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9781405107075

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[It] chronologically covers the history of thought about art from antiquity to postmodernism. Art theory, art criticism and art history, as well as philosophy, rhetoric, myth, literature, mathematics, theology, semiotics, the natural sciences, psychology, music, linguistic theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism and feminism (among others), are drawn upon to yield reflections on art. Particular emphasis is laid in this extraordinarily fluid synopsis on the relationship between art and knowledge. The Art Newspaper To write a general history of art theory from Homer to Baudrillard is a courageous and generous act in an age of fragmented specialties. To write one that reads art theory not just in its philosophical and linguistic traditions but as sensitive responses to changing artistic practices is a rare accomplishment. In this timely and welcome survey, Robert Williams gives us a textbook for art history and philosophy students that the learned public will enjoy as well. Philip Sohm, University of Toronto Williams's admirably fluid account not only offers a history of aesthetic theory but investigates those artists, critics, and historians who have applied theory to reshape the meaning of art itself. Richard Shiff, University of Texas at Austin [Art Theory] is a first-class introduction to the subject, revealing an unusual historical range, a command of diverse and often difficult ideas, and a natural flair for seeing the point--of art and of theory ... Robert Williams has written a book I will keep on my self for rereading and I look forward to further works by him. John Haldane in The Art Book

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Robert Williams is Associate Professor of Art History at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He is the author of Art Theory and Culture in Sixteenth-century Italy: From Techne to Metatechne (1997).

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