The History of Western Art Audiobook By Peter Whitfield cover art

The History of Western Art

 Preview
LIMITED TIME OFFER

3 months free
Try for $0.00
Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 3 months. Cancel anytime.

The History of Western Art

By: Peter Whitfield
Narrated by: Sebastian Comberti
Try for $0.00

$0.00/mo. after 3 months. Offer ends July 31, 2025 at 11:59PM PT. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.99

Buy for $15.99

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
Switch payment method
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use, License, and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

What is art? Why do we value images of saints, kings, goddesses, battles, landscapes or cities from eras of history utterly remote from ourselves? This history of art shows how painters, sculptors and architects have expressed the belief systems of their age: religious, political and aesthetic.

From the ancient civilisations of Egypt, Mesopotamia and Greece, to the revolutionary years of the 19th and 20th centuries, the artist has acted as a mirror to the ideals and conflicts of the human mind. He has always started with reality, but has selected and reshaped that reality to create a parallel world; a world of the imagination.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2011 Naxos AudioBooks (P)2011 Naxos AudioBooks Art History & Criticism Middle Ages

Listeners also enjoyed...
The Lives of the Artists Audiobook By Giorgio Vasari, Julia Conway Bondanella - Translated by, Peter Bondanella - Translated by cover art
The Lives of the Artists By: Giorgio Vasari, and others
What Are You Looking At? Audiobook By Will Gompertz cover art
What Are You Looking At? By: Will Gompertz
ArtCurious Audiobook By Jennifer Dasal cover art
ArtCurious By: Jennifer Dasal
The History of English Poetry Audiobook By Peter Whitfield cover art
The History of English Poetry By: Peter Whitfield
The Judgment of Paris Audiobook By Ross King cover art
The Judgment of Paris By: Ross King
The Age of Insight Audiobook By Eric R. Kandel cover art
The Age of Insight By: Eric R. Kandel
Leonardo da Vinci Audiobook By Walter Isaacson cover art
Leonardo da Vinci By: Walter Isaacson
A Little History of Art Audiobook By Charlotte Mullins cover art
A Little History of Art By: Charlotte Mullins
Our Oriental Heritage Audiobook By Will Durant cover art
Our Oriental Heritage By: Will Durant
The Art Spirit Audiobook By Henri Robert cover art
The Art Spirit By: Henri Robert
The Secret Lives of Color Audiobook By Kassia St. Clair cover art
The Secret Lives of Color By: Kassia St. Clair
The History of Classical Music Audiobook By Richard Fawkes cover art
The History of Classical Music By: Richard Fawkes
Caravaggio Audiobook By Andrew Graham-Dixon cover art
Caravaggio By: Andrew Graham-Dixon
Art Is Life Audiobook By Jerry Saltz cover art
Art Is Life By: Jerry Saltz
Asian Journals Audiobook By Joseph Campbell cover art
Asian Journals By: Joseph Campbell
SPQR Audiobook By Mary Beard cover art
SPQR By: Mary Beard
Color Audiobook By Victoria Finlay cover art
Color By: Victoria Finlay
A History of the World in 100 Objects Audiobook By Neil MacGregor cover art
A History of the World in 100 Objects By: Neil MacGregor
The Greater Journey Audiobook By David McCullough cover art
The Greater Journey By: David McCullough
Sophie's World Audiobook By Jostein Gaarder cover art
Sophie's World By: Jostein Gaarder

People who viewed this also viewed...

