The author examines the connections between visual forms and artistic styles, and personal, social, and cultural aspects of everyday life. Through a discussion of major art forms and artistic movements, with a large number of plates to illustrate his points, he makes stimulating and thought-provoking observations about how art both reflects its time and influences it.

Most valuably, he makes detailed observations about specific works of art and what they mean, including the importance of technique and medium to influence the message of the work. He emphasizes different approaches to the representation (or not) of reality, and the importance of images as a whole in structuring perceptions.

This coffee-table sized book is full of interesting insights. It concludes with a glossary of art terms. ( )

An excellent comprehensive overview of the visual arts that provides useful categories and concepts. His main headings of Function, Styles, Structure, and Meaning, are extended with additional considerations of criticism, performance, and subcategories to work with.