"Themes of Contemporary Art: Visual Art after 1980" is an introduction to some of the large themes that have recurred in art over the past several decades. Reflecting a paradigm shift occurring in the visual arts from a formalist way of teaching studio art to more diverse and open-ended concepts, this text is structured around six key themes - time, place, the body, language, identity, and spirituality. Focusing on the process of interpretation and how interpretations are constructed by many factors brought into play by the artist, the viewer, and society, this text will help students interpret art from several angles: techniques and materials; historical circumstances; aesthetic qualities; theoretical issues; and artist's ideas and intentions. Each thematic chapter also contains a profile of an artist who has devoted a substantial portion of his/her creative energies to exploring aspects of the theme under discussion.