How did artists progress from Egyptian sculptures to a work such as Frishmuth's The Vine? To find out, we focus on innovations that gave the artist who created them - and all those who followed - greater power to make viewers stop, look, and think about their works.

This jargon-free book is a great introduction or refresher for anyone interested in art or art history. The broadest goal is to help you find more subjects, styles, and periods that intrigue you and appeal to you - that present the world the way you think it can and ought to be. Because what's the point of looking at art, if not for moments like that? The time you spend reading Innovators in Sculpture is a small investment for a possibly huge return: more art to love, more art that reflects your values and sense of life.

The ideal readers for Innovators in Sculpture are intellectually curious and love to integrate knowledge. They admire individuals who use their minds to the utmost, in whatever field of endeavor. More specific audiences include:

Museum visitors who want a framework for the art they're seeing. Teachers and students who want an overview before diving into details of specific periods or artists. Sculptors, painters, and graphic artists who want a big-picture view of the development of the expressive means available to them. Friends of art enthusiasts who want to share the excitement but need a foothold to get started.

Why this book isuniqueThis is the introduction to art that you've been waiting for it you're curious about its history but are daunted by thousand-page art-history tomes and two-semester courses that cover the art of every major civilization worldwide. Innovators in Sculpture is unique because it's short enough to digest easily and because it provides a framework not only for looking at all periods of Western sculpture, but for reading detailed works on whatever period or style catches your fancy. There are no other works like this for sculpture.