The visual arts: A history

Generously illustrated with over 1,370 photographs, architectural plans, and color maps, this highly regarded survey encompasses the arts of Asia, Africa, Oceania, Europe, and the Americas—covering painting, mosaic, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, architecture and photography, and ranging from a statuette carved in central Europe some 30,000 years ago to video art of the 1990s. It delves into the purpose and meaning of art to show readers how art can deepen our self-knowledge, sharpen our awareness of our own and other religious beliefs, and enlarge our understanding of alternative ways of life. Divides material into five parts (Foundations of Art, Art and the World Religions, Sacred and Secular Art, The Making of the Modern World, and Twentieth-Century Art), with discussions on late Gothic art; 17th century Dutch landscape painting; Native American art; Far Eastern and African art; photography; women in art, and much more. Integrates boxes throughout that reflect on the full spectrum of factors which have conditioned artistic production at different times and in different parts of the world. Contains many new illustrations and photos, including the paintings in the Chauvet Cave in south-west France, and the late second-millennium BC figurative sculptures found at Sanxindui, China. All chapters include a handy timechart for easy reference. For art historians.