For an undergraduate introductory-level course covering the History of Western Art or Visual Studies. Demonstrating that art history has significant connections to real life, this active and engaging survey introduces students to the complexity of issues and approaches that characterize the study of Western art history today. With readings from a diverse panel of informed and passionate writers, the anthology offers a unique multi-perspective approach-covering everything from the power of images to shape the way we know things, to the political and policy debates about the place of the arts in our society. Critical Perspectives helps students become active participants in a lively analysis of ideas and in the actual process of scholarship-engaging them in directed discussions and critical analysis-and clearly demonstrates that art history is a dynamic field of study, not a static set of facts or a universally agreed upon set of interpretations.