The textbook, however, lacks significant references to contemporary art. This text presents more than the usual suspects found in introductory art appreciation and visual literacy books. The treatment of the subject was constrained by the authors' focus primarily on the traditional media associated with fine arts, such as painting, sculpture, and architecture. The text covers information listed in the table of contents adequately.
The process and historical/social conditions of the work’s creation are also covered in each section. The format of this text confuses that by jumping around culturally and historically too much. The language used is appropriate for college-level readers, with sentences easily understood. The text was inclusive of a variety of races, ethnicities and backgrounds. The content of the textbook is generally error free. For the most part, the text is very relevant, especially its chapters on themes in art. As one can quickly grasp from the table of contents, this book covers all of the major introductory topics for approaching and discussing art and visual culture (as well as some focused topics that are not typically found in "Intro to Art" texts). For example, Chapter 7, which focused on architecture, was more intentional toward representing global perspectives and works of art, which I found to be very helpful in understanding global art production. On page 208, paragraph three, the authors are referring to a conceptual artist, but they omit the word artist, and don't define what a conceptual artist is. The labels for the images give weight to the open sourced “author” rather than the information that is important to the work of art (artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, and museum/collection), this could be better by creating a reference page at the end of the text for the open sourced images. With regard to writing, the work is generally clearly written, and approachable to beginning students. The organization of the text and its components is consistent throughout, as is tone and flow of the text. It provides readers with the foundational tools of understanding how to more formally assess art and the creation of many different kinds of visual representation. Again, no context is given for each element and its many facets. This should be strengthened more.
Since the text covers a wide... With eleven chapters in just under 300 pages, the text provides a comprehensive framework with which to explore the topic of art appreciation. Reviewed by Victoria Hutson, Art Faculty, Lake Superior College on 2/1/18, This book covers a broad range of areas that are typically included in a college level art appreciation book. University of North Georgia Press. Any weblinks used within the text would have to be checked and maintained. Titles are included for each image along with the artist/author and sources where appropriate. I do think the first half is better than the second. The inclusion of "fourth dimensional" art is particularly helpful in discussing contemporary art. The tone of the writing is quite generous- the first chapter explains how art is ultimately about the viewer’s interpretation and adds “but we do have help if we want it. Terms are used consistently throughout the text. I particularly thought Ch 2 was a standout in the way it presented the basic categories of art. The text is accurate, error-free and also unbiased. No evidence of overtly distorted images (Perhaps Figure 10.37?). However, an instructor could easily provide...