The Commonality of Humans through Art

How Art Connects Mankind through the Ages

Handler, Stuart (ed.)

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 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.