Book excerpt: Written to engage and inspire students with little or no previous experience in studio art or art history, the third edition of Approaches to Art: A New Introduction to Art History employs an accessible postmodern approach to a general education course, introducing readers to seminal works of art throughout time. This edition features increased coverage of art by people of color and women, exposing students to diverse artists and restructuring the ways in which "key figures" and "important artists" are introduced to them. The text features more than 100 new images and a timely focus on issues of agency, identity, and social equity. The book includes the essential information presented in an introductory art history course--visual elements, principles of design, style, media, and historical context--in a compelling format that encourages critical thinking and multicultural visual literacy. Students learn not only the parts of art, but also develop a deeper understanding of art's power to communicate on multiple levels--universal, cultural, and personal.