THE PAGEANT OF MEDIEVAL ART AND LIFE

It's a mural as much as a pageant in this handsomely visual survey of the Middle Ages. The author has been a museum director and a critic and popularizer of the arts, and he presents here an intelligent, readable, well-integrated introduction to the history, beliefs and art of Europe from the rise of Constantine to the Reformation. The book does not touch on the social development outside the arts, but otherwise it does present very well the interrelating development of the philosophy, attitudes, and knowledge, and of the painting, sculpture, architecture, and craftsmanship over twelve centuries. The broad portrayal of medieval culture is bolstered throughout with specific references to events, people, and the art works themselves. The text is to be supplemented with 170 reproductions, which were not available for review. There is also a chronological table and a bibliography. An excellent book for highschool students who want to read beyond their history texts, prior to a college art history course.