Read Gateways to Art Understanding the Visual Arts Debra J DeWitte Ralph M Larmann M Kathryn Shields Books

Product details Paperback 630 pages Publisher Thames & Hudson; 1 edition (October 27, 2011) Language English ISBN-10 0500289565

Gateways to Art Understanding the Visual Arts Debra J DeWitte Ralph M Larmann M Kathryn Shields Books Reviews

• As I have just started my course, I haven't yet had chance to really pursue this edition to make a fair judgment call on the overall quality or coverage of the course topic. HOWEVER, I do issue a caveat. If you are purchasing or renting (in my case) the Ebook version; beware it DOES NOT provide a Digital Product Key so you can use the book in Hybrid courses utilizing online resources (i.e. InQuizitive) There is no mention of this in product details - otherwise I would have gone for a new print or ebook from the publisher directly and gotten the key with the book. So if you are planning to use the ebook version and will require access to online resources, for an online or hybrid course you may want to look elsewhere.
• Ordered this book for rental, arrived in decent condition. Sat down to take a test and realized pages are missing from the very first unit. Very crucial pages of art work that I was quizzed upon and needed to have been able to see.
  Extremely unhappy at this moment. I will not be ordering rented books again, for they cannot guarantee I’m getting what I paid for.
  
  I will say, this is a fine author and well organized textbook. This is in no way reflective of the authors.
• This book is used as a text book for a course for a course I am taking at George Mason University, Introduction to the Visual Arts. As a text book, it does a good job of helping me review what the professor has presented in class. It has wonderful photographs of important works of art, and it has good descriptions of how each piece of art was created. As I write this review, we are only half way through the course and the book, but I have found one error. This concerns printmaking and the way drypoint is created, hardly a major catastrophe, but it does make me wonder if there are other minor errors about technical process.
  
  I am enjoying the book, which is well written and well illustrated. If you want to learn how to look at art, how to tell if a piece is good or not, how to appreciate the process of creating art, this book does a very good job.
  
  Like many text books today, the price of this book is outrageous. Because it has just been published, I was unable to buy it used, but I advise anyone who can to do that.
• I was required to have this book for an understanding visual arts course. Understanding that because this book deals with art explains why this book is so expensive, yet comprehensive. It's comprehensive because as well as defining art vocabulary it gives more of a background to art history and the different forms of art in various cultures worldwide. This textbook definitely hurt my bank account, but after this class is over I'm sending it right back to for store credit. They make is easy to understand art through examples and such. I am glad that I was assigned to such a comprehensive textbook but now I have to memorize all the artists and titles of art for my exam. This book is great for college students, both students who are interested in art and those who are required to take a course to understand the arts.
• This was a required textbook for my art class. It is easy to read and really explains the different concepts of art. I Mary half way thru bit and have actually learned a lot. My daughter enjoys looking thru it and seeing what mommy is learning as well.... I will be keeping this one and not selling it back at the end of the semester.
• I usually don't like books dedicated to art, but I must say this is an exception. I had to take an art history class in college and we used this book. I really liked how clear and vivid the pieces of art were. I was able to easily perform the homework assignments using the images in the book. Further, there was several facts about the art and artists that I never would've guessed. Thanks to this book, I really enjoyed the class.
• I got this book like new, and it's great for my class. It covers not only different art types from all over the world but walks through the how and why art is used. I don't care much about art, but this book covers in detail such a wide variety of art's applications, for example industrial, in aesthetics, spiritual, prehistoric, historic, communication, graphic design, and multiple medias, and more it makes you look at things differently.
• Learned a lot about art. Required textbook for art appreciation. Goes into details about styles, materials, and history. I really enjoyed learning more in depth about featured pieces of work and their artists.