Readers familiar with H. W. Janson’s History of Art textbook will immediately recognize the cover of A. H. Fessler’s Art History Lesson as a comment on Janson’s ubiquitous text. With a hardbound cover that replicates Janson’s book, Fessler challenges the authority of his text and, through the change in the title, lets readers know that there is lesson to be learned in her book as well.
Fragments from Poussin’s painting “Rape of the Sabine Women” are paired with a quote from Janson that described Poussin’s desire to represent “… noble and serious human actions.” The large halftone dots indicate a previously published source which was, in fact, Fessler’s own college art history textbook.
On the last page of the book, after revealing the source of the quote, Fessler appends the words “Required reading, Art History 101, 102, and 103,” to make the point that survey textbooks are often used for multiple courses and in introductory classes, where students may not have the critical skills to question authoritative texts.
