What is Art History and Where is it Going? Why Should I Care About Art?-ART 111

1. How did the article and video content increase your understanding of the purpose of art history?

This week’s materials have increased my awareness about art and helped shed light on why art history is important in today’s society. In the research conducted by Smarthistory (2020) on “what people study and why they study it”, it is evident that humans are in constant search for meaning and knowledge through evaluating and studying their history. The reasons given by participants in the video material show how art history contributes to sharing history, culture, fashion, colonialism, changing our view of neighbors, knowing the unknown, and different ways of coping with change. Dr. Zucker and Dr. Harris (2015) on “Why art matter” argue that looking at art makes people better by making them exist in a more aware and present space. Understanding our past through art history makes us better as we are aware of our history and where we are headed as a community. We need to know our past history so that we trace our origin.

2. In what ways did the article and video content change your perspective on the importance of studying art from the past?

We learn that art from the past contains answers that can help us solve puzzles from life in the past. Art symbolism, colors used, and the material makeup give clues about the culture that produced that art. By studying their art, we get an opportunity to understand the people in that era, their beliefs, and their values. Also, studying art from the past gives us an opportunity to compare artworks and share the different perspectives that inform how we perceive other people, events, and situations. Moreover, as we analyze art from the past, we go back in time and experience a different time period and what it was like. Looking at art shapes who we are as a people, our past shapes our present life and gives us inspiration and knowledge that shapes how we speak and perceive the environment around us (Kristen 2012). Studying the art of the past makes us understand the development of artistic work and its impact to contemporary society. 

3. What questions were asked about the discipline of art history and what is your opinion on those questions?

Some of the questions asked included why study art from the past? I believe that history gives us a sense of understanding of who we really are. Art gives us a visual representation of what those before us saw, how they interpreted it and takes us back in time to enjoy the beautiful world they existed in. Art of the past makes us understand what attracted early artists to create pieces that depicted the cultural patterns of the surroundings. Another important question asked was why art matters and why we should look at it. Humans learn through socialization, while we visualize art from the past either from museums or architecture around us we get to learn first-hand knowledge and get details on how our ancestors marked their existence in the world. This question makes us understand some of the factors artists consider while creating artworks. I noted that aesthetic value is one of the major factors considered by most artists. Lastly, the question Ever wondered…why people become art historians? Human beings are free beings with a will that attracts them to do many things, it is my opinion that those individuals who are more inclined to art history find it puzzling and intriguing. Their thirst for knowledge and understanding of the past cultures and life of man is the burning desire that guides their steps. This question connects art with past history in the sense that by looking at the art of the past, we can get clues about the life of the past. The art’s color and material used to create it can help us learn about the culture that was the first to produce it. 

References

Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris, “Why art matters (why look at art?),” in Smarthistory, November 25, 2015, accessed October 19, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/why-look-at-art/.

Kristen. “Why Study Art from the Past?” The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 20 Jan. 2012, www.metmuseum.org/blogs/teen-blog/renaissance-portrait/blog/studying-art-from-the-past.

Smarthistory, “Ever wondered… why people become art historians?,” in Smarthistory, April 27, 2020, accessed October 19, 2023, https://smarthistory.org/ever-wondered-why-people-become-art-historians/