Illuminating and lively, this book provides authoritative answers to the key questions about how art is made, interpreted and displayed. Deliberately avoiding unnecessary jargon, A Short Book About Art offers an unusually accessible route to new ways of thinking about the creative drive of individual artists and their relationships with their work.

It includes fresh comparisons between works of art from different periods and cultures, from cave paintings to contemporary multi-media work. Thought-provoking and stimulating, it is the ideal companion for anyone who wants to learn about art without a dictionary in their hands.
‘Dana Arnold has written a wonderful introduction to art: precise, accessible and informative. The reader is expertly conducted through the major approaches to the making and understanding of art across the world.’ – David Peters Corbett, Professor of Art History and American Studies, University of East Anglia.

Dana Arnold is Professor of Architectural History and Theory at Middlesex University, UK. She is author of Art History: A Very Short Introduction, which has been translated into twelve languages. Her recent edited volumes include: A Companion to British Art; Art History: Contemporary Perspectives on Method, and Biographies and Space.