Now in its sixth edition, Art: A Brief History continues to balance formal analysis with contextual art history in order to engage a diverse student audience. Authors Marilyn Stokstad and Michael Cothren, both scholars as well as teachers, share a common vision that survey courses should be filled with as much enjoyment as learning, and that they should foster an enthusiastic, as well as an educated, public for the visual arts. By treating the visual arts as one component of a vibrant cultural landscape (which also includes politics, religion, economics, and more), Art: A Brief History helps students recognize and appreciate the central role that art and architecture have played in human history.