Art History, 6th Edition

1. Identify the visual hallmarks of regional and period styles for formal, technical, and expressive qualities.
2. Interpret the meaning of works of art from diverse cultures, periods, and locations based on their themes, subjects, and symbols.
3. Relate artists and works of art to their cultural, economic, and political contexts.
4. Apply the vocabulary and concepts used to discuss works of art, artists, and art history.
5. Interpret art using appropriate art historical methods, such as observation and inductive reasoning.
6. Select visual and textual evidence to support an argument or interpretation.

• A Starter Kit at the beginning of the text provides a very concise primer of basic concepts and tools. The text’s Introduction explores the way these concepts and tools are used to come to an understanding of the history of art.
• Art and its Contexts features tell students more about selected works or issues from the chapter.
• Closer Look features guide students in their exploration of details within a single work of art, helping students to understand issues of usage, iconography, and style.
• Elements of Architecture features clarify specific architectural features, often explaining engineering principles or building technology.
• Technique features outline the techniques and processes by which certain types of art are created.
• A map at the beginning of most chapters lists all places mentioned within the chapter, helping students to visualize key locations.
• Think About It critical thinking questions at the end of each chapter help students assess their mastery of the learning objectives by thinking through and applying what they’ve learned.

• NEW! Global coverage has been deepened with the addition of new works of art and revised discussions that incorporate new scholarship. In particular, the chapters addressing South and Southeast Asia and Africa have been significantly reworked and expanded.
• NEW! Chapter 33 on contemporary art has been reorganized and reworked for greater clarity and timeliness. Coverage of numerous new works has been incorporated into this chapter.
• NEW! Throughout, images have been updated whenever new and improved images were available or works of art have been cleaned or restored.
• NEW! The language used to characterize works of art — especially those that attempt to capture the lifelike appearance of the natural world — has been refined and clarified to bring greater precision and nuance.
• NEW! In response to readers’ requests, discussions of many major monuments have been revised and expanded.
• NEW! New works have been added to the discussion in many chapters to enhance and enrich what is presented in the text. Highlights of the newly included works include:
• the Standard of Ur;
• the Great Mosque of Damascus;
• the Ardabil Carpet;
• Mesa Verde; and
• Imogen Cunningham’s Two Callas.
• NEW! In addition, several artists are discussed through new, and more representative, works, including:
• Zhao Mengfu;
• Vladimir Tatlin;
• Paula Modersohn-Becker;
• Suzuki Harunobu; and
• Mary Cassatt.