Request for consultation

Thanks for your request. You’ll soon be chatting with a consultant to get the answers you need.
Your form is submitting...
{{formPostErrorMessage.message}} [{{formPostErrorMessage.code}}]
First Name is required. 'First Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'First Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid First Name
Last Name is required. 'Last Name' must contain at least 0 characters 'Last Name' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Last Name
Email Address is required. 'Email Address' must contain at least 0 characters 'Email Address' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Email Address
Institution is required.
Discipline is required.
Country is required.
State is required.
Cengage, at your service! How can we best meet your needs? is required.
Why are you contacting us today? is required. 'Why are you contacting us today?' must contain at least 0 characters 'Why are you contacting us today?' cannot exceed 0 characters Please enter a valid Why are you contacting us today?
New!

Understanding Art, 12th Edition

Lois Fichner-Rathus

  • Copyright 2027
  • {{checkPublicationMessage('Available 26 June 2026', '2026-06-26T00:00:00+0000')}}
Starting At $239.95 See pricing and ISBN options
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now
Understanding Art 12th Edition by Lois Fichner-Rathus
Quick Navigation

Overview

Fichner-Rathus' "Understanding Art" is the market-leading title among instructors who seek a balanced approach to teaching art appreciation, covering the elements and principles, discussing mediums and methods and presenting the history of art from a global perspective. MindTap is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every individual and build their confidence. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material or notes in the eBook. Students can practice using foundational art vocabulary, take a quiz to check their understanding of the chapter and apply their knowledge as they analyze artworks, a guided sequence leading to critical thinking as well as appreciation about art.

{{readMore['overview'] ? 'Read More' : 'Read Less'}}

Meet the Authors

{{collapseContainerClosed['meet-the-author'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Lois Fichner-Rathus

Lois Fichner-Rathus is a professor of art in the Department of Art and Art History of The College of New Jersey. She holds a combined undergraduate degree in fine arts and art history, an M.A. from the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art and a Ph.D. in the History, Theory and Criticism of Art from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Her areas of specialization include contemporary art, feminist art history and criticism and modern art and architecture as well as the theory and foundations of art and design. Dr. Fichner-Rathus is also the author of the Cengage Learning textbooks, UNDERSTANDING ART and FOUNDATIONS OF ART AND DESIGN. She teaches study-abroad programs in Paris, Rome, Spain and Cuba and resides in New York.

Table of Contents

{{collapseContainerClosed['table-of-contents'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}
1. Understanding Art.
2. Line and Shape.
3. Light and Color.
4. Texture and Pattern.
5. Space, Time, and Motion.
6. Principles of Design.
7. Drawing.
8. Painting.
9. Printmaking and Graphic Design.
10. Imaging: Photography, the Moving Image, and Digital Arts.
11. Sculpture: Form, Space, and Design.
12. Craft Arts Across time and Cultures.
13. Architecture.
14. Art of the Ancient World.
15. Ancient Civilizations and Empires: From Greece to Mesopotamia.
16. The Medieval Period.
17. The Renaissance Era Across the World.
18. The 17th and 18thCenturies.
19. The Modern Era.
20. The 20th Century: The Early Years.
21. The 20th Century: Postwar to Postmodernism.
22. Issues in Global Contemporary Art.
Visual Glossary: Themes and Purposes of Art.

Compare Buying Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['compare-buying-options'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Textbook Only Options

Traditional eBook and Print Options

{{collapseContainerClosed['detail_0'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

  • ISBN-10: 0357796985
  • ISBN-13: 9780357796986
  • RETAIL $239.95
Instructor Next Steps
Students: Buy now

Supplements

{{collapseContainerClosed['supplements'] ? 'Show More' : 'Show Less'}}

Cengage provides a range of supplements that are updated in coordination with the main title selection. For more information about these supplements, contact your Learning Consultant.

FOR STUDENTS

Understanding Art, Cengage International Edition

ISBN: 9798214154947
Fichner-Rathus' "Understanding Art, Cengage International Edition" is the market-leading title among instructors who seek a balanced approach to teaching art appreciation, covering the elements and principles, discussing mediums and methods and presenting the history of art from a global perspective. MindTap is the digital learning solution that powers students from memorization to mastery. It gives you complete control of your course to provide engaging content, challenge every individual and build their confidence. Customize the interactive syllabi, emphasize the most important topics and add your own material or notes in the eBook. Students can practice using foundational art vocabulary, take a quiz to check their understanding of the chapter and apply their knowledge as they analyze artworks, a guided sequence leading to critical thinking as well as appreciation about art.