Since its original publication, Erwin Panofsky's Meaning in the Visual
Arts has been standard reading for students of art history. It is both
an introduction to the study of art and, for those with more specialized
interests, a profound discussion of art and life in the Middle Ages and
Renaissance. Panofsky's historical technique reveals an abundance of
detail, detail he skillfully relates to the life and work of individual
painters and their times.
The papers in this volume represent a cross-section of Panofsky's major
work. Included are selections from his well-known Studies in Iconology
and The Life and Art of Albrecht Dürer, plus an introduction and an
epilogue--The History of Art as a Humanistic Discipline and Three
Decades of Art History in the United States: Impressions of a
Transplanted European--as well as pieces written especially for this
collection. All display Panofsky's vast erudition and deep commitment to
a humanistic conception of art and art history.