A World of Art

by Henry M. Sayre

For one semester courses in Art Appreciation. A World of Art teaches students how artists create by helping them understand that creativity starts with critical thinking. By guiding students through a rich array of aesthetic elements and artistic media, along with an overview of art history, this text encourages students to develop an appreciation for a diverse range of art. Author Henry M. Sayre demystifies the creative process by showing how artists use critical thinking and problem solving to create great works of art. Studying art also requires critical thinking and problem solving, and this text shows students how to use these skills to understand and explore the world of art.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Reference, Art History, History, Education

569 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

Henry M. Sayre is a Distinguished Professor of Art History. He has written several books on his subject.

Sayre was born in Boulder, Colorado in 1948.

Reviews

[Alisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was my textbook for my online Intro to Art class, it was a good read. I enjoyed learning about the different types of Art, and the processes in which the artists go about doing their works of art.

[John Yelverton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very beautiful book that introduces the reader the to wonderful world of art.

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

By far my favorite part of "Western Heritage in a Global Context"!

[Autobotfireflame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome. Love Art.

[Loki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not really sure how to rate a textbook, but it seemed fine.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was certainly a textbook. Not the worst one I've read, though.

[River Guru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book-nice glossy photos and pages, time-line in the back and historical references to time periods and pieces. This was a textbook for me while I was taking an Art Appreciation course-it did a lot to help understand basic concepts and techniques of art as well as study classic pieces. I found the book to be extremely helpful & well written. Lots of color photos, time lines, spot on index section. Highly recommend. I do think it's grossly overpriced, however.

[Ed Stock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading Sayre's book, I was one of those people who would walk through an art museum, gravitate to some pictures, walk past others with barely a glance, and wonder why some of the famous pictures on the wall were so celebrated. A World of Art changed all that.

Sayre writes with an almost elegant economy and a surprising amount of emotion (without getting excessive) for a text book. He doesn't try to argue or persuade; rather, he helps you open your eyes and learn what questions to ask when confronted with a work of art you're seeing for the first time. The book is loaded with beautiful illustrations chosen astutely to aid in communicating the substance of the text. The chapters are relatively short, but they're packed with content.

This was the text that accompanied an art appreciation course I took in college. I've re-read many of the chapters in the years since college - some I've read several times. I've got dozens of post-it notes stuck to the margins to remind me of things that provoked trains of thought or that clarified things I hadn't previously understood. I've even used the book to help plan some of my travel, because if I knew I'd be in a city with a museum that housed any of the works Sayre discusses in the book I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see them.

Don't let the "text book" aspect of this book put you off. This is a book that's a pleasure to read, a delight to look at, and an excellent introduction to the often arcane language of art criticism. I do recommend reading the first four or five chapters in order; after that, you can probably skip around among the chapters, but the first ones lay the groundwork for grasping the fundamental questions of what art is and - maybe most important - what are the functions of art.

I can honestly say that had I not read this book I would never have taken up painting. It has enriched my visits to some of the fantastic museums in the US, the UK, and Europe, and it's the jumping off point for what has been a long and rewarding time of further reading of books on art and artists.

Highly recommended. Don't be at all shocked to find that, after reading the book, you suddenly begin to appreciate some forms of art that you might have otherwise dismissed.

[Margaret Carpenter · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent entrance for the student that has never studied art with any discipline. While it seemed to me that many of the author's opinions were subjective, the nature of art makes it almost impossible to choose any one interpretation of a given subject and stick to it. The book did fuel some interesting dialogue and made the semester go by faster than it probably would have. That's possibly the highest compliment I can pay a textbook at this point.

[Teri Temme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this book! Great textbook. Wonderful resource.

[Christina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love learning about art so this was a god book for me.

[Kiana · Rating 5 out of 5]

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