The Informed Eye

the long version

In The Informed Eye, Bruce Cole introduces the reader to the properties, concepts, and meanings of Western art through a series of concise, specific explorations of a single work of art or a group of related works. These paintings, sculptures, and buildings from widely varying cultures and times are all major representatives of the scope and diversity of Western culture, from the dawn of ancient civilization to our own time. Cole explains how art is made, how it functions in society, and how it embodies the ideas and ideals of the cultures in which it was produced. --From publisher description.