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Library Journal Review
This survey from the beginnings of art to now is organized in bits--using specific examples to explain periods, styles, and the like. Comparable to David G. Wilkins and Bernard Schultz's Art Past/Art Present ( LJ 5/15/90) but more extensive and less graphic in its layout, this text also considers very selected examples of drama, literature, music, and philosophy, with brief extracts (Shakespeare--two pages) from literary works. Sort of a People magazine approach to art history and the other disciplines it covers, focused on great men and the occasional woman, the book is a well-written survey aimed at beginning undergraduates or high school students. Despite this title's greater breadth, however, Art Past/Art Present is preferred because if offers more coverage of the works of art it does discuss. To cover art and civilization in one volume is problematic and, despite Lucie-Smith's writing and organizational talents, the book is a dead outline that does not even tantalize.-- Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Lib. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly Review
In an ambitious, enormously rewarding survey of the arts in Western civilization, art historian Lucie-Smith traces the connections between architecture, painting, sculpture, literature, philosophy and music in each of a number of epochs discussed. Proceeding from Paleolithic Mother Goddesses to minimalism and multiculturalism, Lucie-Smith is always entertaining and frequently profound, whether he is discussing the ``universal language'' of Neolithic rock art, the Byzantine empire's ``lopsided'' cultural achievements, parallels in the lives of Beethoven and Goya, or Arshile Gorky as ``a forerunner . . . stranded between the European approach to painting and the American view.'' This splendidly illustrated album features hundreds of color and black-and-white plates, plus maps, time charts, literary excerpts from Gilgamesh to Waiting for Godot , and boxed highlights (such as ``The Conquest of Mexico'' and ``African Art and Cubism''). Lucie-Smith's acute insights and his focus on specific creative works keep his highly selective narrative lively and concrete. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
CHOICE Review
A useful reference book for lower-level undergraduate surveys of art history, this book covers the enormous scope of Western civilization from European prehistory through American 20th century, giving for each of eight time periods a summary of significant ideas, architecture, painting/sculpture, literature, drama, and music. Each section is a readable narrative on its own and includes long excerpts from the literature of the period, excellent maps and illustrations, and particularly valuable charts. The charts note the artistic achievements of the time period along with the historical events, the religion/philosophy, the architecture and the literature of the period. The result is that the reader can see the connection between the various areas of civilization and the effects they had on each other. Undergraduate; general. N. M. Lambert; University of South Carolina at Spartanburg
Booklist Review
This historical survey of Western art from Paleolithic times to the present also treats literature and music, but the emphasis is on the visual arts of painting, sculpture, and architecture. Written by a noted and prolific expert on art, the work is aimed at the general reader seeking a background in Western art. In many libraries it will receive heavier use in the circulating collection than by reference librarians seeking specific bits of information. Following the seven-page table of contents, which locates the various arts within each chapter, the chronologically arranged text is straightforward and concise. Chapters are profusely illustrated with excellent color and black-and-white reproductions of art works, each cited with title, date, medium, size, and location. In addition, maps and time charts are found throughout. Unfortunately, page margins are narrow, and even one rebinding will affect both text and illustrative material adjacent to the gutter. Three helpful features are found at the end of the text: a four-page glossary of art terms with definitions that often include a reference to a page where the term is illustrated; a bibliography of further readings for each chapter, subdivided by art medium; and an index of personal names, subjects, and titles of works. If an indexed artwork is illustrated in the text, a boldface reference indicates its location. Art and Civilization is a handsome book. Libraries serving general adult or student readers will find it useful because of its clarity and the inclusion of literature and music. Public, high school, and academic libraries needing an illustrated history of art should consider purchase. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1993)
