{"product_id":"the-preference-for-the-primitive-episodes-in-the-history-of-western-taste-and-art-9780714846323","title":"The Preference for the Primitive: Episodes in the History of Western Taste and Art","description":"\u003cp\u003eAvailable in paperback for the first time, Professor Gombrich's highly-acclaimed last book offers a revealing insight into the history and psychology of taste. \u003ci\u003eThe Preference for the Primitive\u003c\/i\u003e is a study of the idea that older and less sophisticated ('primitive') works are somehow morally and aesthetically superior to later works that have become soft and decadent. Summing up more than 40 years of study and reflection on this theme, this book presents a closely argued narrative supported by extensive quotations that document with precision the role of authors, critics and artists in shaping and changing opinion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSir Ernst Gombrich was one of the greatest and least conventional art historians of his age, achieving fame and distinction in three separate spheres: as a scholar, as a popularizer of art, and as a pioneer of the application of the psychology of perception to the study of art. His best-known book, \u003ci\u003eThe Story of Art \u003c\/i\u003e- first published 50 years ago and now in its sixteenth edition - is one of the most influential books ever written about art. His books further include \u003ci\u003eThe Sense of Order\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eArt \u0026amp; Illusion\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as a total of 11 volumes of collected essays and reviews.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGombrich was born in Vienna in 1909 and died in London in November 2001. He came to London in 1936 to work at the Warburg Institute, where he eventually became Director from 1959 until his retirement in 1976. He won numerous international honours, including a knighthood, the Order of Merit and the Goethe, Hegel and Erasmus prizes. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGifted with a powerful mind and prodigious memory, he was also an outstanding communicator, with a clear and forceful prose style. His works are models of good art-historical writing, and reflect his humanism and his deep and abiding concern with the standards and values of our cultural heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Phaidon Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50872767840530,"sku":"9780714846323","price":36.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_00e232a0-238b-4abf-b0bc-b700a154aa5f.jpg?v=1737909377","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-preference-for-the-primitive-episodes-in-the-history-of-western-taste-and-art-9780714846323","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}