art and art history. The book hit the shelves in August.
 

Looking at Art

What does art tell us? What can we learn from a single work or a series of artworks? What clues can the artist, subject, material, time, or place offer us when we look at a work? How can looking at art, reflecting on artworks to extract meaning(s) from them, and recognizing the relationship a painting or sculpture establishes with us contribute to our lives? How can art affect our individual and social lives?

In "Art History," historian Dana Arnold, known for her work on art and architectural history, cultural identities, and urbanization, pursues the questions above, making many topics related to art and art history more meaningful for readers and art lovers. Furthermore, she shows how a work we encounter in any museum, gallery, or even on the street can become more meaningful to us.

A Comparative Study

In the book, the author addresses many topics concerning art, its production and presentation, interpreting and attributing meaning to artworks, valuing them, and art history. She questions the differences between ancient, Renaissance, classical, and contemporary art periods in terms of comprehending artworks; she examines the relationship between the work, the artist, the viewer, and even the space. In doing so, she discusses the works of many artists, from Monet, da Vinci, da Fabriano, Velázquez, Raphael, and Rodin, to Picasso, Chicago, Reynolds, Pollock, Warhol, and Man Ray; and many different styles and understandings, from the Venetian School to the Terracotta Army sculptures. The book also comparatively examines how the views of leading thinkers such as Baumgarten, Kant, Hegel, Marx, Freud, Gombrich, Foucault, and Derrida led to changes in understanding aesthetics and art, criticism, and the systematization of historiography.

Both Western and Eastern Art

In the book, Arnold presents a perspective of perception and evaluation that transcends geography by considering not only Western but also Eastern artistic production. Professor Dr. Filiz Yenişehirlioğlu, a professor in the Department of Archaeology and Art History at Koç University and director of VEKAM, also draws attention to this aspect of Arnold in her preface to the book: "Dana Arnold's aim is to briefly introduce the methods of art historical research or how to approach the history of art to the general reader and university student through a transcultural reading, being aware not only of Western art but also of Eastern art."

With the author's provocative and critical questions, sincere and understandable narrative style, and clear and concrete examples, "Art History" will be a striking guide for readers that stands out from similar books in the field.