The Ancient View of Greek Art

Criticism, History, and Terminology

What did the ancient Greeks think about their own art?  J.J. Pollitt attempts to answer this question by studying the critical terminology of the ancient Greeks—the terms they used to describe and evaluate sculpture, painting, and architecture.

Although Greeks and Romans with a wide variety of backgrounds and interests—including artists, philosophers, rhetoricians, historians, and guidebook writers—wrote about art in antiquity, very few of their works have survived.  Mr. Pollitt has therefore had to draw largely on works of authors who, while discussing some other subject, make passing references to art for the purpose of analogy or illustration.  By carefully assembling and organizing these fragments, he presents a coherent view of art criticism in ancient Greece.

This study is divided into two parts.  The first part provides a general history of Greek art criticism and its sources.  The second is an extensive glossary which collects, translates, and analyzes passages from Greek and Latin authors in which important critical terms are used.  The book can therefore be used by art historians and classicists as both a scholarly text and an important work of reference.   

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.