The book's award winning design and its stunning art program result in a text that is both visually appealing and enjoyable to read.The 'A Closer Look' feature is geared to help students understand the role of art in society and in everyday life by offering insights into artists' personalities and delving into various topics at greater depth, while the 'Compare and Contrast' feature shows two or more works of art side by side and phrases questions that help students focus on their stylistic and technical similarities and differences between two or more works. The book's strong pedagogy and engaging personal approach focus on the needs of students.New maps allow for greater understanding of the origins of works in the text.Professors can track their students' progress via a grade book, which is compatible with WebCT and Blackboard course management systems. This plan combines testing with interactive modules, images, maps and timelines to help students master the key concepts of the chapter they have just read. ArtNow utilizes an intelligent and pedagogically accurate system to help students formulate a personalized study plan based on their current understanding of course material. New! ArtNow is a web-based study system that saves time for students and instructors by providing a complete package of diagnostic quizzes, a personalized study plan, multimedia elements and a grade book for instructors.New 'Compare and Contrast' features include The Piano Lessons by Henri Matisse and Rohan Beurda (Chapter 1), Stadium Designs: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down? (Chapter 13), and Susannah and the Elders by Tintoretto and Gentilsschi (Chapter 16).New 'A Closer Look' topics include Christo and Jeanne-Claude: The Gates (Chapter 9), King Tut: The Face that Launched a Thousand High-Res Images (Chapter 12), Art Meets History: The Funeral of the Pope (Chapter 16), and Jaques-Louis David on a Brooklyn Tennis Court (Chapter 20).

The text features increased and updated coverage of Land art, graphic design, animation, and new approaches to drawing.New artists and works include Eve Sussman, Frank Gehry, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Rem Koolhaas, Santiago Calatrava, Damien Hirst, Shigeru Ban, Margaret Honda, and Guiseppe Penone to name just a few.Many new images include contemporary (or post-modern) works including a number by women, artists of color, and art from cultures around the world. The text features an updated art program with many new images included throughout, reflecting current trends in the field and representing a wide range of mediums.A market leading text for the art appreciation course, UNDERSTANDING ART combines its strong coverage of art history, with comprehensive coverage and presentation of the visual elements, principles of design, and media to provide a well-balanced discussion of the relevance and beauty of art and the media and methods used to produce art.

Understanding art text