Gods and Heroes in Art

by Lucia Impelluso

Overview

Gods and Heroes in Art aims to help museum patrons and art lovers recognize the legendary characters of classical antiquity in art. The characters are each described in entries summarizing their distinctive stories, their special attributes, and the ways in which artists have depicted them. Each entry is richly illustrated with reproductions of works of art in which the god or hero is pictured, giving readers a chance to examine images of the character and to understand the work of art better.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780892367023
Publisher:	Getty Publications
Publication date:	04/03/2003
Series:	A Guide to Imagery
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	386
Sales rank:	992,766
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 7.75(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Lucia Impelluso is an architect specializing in iconograpphy. She is also the author of Themes, Meanings, Symbols in Portraiture.

Editorial Reviews

Translated from recent Italian original editions, these two well-produced handbooks for the general museum goer aim to provide understanding of the saints, gods, and classical heroes who were the subject matter for much of Western art from the medieval period to the early 20th century. Although neither title claims to be exhaustive, each covers the most commonly occurring figures. Giorgi's book on saints ranges from Acacius to Zeno, with each saint receiving a brief (100-300 word) biography and one to several color depictions (rather oversaturated but decent), generally from European museum collections. A few major saints receive longer entries, generally with more illustrative material. Salient identifiers (such as St. Andrew Apostle's X-shaped cross) and story points are picked out in each caption, while sidebars summarize facts such as life dates, canonization, feast days, and special invocations (e.g., St. Bavo for whooping cough). While Saints in Art will not replace more extensive reference works, such as the four-volume Butler's Lives of the Saints or the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, no directly comparable illustrated work exists for the general English-speaking museum audience. Impelluso's book follows much the same physical format but is divided into four sections: Greek and Roman gods, mythical heroes, and divine beings; figures from The Iliad and The Odyssey; Greek historical figures; and Roman historical figures. Distinctive stories, attributes, and artistic depictions (from later Western art, not classical objects) are given for each subject. Again, while there are many books on classical mythology-Bulfinch's Mythology et al.-and also numerous titles on depictions of the classical tradition in art (most notably Jane Reid's outstanding Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s), the focus of Gods and Heroes in Art as a practical, well-illustrated handbook for the museum audience is successful and welcome. Accessible in content and format and clearly focused on the art museum public, these books are highly recommended for both basic and advanced art collections.-Jack Perry Brown, Art Inst. of Chicago Libs. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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