这本书分析了从原始社会至19世纪的各种艺术,包括绘画、音乐、诗歌、戏剧、电影等。作者在考证艺术品与艺术家之前,总是先考证时代的社会分层、阶级关系、经济发展,然后在矛盾中寻找艺术变化的原因。豪泽尔在这本书中进行了艺术史转向社会学解释的尝试,也梳理了当时比较新的艺术史研究成果,从受众角度谈论了艺术批评的问题。他还谈论了艺术机构和艺术评论 This book analyzes the various arts from Primitive Society to the nineteenth century, including paintings, music, poetry, drama, movies and more. Before his work on art and the artist is examined, the author always studies the social stratification, class relations and economic development in the era first, and then looks for the reasons for the change in art in the contradictions. Hauser in this book attempts to explain the art history to sociology attempt, but also sort out the relatively new art history research results from the audience point of view discusses the issue of art criticism. He also talked about art institutions and art reviews