In a very short time, Marilyn Stokstad's "Art History" has become the gold standard of introductions to the history of art. It has transformed the way the field of art history is perceived and experienced. Engaging, accessible, and, just as important, fun, "Art History" gives today's readers cultural and social context for art along with eloquent visual explanations of art's special qualities and particular vocabularies. Its animated and clear narrative tells the many-sided story of art, starting with the earliest prehistoric paintings and sculpture through today's wildly varying works in new mediums. <P> In addition to offering an outstanding collection of color illustrations, "Art History" features glorious maps, chronologies, and scores of labeled line drawings and architectural plans. Special essays called "The Object Speaks" offer tantalizing insights on topics such as authenticity, patronage, and artistic intention. <P> Thoroughly updated to reflect the latest in scholarship, this Revised Second Edition features even more works in color and more newly cleaned or restored works. Many works of art are completely new to the book, including a wall painting from Chauvet cave, a page from the Morgan Library Picture Bible, Bronzino's "Allegory with Venus and Cupid," Claude Lorrain's "Embarkation of the Queen of Sheba," Rembrandt's "Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Tulp," and Courbet's "The Stone Breakers," among many others. The addition of cutting edge contemporary artists Jeff Wall and Jennifer Steinkampt, and architect Daniel Libeskind bring present-day currency to the book's scope. More attention has been paid to the art and culture of the Islamic world and specifically the OttomanEmpire.