The Art of Understanding Art reveals to students and other readers new and meaningful ways of developing personal ideas and opinions about art and how to express them with confidence. Offers an inquiry—unique among introductory art texts—into the learning process of understanding and appreciating art Examines the multiple issues and processes essential to making, analyzing and evaluating art Uses cross-cultural examples to help readers develop comprehensive, yet personal, ways of looking at and thinking about art Includes an annotated glossary of the 'Art World', institutions and individuals that play a role in defining art as well as diagrams, textboxes callouts and other visual elements to highlight information and enhance learning Richly illustrated with over 40 images Suggests innovative class assignments and projects useful for developing lesson plans, and offers an online companion site for additional illustrations and information

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgments xiii Why Should Art Matter to You? A Message to Art Beginners xv Introduction: What Is Art? xvi Navigating the Book: A User’s Guide xxi Why Is Art Made? The Purposes of Art: A Brief Overview from A to Z xxiv The Anatomy of a Work of Art xxxii Part One Making Art 1 1 Artists and Patrons 3 Artists and Creators 3 Originality, Authorship, Authenticity 4 Appropriations 8 Attributions and Studio Practices 9 Collaborations 11 Artists and Multiple Works 12 Artists and Artisans 12 Anonymous Artists 13 The Creative Process: Inspiration and Influences 14 Self-Reflections 14 The Formative Years: Education, Family Life, and Personal Values 15 Patronage 17 Private Patronage 17 Religious Patronage 18 Royal Patronage 19 State, City, and Community Patronage 19 Today’s Patronage: Corporations, Institutions, Foundations, and Grants 20 Summary 21 Notes 21 2 Environment, Materials, and Other Resources 22 Environment 23 Natural Resources 23 Location 24 Climate 24 Dialogues between the Environment and Art 25 Materials, Tools, and Technology 27 Materials and Artistic Values 27 The Attributes of Materials 28 The “Purity” of Materials and Mixed Media 29 Materials as Sources for Meaning 29 “Unusual” Art Materials 31 Found Objects 32 The Body as Art Material 32 Tools and Technology 34 Other Resources: Knowledge and Information 36 Summary 37 Notes 37 3 Context 38 Cultural Context 39 Artistic Context 39 Art Organizations, Institutions, and Events 40 Culture, Science and Ideas 41 Historical, Political, and Religious Context 43 Historical Context and Current Events 43 Political Context 44 Religious Context 47 Societal Context 48 Everyday Life 49 The Mass Media 49 Moral Values 50 Social Context 51 Summary 52 Notes 52 Conclusion to Part One 53 Part Two Disseminating Art 55 4 The Dissemination of Original Art 57 Institutions 57 Museums 57 Collections and Foundations 67 Galleries 68 Academic-Affiliated Art Institutions 70 Beyond Institutional Walls 71 Alternative Spaces 71 Public Art 71 Propaganda Art 72 Art and Business 73 The Art Market and other Financial Matters 73 Art Patrons, Collectors, Dealers, and Sponsors 74 Artists and Business 75 Summary 76 Notes 76 5 The Dissemination of Art through Reproductions, and Other Issues 77 Publications, Presentations, and Lectures 78 Books, Catalogues, and Periodicals (Articles, Essays, and Reviews) 78 Lectures, Courses, and Presentations 79 The Mass Media 80 Films, Documentaries, and DVDs 80 The Web 82 Art and Popular Culture 84 Today’s Art World 86 The Decontextualization of Art 87 Original Context and Contemporary Times 88 “The Art World” 89 Summary 89 Notes 90 Conclusion to Part Two 90 Part Three Analyzing Art 91 6 Visual Resources Used to Analyze Art 93 The Work of Art 94 Form and Content 94 The Physical Condition of the Work of Art 98 Originals and Reproductions 100 The Preservation and Conservation of Art 101 Scientific Tools 103 Visual Documentation and Research 103 Artists’ “Body of Work” (Oeuvre) 104 Artistic and Visual Context of the Time 104 Drawings, Architectural Plans, and other Visual Resources 105 New Art/Archaeological Discoveries 105 Symbols in Art 106 Summary 107 Notes 108 7 Textual and Other Resources Used to Analyze Art 109 Primary Textual Sources 110 Archival Material 110 Artists’ Letters, Notes, and Statements 111 Provenance 114 Secondary Textual Sources 114 Art-Historical Literature 115 Original Context and History 115 Today’s Art History, Criticism, and Context 116 Additional Resources for Research 117 Art Institutions and Exhibitions 117 Online and Other Sources 117 Comparisons 119 “Conventional” Art Comparisons 119 Cross-Chronological and Cross-Cultural Comparisons 123 Visual Culture and Interdisciplinary Comparisons 124 Summary 125 Notes 125 8 A Critical Examination of Art Classification 126 Reflections on Art Classification 126 Identifying the Category of “Art” 126 The Roots of Art Classification 129 Criteria for Art Classification 130 Chronology and Artistic Periods 130 Media 132 Fine Art/High Art 132 Painting, Drawings, Prints, and Sculptures 133 Photography 134 Mixed Media 134 New Media 135 Multimedia 136 Graphic Arts 137 “Minor Arts” 137 Decorative Arts 138 Crafts 138 Architecture 138 Other Categories 139 “Low” Art and Popular Culture 139 “Outsider” Art 140 Naïve and Folk Art 141 Vernacular Art 141 Visual and Material Culture 141 Summary 142 Notes 142 Conclusion to Part Three 142 Part Four Interpreting Art 143 9 Interpreting Art: Criteria and Values 145 Preconceived Ideas about Art 146 Modern Art and the Audience 148 Artistic Values and Art Appreciation 150 Modernism 152 The Avant-Garde 152 The Modernist Artist 153 Modernism and Global Traditions 153 Originality and the Original 154 System of Values 154 Postmodernism 155 Multiculturalism 155 Originality and the Original (Imitation/Appropriation/Re-purposing) 156 The Postmodern Artist 156 System of Values 156 Interpreting Art: Getting Started 157 Understanding Images 157 Looking at and Interpreting Art 158 Summary 161 Notes 161 10 Methodologies of Art 162 Introduction to Art Methodologies 163 Biography/Autobiography 163 Connoisseurship 164 Context 165 Deconstruction 166 Feminism 167 Formalism and Style 167 Gender 168 Iconography 169 Multiculturalism 169 Postcolonialism 170 Psychoanalysis 170 Semiotics 171 Structuralism/Poststructuralism 172 Visual Culture 172 Art Interpretation: Case Study 173 Summary 179 Notes 179 Conclusion 180 Appendix 1 The Art World 182 Appendix 2 Creative Assignments and Writing Projects 189 Appendix 3 Glossary 194 Appendix 4 “Tools of the Trade” Diagrams: Form and Content (1–5) and Art Media (6–8) 210 List of Figures and Color Plates 218 Bibliography 220 Index 227