Greek Myth and Western Art
The Presence of the Past

This richly illustrated book examines the legacy of Greek mythology in Western art from the classical era to the present.

Karl Kilinski II (Author)

9781107013322, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 12 November 2012

337 pages, 75 b/w illus. 32 colour illus.
26.1 x 18.5 x 1.9 cm, 0.87 kg

"The text is succinct, clear, easy to follow, at times humorous, and always scholarly. Readers may feel that they are sitting in a lecture hall. A readable, insightful analysis of a sometimes elusive subject, this book reflects a lifetime of study and thought. A solid purchase for art history or English literature collections." --Choice

Greek myth has played an unparalleled role in the formation of Western visual traditions, for which it has provided a nearly inexhaustible source of forms, symbols and narratives. This richly illustrated book examines the legacy of Greek mythology in Western art from the classical era to the present. It reveals the range and variety with which individual Greek myths, motifs and characters have been treated throughout the history of the visual arts in the West. Tracing the emergence, survival and transformation of key mythological figures and motifs from ancient Greece through the modern era, it explores the enduring importance of such myths for artists and viewers in their own time and over the millennia that followed.

1. The nature and origins of Greek myth
2. Survival and revival: the motives for and means of myth transmission
3. Form and fashion of myth in art: image and imagination
4. Iconography and iconology: the metamorphosis of Greek myth.

Subject Areas: Ancient religions & mythologies [HRKP], Classical history / classical civilisation [HBLA1], Ancient history: to c 500 CE [HBLA], History of art: ancient & classical art,BCE to c 500 CE [ACG]