For use in one-semester, introductory courses in humanities or interdisciplinary art appreciation, and for study-abroad programs.

This text is an introductory exploration of basic artistic concepts and terms to assist with "travel" to the arts in physical, imaginary, or cyber ways. In so doing it treats uniformly the arts of architecture, painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, music, theatre, dance, and film. Part of the ArtBasics series. Provides students with high-quality books at an affordable cost.

Features

• NEW--"Style Spot" --In Chapter8, graphically highlights and briefly defines an important artistic style with a reference to the more fully developed treatment of that style.
  • Draws students to think about style while studying basic terminology, and integrates the material in Chapter8 with the rest of the book.
• NEW--"Question to Ask" features--Introduces an important question that a viewer or listener can ask about a work of art.
  • Stimulates thinking; and helps students analyze, relate, and respond to works of art and architecture.
• NEW--Key term designation--Visually highlights fundamental artistic concepts.
  • Enables students to focus on a few of the most important ideas about the arts among the many concepts and terms defined in the text.
• Web addresses--For examples relating to terms and concepts as well as artistic styles.
  • Allows instructors to assign further investigation of artworks and artists. Allows students to access important examples.
• Model Analysis outline--For each art form.
  • Enables instructors to provide a usable guide for written assignments. Gives students a specific format and example to follow in writing critiques.
• Timeline of Major Styles.
  • Enables instructors to cross-reference the arts. Teaches students the interrelationship of artistic styles and history.
• "Selected Major Styles in Visual Art, Architecture, Theatre, Music, Dance, and Film" .
  • Makes it easy for instructors to reference basic information about major art styles. Helps students learn the basic characteristics of those styles.
• "101 Must-See Works of Architecture by City, Date, and Architect" .
  • Refers students to major works of architecture, and assists them in locating these works if they are in the actual city or location.
• "201 Masterworks of Painting and Sculpture by City, Location, and Artist" .
  • Guides students who are visiting major museums, and assists them in organizing their visits for productive study.
• "250 Major Artists, Playwrights, Composers, Architects, and Choreographers and Their Styles"
  • Presents students with the major artists of history and cross-references their styles so that students have the fundamental information at hand for learning.
• Glossary.
  • Familiarizes students with important terms and definitions, and allows them to access that information easily.
• Further Reading section--For each art form.
  • Allows instructors to assign further reading in specific disciplines. Gives students easy access to a basic bibliography for finding additional material.
• Designed for practical use--Designed for easy transport to museums, concerts, theatre, etc., or for working at the computer.
  • Seeks to invigorate the desire to seek more and to incorporate the arts in daily life for a lifetime.

1. What are the Arts and How Do We Evaluate and Describe Them?

Putting the Arts in Context. The Arts and Ways of Knowing. What Concerns Art? Creativity. Aesthetic Communications. Symbols. Fine and Applied Art. To What Purposes and Functions. Enjoyment. Political and Social Commentary. Therapy. Artifact. How DO We Live with Art? How Do We Evaluate Works of Art? Types of Criticism. Making Judgments.

2. Structures--Architecture.

Function. Structure. Post-and-Lintel Structure. Arch. Cantilever. Bearing Wall. Skeleton Frame. Building Materials. Stone. Concrete. Wood. Steel. Scale and Proportion. Context. Space. Climate. Model Analysis. Further Reading.

3. In The Museum--Pictures and Sculptures.

General Museum Decorum. In The Gallery--An Orientation. Two-Dimensional Art: Drawings, Paintings, Prints, and Photographs. Medium. Composition. Other Factors. Three-Dimensional Art: Sculpture. Dimensionality. Methods of Execution. Composition. Other Factors. Decorative Arts. Model Analysis. Pictures. Sculpture. Further Reading.

4. In The Theatre.

The Theatrical Experience. Genres. Tragedy. Comedy. Tragicomedy. Melodrama. Performance Art. The Production. The Script. Plot. Character. The Protagonist. Themes. Visual Elements. Aural Elements. Dynamics. Actors. Theatre as Sense Stimulant. Model Analysis. Further Reading.

5. At The Concert Hall--Music and Opera.

The Basic Language of Music. Sound. Rhythm. Tempo. Melody. Harmony. Tonality. Texture. Musical Form. The Performance. Opera. Types of Opera. The Libretto. Elements of Operas. Model Analysis. Further Reading.

6. Dance.

Genres. Ballet. Modern Dance. World Concert Ritual Dance. Folk Dance. Jazz Dance. The Aspects of Dance. Formalized Movement. Line, Form, and Repetition. Rhythm. Mime and Pantomime. Theme, Image, and Story Line. Music. Mise-en-Scène. Model Analysis. Further Reading.

7. At The Cinema--Film.

Basic Cinema Types. Narrative. Documentary. Absolute. Basic Film Techniques. Editing. The Shot. Cutting. Dissolves. Focus. Camera Movement. Model Analysis. Further Reading.

8. Style.

What Is Style? Timeline of Major Styles. Some Selected Major Styles in Visual Art, Architecture, Theatre, Music, Dance, and Film. Paleolithic. Mesopotamian. Egyptian. Archaic Style. Greek Classicism. Hellenistic Style. Roman Classicism. Byzantine. Gregorian Chant. Romanesque. Gothic. Renaissance. High Renaissance. Mannerism. Baroque. Rococo. Neoclasscism (Classicism in Music). Romanticism. Realism. Impressionism. Naturalism. Post-Impressionism. Art Nouveau. Symbolism. Verismo. Cubism. Futurism. Jazz. Prairie Style. Expressionism. Fauvism. Dada. Surrealism. Precisionism. Neo-Classicism (Music). Abstraction. Twelve-Tone Music. Bauhaus. Art Deco. Modernism. Absurdism. Serialism. Neorealism. Epic Theater. Abstract Expressionism. Aleatory (Chance Music). International Style. Rock and Roll. Pop Art. Hard Edge. Minimalism. Op Art. Primary Structures. Video Art. Neo-Expressionism. Postmodernism. Neo-Abstraction. Musique Actuelle. Cyber Art.

Appendix A: 101 Must-See Works of Architecture.
Appendix B: 201 Masterworks of Painting and Sculpture.
Appendix C: 258 Major Architects, Artists, Choreographers, Composers, and Playwrights.
Glossary.
Index.