Overview

'Exploring Art: A Global, Thematic Approach,' 6th Edition, is your gateway to understanding and appreciating art from all over the world and throughout history, no matter your previous experience. With clear, jargon-free writing, this textbook has a unique focus on contemporary art, featuring many significant works created after 2000. It also connects art to your life and shows you how to become an art producer or be part of the art world. You'll gain the vocabulary and analytical skills to become a savvy consumer of art, design, advertising, fashion and craft. It also discusses art related to self-identity, the mind and body, body types and issues of race, gender and class.

Full Product Details

Author:   Margaret Lazzari (Roski School of Art and Design, University of Southern California) ,  Dona Schlesier (Divine Word College)
Publisher:   Cengage Learning, Inc
Imprint:   Wadsworth Publishing Co Inc
Edition:   6th edition
ISBN:  

9798214144474

Pages:   400
Publication Date:   01 January 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Letter to Students: Why Study Art? Part I: INTRODUCTION TO ART. 1. Art and Art Making. Toward a Definition of Art. Art Within Visual Culture. About Artists. Artificial Intelligence and Creativity. 2. The Language of Art and Architecture. Elements. Principles of Composition. Structural Systems in Architecture. 3. Media. The Importance of Materials. Media in Two-Dimensional Art. Methods and Media in Three-Dimensional Art. Technology-Based Media. 4. Deriving Meaning. Formal Analysis. Content Analysis. The Influence of Historical Context, Physical Surroundings, and Method of Encounter. Writings about Art. Part II: WHY DO WE MAKE ART? 5. Food and Shelter. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Food. Shelter. 6. Reproduction and Sexuality. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. The Promise of Fertility. Art Depicting Primordial and Human Couples. Art About Sexuality in Western Cultures. Images of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Progeny. 7. Deities and Places of Worship. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Religions and Their Imagery of Deities and Holy Beings. Humans Respond to God. Places of Worship and their General Characteristics. Temple Complexes and Large-Scale Sacred Architecture. 8. Mortality and Immortality. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Early Tombs: Mounds and Mountains. Furnished Tombs. Development of Cemeteries and Grave Monuments. Burial in Places of Worship. Modern Commemorative Art. 9. Power, Politics, and Glory. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. The Glory of the Ruler. The Power of the State. War. Peace. 10. Protest and Affirmation. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Roots of Protest Art. Protests Against Military Action. Questioning the Status Quo. Pushing Back. Affirming the Values of the Oppressed. 11. Mind and Body. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. The Face. The Body. Surfaces and Coverings. Physiology. Psychology. The Body in Art and As Art. 12. Race, Gender, Clan, and Class. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Social Expectations. Race and Art. Gender and Art. Clan. Class. 13. Nature, Knowledge, and Technology. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Nature. Knowledge. Technology. 14. Entertainment and Visual Culture. Preview, Learning Objectives, Key Vocabulary. History Focus, World Map and Timeline. Some Basic Concepts. Architecture for the Arts. Sports. Art, Music, Dance and Drama. Movies, Cartoons, and Other Mass Media. Part III: MAKING ART PART OF YOUR LIFE. 15. Art in Your Life. Experiencing Art in Person. Reasons to See Art in Person. Your Cultural Heritage. Visual Literacy. Conclusion: Creativity.

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Author Information

Margaret Lazzari is professor emerita of drawing and painting at the University of Southern California. A writer and artist, Margaret's artworks have been exhibited extensively throughout the United States. She has written numerous catalog essays and reviews and is also the author or co-author of five art textbooks. She is half of the Lazzari Evans Public Art Design Team. Margaret is active as an exhibiting artist in galleries, as a public artist producing for communities and in serving in leadership roles in non-profit venues. Dona Schlesier taught for 27 years at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa, where she educated a high percentage of international students, specializing in studio and non-Western art. Currently, she is professor emerita. Her drawings and multimedia have been exhibited nationally and internationally. She has traveled the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica and is passionate about the global perspective of the book.

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