HOW TO UNDERSTAND ART (ART ESSENTIALS)

$16.95 at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

The visual arts enrich our lives in so many ways, presenting beauty, emotion, and ideas—but sometimes looking at art is confusing and challenging. This volume in the Art Essentials series, How to Understand Art, sets out to enhance the viewer’s experience by breaking down the elements of art to provide a firm basis for simple enjoyment as well as further understanding. With one hundred visual examples drawn from across the globe, the emphasis is on how to assess art objectively—a key skill for any art…