A Short Book About Art: Expanded Edition

Celebrating ten years of this much-loved and bestselling Short Book about Art with an new updated and expanded edition

How is art made? How can we interpret the meaning behind it? And what is the significance of the way in which it is displayed? Using six common themes that bind together art from around the globe, this lively and illuminating journey through art history seeks to answer these questions and more, drawing parallels across different time periods and cultures—from cave paintings to contemporary multimedia works. This expanded edition of Dana Arnold’s bestselling survey offers news illustrations and fresh insights—the perfect companion for anyone seeking to learn more across a stunning breadth of art.

“The most compelling short exploration of the visual arts that I have read since John Berger’s Ways of Seeing.” —Edward Dimendberg, professor of visual studies, University of California, Irvine.

“ a highly readable introduction to art, drawing on a deep historical sensibility, engaged by the voices of the artists as well as the aesthetic criteria involved in making and looking at art. no other introduction to art addresses these basic aspects of viewing so pertinent to the age of the image.” —Catherine M. Soussloff, professor, department of art history, visual art & theory, university of British Columbia