Visual Arts (ART)

Moving Pictures: An Introduction to Cinema

Russell Leigh Sharman (University of Arkansas at Fayetteville)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

A free and open-source introduction to the art and science of moving pictures, offering in-depth exploration of how cinema communicates, and what, exactly, it is trying to say.

Formats: Pressbooks WebBook, EPUB, PDF, and MOBI

Reviews: Open Textbook Library

Suggested for:

ART 1341 Introduction to Media Art

Exploring Movie Construction & Production: What’s so exciting about movies?

John Reich (Genesee Community College)

2017

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Exploring Movie Construction & Production contains eight chapters of the major areas of film construction and production. The discussion covers theme, genre, narrative structure, character portrayal, story, plot, directing style, cinematography, and editing. Important terminology is defined and types of analysis are discussed and demonstrated. An extended example of how a movie description reflects the setting, narrative structure, or directing style is used throughout the book to illustrate the building blocks of each theme. This approach to film instruction and analysis has proved beneficial to increasing students’ learning while enhancing the creativity and critical thinking of the student.

Formats: Online, PDF, and EPUB

Reviews: Open Textbook Library

Suggested for:

ART 1341 Introduction to Media Art

Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning∗

Pamela J. Sachant, Peggy Blood, Jeffery LeMieux, and Rita Tekippe (University of North Georgia Press)

2016

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning offers a comprehensive introduction to the world of Art. Authored by four faculty members with advanced degrees in the arts, this textbook offers up-to-date original scholarship. It includes over 400 high-quality images illustrating the history of art, its technical applications, and its many uses. Combining the best elements of both a traditional textbook and a reader, it introduces such issues in art as its meaning and purpose; its meaning and purpose; its structure, material, and form; and its diverse effects on our lives. 

Formats: PDF

Includes: Learning outcomes, key concepts, review questions, and key terms

Reviews: Open Textbook Library

Suggested for:

ART 1305 Art and Image

Smarthistory: The Center for Public Art History∗

Beth Harris, Steven Zucker, and Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank (Smarthistory)

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Smarthistory unlocks the expertise of hundreds of scholars, making the history of art accessible and engaging to more people, in more places, than any other publisher.

Format: Website

Includes: Videos, sound recordings, essays, books, lessons, and syllabi

Suggested for:

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1360 Histories of Art I

ART 1361 Histories of Art II

A World Perspective of Art Appreciation∗

Deborah Gustlin and Zoe Gustlin (Evergreen Valley College)

Last updated: September 2020

Licence: CC BY 4.0

Art appreciation is centered on the ability to view art throughout history, focusing on the cultures and the people, and how art developed in the specific periods. You cannot understand art without understanding the culture, their use of materials and sense of beauty. Art is also conveyed by the simple act of creating art for art’s sake. Every person is born with the innate desire to create art and similar to other professions, training is essential in honing skills to produce art. 

Formats: Online and PDF

Includes: Glossary, images, and videos

Suggested for:

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1360 Histories of Art I

ART 1361 Histories of Art II

Guide to Ancient Aegean Art∗

Ruth Ezra, Beth Harris, and Steven Zucker (Smarthistory)

2019

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This book the Ancient Aegean, including Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean art.

Format: PDF

Suggested for:

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1360 Histories of Art I

Suggested for:

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1360 Histories of Art I

Guide to Italian Art in the 1300s∗

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1361 Histories of Art II

Guide to Italian Art in the 1400s∗

Lisa Ackerman, David Boffa, Joseph Dauben, David Drogin, Lane Eagles, Heather Graham, Sally Hickson, Beth Harris, Heather A. Horton, Rebecca Howard, Elaine Hoysted, Ellen Hurst, Lauren Kilroy-Ewbank, Joanna Milk Mac Farland, Susan Nalezyty, Shannon Pritchard, Elizabeth Rodini, Lorenza Smith, Christine Zappella, and Steven Zucker (Smarthistory)

2020

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This book contains all of Smarthistory’s content for Italian art in the 1400s.

Format: PDF

Suggested for:

ART 1306 World Art Histories

ART 1361 Histories of Art II

ArtxHistory∗

Natalie Coletta (Community College of Rhode Island)

Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

A space facilitated by institutions, historians, curators, artists, faculty, and students who are committed to delivering quality scholarship that is accessible, inclusive, and open.

Format: Website 

Includes: Timeline, videos, and sound recordings

Suggested for: 

ART 3117 Art and Gender

ART 3118 Art, Globalization and Cultural Hybridities

ART 3180 Art After Modernism: 1945-1978

ART 3181 Postmodernism and Art: 1978-2000

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