Product Description

This work provides an introduction to the history of art, Western as well as non-Western. The first part presents the available media and how each works. The second part traces a history of various artistic styles to demonstrate how artists have used those media to portray human reality. The book offers critical comparisons among various styles while covering all the arts, including more than 50 pages of non-western materials to provide the readers with a multi-cultural and multi-arts view. The third edition has been revised to include boxed features on reality-related artworks exposing the critical relationships linking art, media and artists.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1959776 in Books
• Published on: 1996-10-23
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

From the Publisher
Provides a comprehensive two part real-world introduction to the history of art, Western as well as non-Western. The first part presents the available media and how each works. The second part traces a history of various artistic styles to demonstrate how artists have used those media to portray human reality.

From the Back Cover

Key Benefit: This book provides a comprehensive two part real- world introduction to the history of art, Western as well as non-Western. The first part presents the available media and how each works. The second part traces a history of various artistic styles to demonstrate how artists have used those media to portray human reality. Key Topics: Reality Through the Arts provides generous illustrations the book to draw readers into the magnificence of the world's art. It delivers critical comparisons among various styles through a straightforward presentation and a unity of treatment among artistic styles while covering all the arts, including more than 50 pages of non-western materials to provide readers with a multi-cultural and multi-arts view. The third edition has been revised to include boxed features on reality-related artworks exposing the critical relationships linking art, media, and artists. Market: A valuable book for any reader interested in learning more about the history of world art or the relationship between artists and their media.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

This book teaches basic principles and practices of the arts—drawing, painting, printmaking, sculpture, music, theatre, dance, cinema, literature, and architecture—in Western and other cultures. Designed for individuals whose experience of and in the arts is limited, it treats definitions and concepts in Part I in a cursory fashion, using general terms that can apply readily to the diverse cultural materials examined in Part II. The overall approach seeks to provide a convenient, one-volume outline with sufficient flexibility to serve a variety of classroom purposes.

Part I examines the media of the arts, defining and explaining important terminology, discussing how artworks are composed, and suggesting ways in which art can effect responses. The primary purpose of this compendium approach is to assist readers in polishing skills of observation and gaining confidence in sharing responses. Selection of materials is arbitrary. This text is neither a comprehensive history nor an introduction to aesthetic theory.

Part II is arranged chronologically in order to present a snapshot of arts from around the world that occurred at roughly the same time in history. The focus of Part II, however, is style, not history, and not every culture has been included. Decisions as to what to omit or include were made for two reasons: feedback from instructors and the practicalities of size set by the publisher.

This work is a product of many sources. In many instances it reflects the general knowledge of its author, who has spent nearly fifty years in formal and experiential relationship with the arts in the classroom and around the world. It reflects notes taken here and there as well as formal research. In the interest of readability, however, and in recognition of its generalized purpose, the text avoids footnoting wherever possible. I hope that the method selected for presentation and documentation of others' works meets the needs of both responsibility and practicality. The bibliography gives a comprehensive list of works consulted.

This edition, the fifth, contains several new features. First is a new Introduction which overviews the text and presents a more thorough and transparent approach than previous editions. Each chapter ends with a new "Thinking Critically" feature to assist in developing analysis and insight. That is followed by a "Cyber Study" section for finding additional materials on the Internet.

Within the chapters, an in-text pronunciation guide has been added so that readers can pronounce names and terms without having to look elsewhere for assistance. Also, each of the thirteen chapters contains a "Personal Journey" essay designed to give a personalized view of a specific work of art (designed, however, so as not to break the flow of the text). The intent is to show how experiencing artworks outside the classroom can become a meaningful part of one's life. In addition, a Humanities CD-ROM is available to bring to life several concepts, styles, and processes in the arts. The CD-ROM includes narration and fourteen video clips, with a listing of key terms and definitions that students can download to their hard drive for creating study notes and easy reference material. A web site, developed specifically for the CD-ROM, contains web links specific to each discipline. The CD-ROM also contains a starter kit for each discipline which provides general information for the arts genres, explaining why they are studied and how to study them effectively. Finally, a new section on Latino Art has been added to Chapter 13 in order to bring a better balance of materials to the realities of the contemporary classroom. The music CD available with previous editions continues to this edition. References to its selections are noted as "music CD."

In 1977, when I wrote Perceiving the Arts (Prentice Hall, 7th edition, 2002), I asked Ellis Grove, my colleague at The Pennsylvania State University, to prepare a chapter on film. Ten years later, that formed the basis for Chapter 5 of this book. In twenty-five years of revisions of these two texts, much of Ellis's original work has been altered. Nonetheless, the basics belong to him. Any deterioration of his work is the result of my tinkering, and I am indebted to him and to more than a score of colleagues whose insights, encouragement, and criticism have, I hope, made each edition of Reality Through the Arts better than its predecessor. I also owe much to Bud Therien at Prentice Hall, my friend, editor, and publisher for nearly twenty-five years, to the editors and copy-editors at Laurence King, Ltd., in London, England, and to my wife, Hilda, whose patience, love, understanding, proofreading, note-taking, and research assistance have provided me with a solid foundation from which to generate my own part of the project.

Dennis J. Sporre
Spring 2002

Customer Reviews

Excellent Customer Service
The seller was excellent with communicating with me. Not only did he send the product the same evening - I ordered after 3p, he gave me helpful hints and immediate communication via email. The book was in very good condition and arrived in a timely manner, although next time I'd order 2-day since it was sent from the East Coast.

book
book was needed for friend's class at college.
she is quite pleased with it.

Right book for the class
I used this for a fine arts class. It is a very nice book and has lot's of pictures too look at while the prof drones on and on.