Reality Through the Arts (7th Edition)

 

Reality Through the Arts is a brief text ideal for the one-semester introduction to humanities course.  This is a successful text because of its unique organization, which makes it an excellent alternative to the standard chronological organization found in most other humanities text.  The Introduction puts the humanities in perspective by discussing the arts and ways of knowing, art's main concerns, purposes, and functions, as well as artistic style and how to apply critical skills.  Part I, €œThe Media of the Arts,€ offers independent chapters on two dimensional art (drawing, painting, printmaking, and photography), sculpture, architecture, music, theatre, cinema, dance and literature.  Part II, €œThe Styles of the Arts,€ is a chronological history of the arts of Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, organized by artistic discipline andfocusing on styles rather than encyclopedic detail.  The book is written at a level for students with little or no background in the arts.