Concise and straightforward, The Beginner's Guide to Art explains world art from paleolithic cave paintings to ancient Greek temples, Byzantine icons, Japanese architecture, Oceanic sculpture, African masks, and the twentieth-century avant-garde. Clearly organized, profusely illustrated sections on painting, sculpture, and architecture include straightforward illustrated descriptions of techniques, definitions of styles, and illuminating discussions of the great cultures of history. Complete with a biographical dictionary of the major figures who have shaped Western painting, sculpture, and architecture, with color illustrations of their work, The Beginner's Guide to Art is an ideal introduction to the pleasures of art.