I purhased this book as a requirement for an art history and appreciation class as a required text. I think the book although a bit pricey is an excellent text book for the class. Additionally if you just wanted to get a good foundation for art history and appreciation I think this book would provide that as well.

I purhased this book as a requirement for an art history and appreciation class as a required text. I think the book although a bit pricey is an excellent text book for the class. Additionally if you just wanted to get a good foundation for art history and appreciation I think this book would provide that as well.

This is just like any other text book, a lot of words that you only read a third of. The pictures are beautiful though.

This is just like any other text book, a lot of words that you only read a third of. The pictures are beautiful though.

I just puchased the latest edition of Artforms which includes the CD-ROM with interactive explanations on elements of art. Artforms is a great introduction to art and art history for those who have always wanted to understand how to look at art and interpret it for themselves. Over half the book is dedicated to elements and principles of art and craftsmanship. I use this book in training my art museum volunteers so that they have a clear understanding of why some works of art have strong visual impact while others do not. I like how the book uses a mix of artwork from various time periods, media and cultures to explain the elements and principles. Far too many art/art history books become a history of painting, and Artforms represents a variety of art forms other than 2D. The history portion of the book is a gloss of art history, but good enough for someone just delving into art. The book is easy to read, relatively jargon-free and has a nice glossary at the end. I wish the CD had more information on it that you could use in a classroom setting, projecting it on an overhead, but that is my instructor point of view. For someone studying at home it is quite nice. To sum up, the book is so good I now own two editions and will continue to recommend it to people who want to understand how to look at art.