(Re)thinking Art
A Guide for Beginners

"It actually gave me what I expected to learn in college. I learned a great deal about life. " "A strong and important underlying philosophy, the knowledge of which will be useful in the real world. This knowledge is very important to anyone who aspires to be artistic as well as anyone who just aspires to be.

(Re)Thinking "Art": A Guide for Beginners is a primer that considers the term "art," what it means and why it matters. Rather than being about any particular sort of art -visual or otherwise- the book addresses the idea of "art" in all, in all its messy complexity, and offers meaningful access to the vast array of human products to which it refers.
* Written by an award-winning teacher as a response to students' ongoing challenge, "What is 'art', anyway, and why should I care?"
* Aims to bring readers into a meaningful relationship with art and teaches them to think critically and creatively about it - and by extension, about anything else
* Provides an ideal introduction to the field for students and anyone interested in art today
* Offers a jargon-free, common-sense basis from which to approach the theories that dominate the art world today, for readers who may wish to pursue them further

List of Illustrations. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction: What's The Big Idea?. 1. Being Human. 2. The History of 'Art'. 3. The 'History of Art'. 4. 'Art,' Lately. 5. 'Art' and Language. 6. (Re)Thinking 'Art'. 7. Pragmatics. 8. Or, Maybe . .. Bibliography. Index.