Traditional European history painting showed scenes from scripture or Greco‐Roman history. These were the most important paintings because they showed the most important subjects. The seventeenth‐century art of Nicolas Poussin was a significant model for this tradition. In the late eighteenth century, however, artists began to present contemporary subjects in history paintings. In an influential essay published in 1938, Edgar Wind argued that it was these late eighteenth‐century painters who first showed present‐day events outside of Europe and then turned to contemporary subjects. Soon enough, present‐day events were as important as those depicted in old master history painting. This was a decisive change in how both history and art were understood. This essay collection charts the development of history painting using well‐illustrated case studies discussing famous figures as well as some lesser‐known artists. It features accounts of traditional history painting; discussions of the marketplace for this artistic genre in the eighteenth century; and varied examples of history painting after modernism, which allowed that any important subject whatsoever can, with sufficient motivation, become the subject of a history painting. As such, we now have contemporary history paintings showing present‐day political developments, the global economy, and the concerns of ecology.

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历史绘画及其变化主题

欧洲传统历史绘画展示了圣经或希腊罗马历史的场景。这些是最重要的绘画，因为它们显示了最重要的主题。尼古拉斯·普桑（Nicolas Poussin）的17世纪艺术是这一传统的重要典范。然而，在18世纪后期，艺术家开始在历史绘画中展示当代题材。在1938年发表的一篇颇有影响力的文章中，埃德加·温德（Edgar Wind）认为，正是这些18世纪晚期的画家首先展示了欧洲以外的当代活动，然后才转向当代题材。很快，今天的事件就和古老的大师史画中描绘的事件一样重要。这是对历史和艺术理解方式的决定性变化。这篇论文集通过对著名人物和一些鲜为人知的艺术家进行讨论的案例研究，描绘了历史绘画的发展。它以传统历史绘画为特色；讨论十八世纪这种艺术流派的市场；以及现代主义之后的历史绘画的各种实例，这使任何重要的主题都可以在足够的动机下成为历史绘画的主题。因此，我们现在有当代历史绘画作品，展示了当今的政治发展，全球经济和生态问题。以及现代主义之后的历史绘画的各种实例，这使任何重要的主题都可以在足够的动机下成为历史绘画的主题。因此，我们现在有当代历史绘画作品，展示了当今的政治发展，全球经济和生态问题。以及现代主义之后的历史绘画的各种实例，这使任何重要的主题都可以在足够的动机下成为历史绘画的主题。因此，我们现在有当代历史绘画作品，展示了当今的政治发展，全球经济和生态问题。