The Commonality of Humans through Art: How Art Connects Mankind through the Ages explores how art has linked different cultures over the past 30,000 years. Organized thematically rather than chronologically or geographically, it traces how all humans are connected from birth to death.
Ten leading scholars offer essays on how the language of art has been used by cultures to explain human behavior. The book begins with a discussion of the brain and art, aesthetics and human cultures, and creation myths. With these important subjects as a foundation, it moves into explorations of lived experiences: moth-erhood and the family, the world around us, conflict and warfare, portraying ourselves and others, sickness and healing, religion and rituals, and death. Each chapter is illustrated by outstanding artworks showing the commonality between cultures as they expressed their lives to their own people and those who followed them.
The Commonality of Humans Through Art is a collection of chapters that showcase tribal and ancient art objects from around the world in one book, offering readers an exhibition exploring how the language of art connects mankind throughout the ages. Ten leading scholars came together to write chapters on tribal and ancient art, and its impact on human behavior from birth to death. Featuring 400 color photos of how art connects mankind through the ages, The Commonality of Humans Through Art is "the most important book about art since Janson’s History of Art" (John Buxton, Founder of ArtTrak.com and long-time appraiser on Antiques Roadshow). Explore how mankind has used the language of art to explain human behavior, including motherhood, the family, conflict, warfare, sickness, healing, religion, and death. Each chapter illustrates the commonality between diverse cultures showing how art has affected people over the past 30,000 years. The Commonality of Humans Through Art serves as a reputable source for art history, cultural anthropology, and archaeology at colleges, universities, and educational programs, and it is a beautiful, stunning coffee table book showcasing ancient and tribal art from museums and private collections around the world.
The essays are written to the lay reader so the book can be a beautiful showcase on a coffee-table, an important art reference book in a library, or an introductory textbook in archaeology, cultural anthropology, and art history classes.
