Understanding Art

This edition is available on MindTap®, the first image-led educational software for art that keeps the core content--the artwork--at the forefront of study. This highly customizable and interactive, image-first digital experience encourages students to discover the history and meaning of art with a visually rich eBook experience that places the art, surrounding discussion and curated content all on the same two-page spread. Students can zoom in on and expand image details, explore curated content such as videos and architectural panoramas, visit significant locations of the works of art and architecture via Google Maps, and more--all without losing their place in the discussion.

Scales are placed next to images in the text to help students better visualize the size of each work and grasp the importance of scale. Like composition, color, line, and other terms used to describe an artwork, scale is a key factor in helping students understand the artist's purpose.

"A Closer Look" features help students understand the role of art in society and in everyday life by offering insights into artists' personalities and delving into various topics at greater depth.

The "Compare + Contrast" feature shows two or more works of art side by side and poses questions that help you focus on the stylistic and technical similarities and differences between two or more works.

"Theory & Practice" features show you how artists use principles and theories of art to arrive at their compositions.

"Putting It All Together" features visually summarize the ways in which artists use the visual elements of art and principles of design to render their compositions.

"Connections" features illustrate how works of art from one period or one global location relate to works from another. Some of these features ask you to apply information from the text to your own life.

Non-Western art is integrated into each art history chapter, under the heading "The Wider World." For example, Chapter 15, "Classical Art," includes sections on Buddhism, Hinduism, and Pre-Columbian art. Chapter 17, "The Renaissance," includes discussion of the Mughal Empire in India, the Ming Dynasty in China, the Muromachi and Momoyama periods in Japan, and the Aztec civilization in the Americas.

"Connections" features illustrate how works of art from one period or one global location relate to works from another. In addition, some of these features show students how they can apply the information in the text to their own lives.

"Theory & Practice" features show how artists use principles and theories of art to arrive at their compositions. For example, a Theory & Practice feature in Chapter 5 shows how several artists sought to capture the dynamic spinning and twirling of Folies Bergère dancer Loïe Fuller's signature "Serpentine Dance" in drawings and sculpture.

"Putting It All Together" features visually summarize the ways in which artists use the visual elements of art and principles of design to render their compositions. A feature in Chapter 1 uses The Arnolfini Portrait to show how Jan Van Eyck used line, shape, value, color and other elements of art to bring his portrait of a newly married couple to life.

There are several new "Compare + Contrast" features. For example, in Chapter 22, "The Undying Legacy of the African Mask," relates a traditional African mask to the fiber arts of Faith Ringgold, the paintings of Pablo Picasso, and an assemblage of women's high-heeled shoes by contemporary American artist Willie Cole.

Hundreds of new works of art have been chosen for this edition to touch the landmarks of Western art and the art of the wider world, as well as to better illustrate the elements, mediums, and historic developments of art.