History of Art

More about the book

In the early 1970s, "Janson" was a manageable 616-page volume, primarily featuring black-and-white photographs, with no works by female artists and only eight pages on non-Western art. Over the decades, it has transformed into a substantial, slipcased 1,000-page book filled with 865 color reproductions and organized subheadings that clarify individual artists' contributions. Women artists, from Artemisia Gentileschi to Cindy Sherman, are now included, and the focus has expanded to encompass 20th-century photography and postmodernism, albeit with limited coverage of postmodern theory. The redesigned timeline now charts significant art milestones alongside key historical, scientific, and cultural events, complemented by world maps and primary source excerpts, including unique accounts like that of painter Hugo van der Goes's struggles. Each edition reflects evolving scholarly interpretations, as noted by H.W. Janson in his original preface, emphasizing that "there are no 'plain facts' in the history of art." Changes have been made to sections on ancient art, French romanticism, realism, impressionism, and Western architecture, while the clarity and intelligence of the writing remain intact. Overall, this work continues to be an essential reference for art students and scholars, though it may benefit from a new title and division into two volumes to ease the burden on future historians.