This is a colourful book. Visually, it will appeal to the groups for which it was written. The book is divided into seven sections with some of the sections having several parts. The first section is divided into two parts. The first is called the Glossary. At the top of each and even numbered page is a key that is colour-coded to tell the reader what kind of word is being defined. There are five categories: art movements and historical periods; art, design and media terms; materials; ideas; and general terms. Next to each word in the left margin are the colours to help highlight what kind of word is being explained. The words that are defined are printed in the colour of the first category. The second part of the first section is a list of educational terms without the colour codes of the first part.
The second section is called Illustrated Art Objects. This section contains pictures of items artists would use with their names in English. There are 31 figures, with several objects drawn in each figure, thus allowing a non-English speaker to find a picture of the items they need. There doesn’t seem to be a logical organization for the figures, but users can thumb through the pages and find what they want.
The third section deals with study skills, with one part defining principles of western education, while the second part deals with specific study skills in art, media and design, including the various types of degrees that can be awarded, along with a discussion on learning goals and outcomes in art.
The fourth section deals with the world view and art movements, while the fifth section introduces key thinkers and concepts from a variety of fields that influence the production of art. Section six contains other useful information and Section 7 is suggested readings. An index finishes the volume. Unfortunately, there are wrong page numbers for some of the entries. Most of the errors are a page off.
This book will be useful to introduce the students to the keywords and concepts of art. It will be most useful as a supplementary textbook.
