As a budding artist I benefited from the Art the Way it Is in several ways; 1. the book introduced me to know how to look at a painting and learn from the artist; 2. when I visit a museum I can honestly appreciate the experience because of how the author explains the fundamentals, and 3. unlike other publications similar in subject, the book is not boring, nor is it so simple as to be insulting, the book takes care to explain details and uses many comparisons to demonstrate a point. As an artist the book has contributed to my own critique of my work. The book does not teach one how to critique one's work, however if one really takes in what the author is writing about other works it does inspire. Great book for art appreciation at your finger tips. I think the hardcopy of the book is the best buy.

Refreshingly free of obscure jargon, this discussion of the principles and elements of art is clear and understandable. Elements of the great works of art are explained through examples which will be familiar to most readers, so that comic strips and popular illustrations are discussed along with Michaelangelo and Rembrandt. Orderly and informative, and scholarly without resorting to snobbery, this book is an excellent introduction to art appreciation and the field of art.

Richardson removes the visual arts, sometimes forcefully, from the conceptual box most art historians have been content to utilize. At the same time, he also offers a subtle but sustained critique of the converts to various postmodernist methodologies who claim to integrate art into larger cultural, social, and political processes. He reveals them to be just as exclusive, hegemonic and politically ideological as the adherents to the conventional historiography they claim to have overcome."