A Little History of Art Audiobook By Charlotte Mullins cover art
A Little History of Art By: Charlotte Mullins
A Degree in a Book: Art History Audiobook By John Finlay cover art
A Degree in a Book: Art History By: John Finlay
The Lives of the Artists Audiobook By Giorgio Vasari, Julia Conway Bondanella - Translated by, Peter Bondanella - Translated by cover art
The Lives of the Artists By: Giorgio Vasari, and others
The Foundations of Western Civilization Audiobook By Thomas F. X. Noble, The Great Courses cover art
The Foundations of Western Civilization By: Thomas F. X. Noble, and others
The Story of Art Without Men Audiobook By Katy Hessel cover art
The Story of Art Without Men By: Katy Hessel
Art History (2nd Edition) Audiobook By Dana Arnold cover art
Art History (2nd Edition) By: Dana Arnold
What Are You Looking At? Audiobook By Will Gompertz cover art
What Are You Looking At? By: Will Gompertz
The Age of Insight Audiobook By Eric R. Kandel cover art
The Age of Insight By: Eric R. Kandel
Picasso's War Audiobook By Hugh Eakin cover art
Picasso's War By: Hugh Eakin
Concerning the Spiritual in Art Audiobook By Wassily Kandinsky cover art
Concerning the Spiritual in Art By: Wassily Kandinsky
Culture Audiobook By Martin Puchner cover art
Culture By: Martin Puchner
Color Audiobook By Victoria Finlay cover art
Color By: Victoria Finlay
Architecture Audiobook By Dan Cruickshank cover art
Architecture By: Dan Cruickshank
Renaissance Art Audiobook By Tom Nichols cover art
Renaissance Art By: Tom Nichols
The Handbook of Home Design Audiobook By Laura Jane Clark cover art
The Handbook of Home Design By: Laura Jane Clark
A Little History of the World Audiobook By E. H. Gombrich cover art
A Little History of the World By: E. H. Gombrich
Art Is Life Audiobook By Jerry Saltz cover art
Art Is Life By: Jerry Saltz
The History of the Ancient World Audiobook By Susan Wise Bauer cover art
The History of the Ancient World By: Susan Wise Bauer
Concise Overview • Engaging Storytelling • Insightful Commentary • Comprehensive Coverage • Balanced Perspectives
Highly rated for:
Most relevant  
Little slow to start. Great synopis of modern art.
The reader has a lovely British accent.

Great book

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is a decent, fast paced review of Western Art phases, written for more of a beginner or casual art enthusiast. Then, out of nowhere the author rips into JMW Turner, even using the word “embarrassment” to attack his work. He’s certainly in the minority here. The great art historian Kenneth Clark calls Turner “far the greatest painter England has ever produced”.

What’s his problem with Turner?

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who wishes to refresh their previous study of art history, as well as to students who need a concise introduction. Tourists can benefit from the book also: it is a valuable adjunct to European museum visits and city walks. Whitfield takes us on a whirlwind tour of major artistic themes and styles, mostly European, from cave paintings to the edge of postmodernism. Comberti's reading is pleasant and well-paced. The only thing that's missing: the paintings themselves. Having a visual art reference on hand is recommended. I'm an artist, so the subject fascinates me. But I believe anyone can benefit from reading this accessible guide, free from pretentious "art speak."

A whirlwind tour of Western art

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Peter Whitfield offers a whirlwind tour of “The History of Western Art”. He begins with cave paintings and ends with performance art by an “artist” locked in a library with a wild animal. The distressing thought is that “art is anything you can get away with.”

In slightly more than five hours of narration, a listener traverses 30,000 years (some say 40,000 years) of art history. Whitfield is a poet and critic. “The History of Art” is an intelligent introduction to a mystifying, fascinating, and intimidating subject.

At the end, one wonders whether art is entering a new dark age where the value of art is degraded by technology that makes too much of medium as message. Art needs to be more than a transaction between willing seller and buyer.

ART

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very good introduction to the history of western art. In depth written and very nice to hear.

A very good introduction to the western art

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author puts art and history together. Easy to listen to and understand.I found I was researching artists and works as the narrative continued. Of course there will be some gaps -- but overall pretty cool.

AWESOME ART

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The History of Western Art to be better than the print version?

Dunno

Who was your favorite character and why?

Vincent Van Gogh - he was so ahead of his time.

What about Sebastian Comberti’s performance did you like?

Excellent

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

This is what makes life worth it. Culture and Art.

Any additional comments?

I listen to it over and over. A joy to hear. Still, I don't understand why Hockeny was so great.

Every thing you need to know about western Art.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is the same stuff you get in an intro to art history. There's not much to challenge the classic view of art from European male perspect

Good standard overview

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you consider the audio edition of The History of Western Art to be better than the print version?

Peter Whitfield has a deep understanding of art history and manages to communicate it undiluted without pretence. Some of his observations are stunning, and always concise. The other art history university textbooks I've read are watered down and politically bent, but Whitfield just states it like it is with utter virtuosity. His sentences are art.The narration is good, I'm cherishing listening to this.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The History of Western Art?

The Renaissance

Superbly Written

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This book was a nice review of art history class. It helps to Google the paintings as you go for a deeper engagement with the text, but it's not necessary to understand the overall survey of art history.

Quick review

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews