THE INFORMED EYE is a beautiful and blessedly straightforward exposition of the essential principles and history of Western art. In these pages the distinguished art historian Bruce Cole uses a progression of concise, specific explorations--one might call them case studies--of individual works of art or groups of related works to explore the defining characteristics of great art. ""These concentrated but radiant explications of the great objects of Western art form a cogent handbook. The confident identification of superior quality, as well as other unfashionable principles, are here triumphantly revindicated. The Informed Eye might be persuasively employed as a manual for the importance of the visual arts in the Western tradition."" --Douglas Lewis, Curator of Sculpture, National Gallery of Art ""A gem; the perfect introduction to the history of Western art. Written with Bruce Cole's usual clarity and insight, informed by his sharp eye, his wide culture, and his long experience at looking, The Informed Eye is the most useful book of its kind; the perfect primer for anyone who wants to cultivate the fine art of looking."" --Andrew Laddis, Franklin Professor of Art History, University of Georgia ""A judicious, beautifully wrought overview of the Western tradition in art. Bruce Cole's incisive, richly informed, jargon-free essays are exemplary."" --Paul Barolsky, University of Virginia Bruce Cole was Distinguished Professor of Fine Arts, Professor of Comparative Literature, and chairman of the Department of the History of Art at Indiana University. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, he studied at the Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, and Bryn Mawr College, where he received a PhD. He wrote widely on Italian Renaissance art, and his many books include The Renaissance Artist at Work; Italian Art, 1250-1550; and, most recently, Titian and Venetian Painting, 1450-1590.