This book is ideal as an introductory reader for people about to study Art History or thinking about it, or for people who enjoy looking at art and have a strong interest but feel they could gain more from looking if they understood more.

The basic aims of the book are:

- to offer a succinct, up-to-date and relevant introduction to Art History for the general reader.

- to provide an accessible introduction to different ways of looking at and understanding paintings: form, social and historical contexts, representation of gender, psychology of the artist at the time of painting, etc.

- to provide a reference for key terms and definitions in Art History for those new to the subject.

- to offer ways of seeing and interpreting paintings in a gallery/museum context.

Using painting as the basis for example and exploration, the book assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, other than a willingness to look and consider some of the ideas and perpectives it puts forward.

The 16-page colour section and black-and-white images and illustrations have been carefully selected and cross-referenced to support the text.

This book will encourage and guide you to different ways of exploring the visual and intertpreting art, so you get more out of any course of study or visits to galleries and museums.