Classical Art and the Cultures of Greece and Rome [Hardcover]

Traditionally, art historians have been concerned with the anthropological aspects of ancient art. Onians (director, World Art Research Programme, Univ. of East Anglia) takes a rather different approach. He theorizes that classical art was "the natural product of the nurturing influence of a limited set of environmental factors on a living organism" and uses a biological or ecological point of view to identify "the most characteristic forms [of Greek and Roman art] and the environments in which these developed." Were the Greeks successful because they settled in a harsh land that required stone and metal tools to survive? Was that the reason they represented themselves in marble and bronze statues? It is an interesting argument, and a worthwhile one. Unfortunately, Onians suffers from page-long-paragraph syndrome. Illustrations are appropriate and well placed, and this helps somewhat, but only the hardiest of scholars will actually read the book through. Recommended for large academic collections.AMary Morgan Smith, Northland P.L., Pittsburgh
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

An extremely useful and insightful study. . . . Highly recommended for its exceptionally clear and revealing writing. -- Choice

In this highly original inquiry, John Onians argues that the study of classical art opens a unique window into the intellectual and imaginative lives of the Greeks and Romans for whom it was produced. Onians`s sweeping account, ranging from the Greek Dark Ages to the Christianization of Rome, focuses on the impact upon ancient peoples of a constantly changing physical environment.