Western Art History from the Renaissance to the Present

Western Art History from the Renaissance to the Present: A Thematic Approach explores how visual art and architecture has engaged with social, cultural, political, and economic landscapes. It highlights renowned artworks since the Renaissance and key themes in art history. The book emphasizes how artists challenge religious and secular power, racism, ableism, and sexism within Western culture. Its thematic structure helps students to connect art to big cultural issues that matter to them.

The text opens with a guide to formal elements and principles of design before expanding to art's intersection with historical and contemporary contexts. Chapters focus on the construction of museums; new definitions of artistic genius; turning points in modern architecture; how the nude in art reveals changing social attitudes; and more. Art and architecture's role in the rise of capitalism and the art market is also explored.

In accentuating 21st-century debates, this book moves beyond the traditional art history survey. Its up-to-date discussion of convergences between art history, contemporary art, and social and economic issues promises to engage students of the visual arts. With its modern and timely approach, it is an ideal text for introductory courses in Western art history.

Claudia Mesch is professor of art history at Arizona State University, where she teaches art history methods, 20th-century modernisms, and contemporary art.

Samantha Kavky is associate professor of art history at Penn State Berks, where she teaches courses in European and American art history and gender in the arts.

Karen Carter is professor of art history at the Kendall College of Art and Design at Ferris State University. Her teaching focuses on the history of art and design.

Keri Watson is professor and assistant director of the School of Visual Arts and Design at the University of Central Florida. Her courses include American and African American art, and Southern folk arts.