Art has existed for thousands of years and has evolved over the years. Art encompasses so many different methods of creation such as painting, sculpture, printmaking, and more. Learn about what art is and the history of art with this selection of books from our catalog.

DB 21009 The story of art by E. H. Gombrich

A survey of the history of art that provides a springboard for an intelligent appreciation and understanding of painting, architecture, and sculpture. The author discusses the artists and their works within their historic context.

DB 48873 The beginner's guide to art edited by Brigitte Govignon

Designed to help the reader understand and appreciate art. Covers developments in architecture, sculpture, and painting from 30,000 B.C. to 1995. Includes brief biographies of major figures in the evolution of Western forms of expression. For junior and senior high and older readers.

DB 55715 History of art for young people by H.W. Janson and Anthony F. Janson

Provides basic coverage of art in Europe and North America--from prehistoric to modern times--covering painting, sculpture, and architecture. Discusses concepts, events, movements, symbols, techniques, and major figures. For junior and senior high readers. 2003.

DB 86452 Art theory: a very short introduction by Cynthia A. Freeland

A survey of art from ancient times to the present and the ways theorists have tried to understand and explain its meaning. Topics include the roles of museums and the art market, the relevance of artists' private lives to interpretations of their work, and twenty-first-century cyber-art. 2001.

DB 85688 Art history: a very short introduction by Dana Arnold

Challenges traditional histories that emphasize styles and periods. Explores writings over a broad time span, from Pliny to Pollock. Discusses iconography and symbolism, media and techniques of production, the importance of museum collections, and how key thinkers in philosophy and psychoanalysis have interacted with art history. Includes glossary. 2004.

DB 54489 Art, the critics' choice: 150 masterpieces of western art selected and defined by the experts by John Russell

A brief chronological history of Western art. An introductory overview of classical and early Christian art is followed by ten essays in which period specialists discuss exemplary masterworks, from the Middle Ages to the late twentieth century. Themes explored throughout include the relationships between painters and their subjects and the influence of particular works. 1999.

DB 58659 The arts by Hendrik Willem van Loon

A cultural survey of painting, sculpture, architecture, music, theatre, and many minor arts from prehistory to the twentieth century by the author of Van Loon's Lives (DB 55071). Covers creative expression in ancient Egypt and Greece, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance. Revised and updated 1974. 1937.

DB 116729 The story of art without men by Katy Hessel

"How many women artists do you know? Who makes art history? Did women even work as artists before the twentieth century? And what is the Baroque anyway? Guided by Katy Hessel, art historian and founder of @thegreatwomenartists, discover the glittering paintings by Sofonisba Anguissola of the Renaissance, the radical work of Harriet Powers in the nineteenth-century United States and the artist who really invented the "readymade." Explore the Dutch Golden Age, the astonishing work of postwar artists in Latin America, and the women defining art in the 2020s. Have your sense of art history overturned and your eyes opened to many artforms often ignored or dismissed. From the Cornish coast to Manhattan, Nigeria to Japan, this is the history of art as it's never been told before." -- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

DB 125586 The world according to color: a cultural history by James Fox

"A kaleidoscopic exploration that traverses history, literature, art, and science to reveal humans' unique and vibrant relationship with color. We have an extraordinary connection to color--we give it meanings, associations, and properties that last millennia and span cultures, continents, and languages. In The World According to Color, James Fox takes seven main colors--black, red, yellow, blue, white, purple, and green--and uncovers behind each a root idea, based on visual resemblances and common symbolism throughout history. Through a series of stories and vignettes, the book then traces these meanings to show how they morphed and multiplied and, ultimately, how they reveal a great deal about the societies that produced them: reflecting and shaping their hopes, fears, prejudices, and preoccupations. Fox also examines the science of how our eyes and brains interpret light and color, and shows how this is inherently linked with the meanings we give to hue. And using his background as an art historian, he explores many of the milestones in the history of art--from Bronze Age gold-work to Turner, Titian to Yves Klein--in a fresh way. Fox also weaves in literature, philosophy, cinema, archaeology, and art--moving from Monet to Marco Polo, early Japanese ink artists to Shakespeare and Goethe to James Bond. By creating a new history of color, Fox reveals a new story about humans and our place in the universe: second only to language, color is the greatest carrier of cultural meaning in our world" -- Provided by publisher.

DB 14958 Gardner's Art through the ages by Helen Gardner; rev. by Horst de la Croix and Richard G. Tansey

A survey that traces the history of western art from the Stone Age to the present. The art forms explored include painting, sculpture, and architecture.

DB 125441 Artcurious: stories of the unexpected, slightly odd, and strangely wonderful in art history by Jennifer Dasal

"From the host of the ArtCurious podcast, this book looks at the world of art history, revealing some of the strangest, funniest, and most fascinating stories behind the world's great artists and masterpieces. It demonstrates why art history is, and continues to be, a riveting and relevant world to explore."-- Provided by publisher. -- Unrated. Commercial audiobook.

DB 83821 Famous works of art - and how they got that way by John Nici

Art historian identifies twenty works of art, ranging from ancient to contemporary, and explains why the pieces became famous. Includes the Great Sphinx and the Tomb of Tutankhamun from Egypt, the Elgin Marbles from Greece, the Mona Lisa from Italy, and American Gothic and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the US. 2015

DB 85582 Architecture: a very short introduction by Andrew Ballantyne

Architect and professor leads tour of buildings, past and present-- landmarks, monuments, palaces, and cathedrals as well as homes and offices--to demonstrate how architecture contributes to understanding what was and is important to us. Discusses architectural history from technical, economic, political, and aesthetic perspectives. Includes glossary. 2002.