Study of Art History Notes, Tests, Exams, courses University

Art History Fine Art Exams, notes, courses University College Faculty

Art history is the study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts; that is genre, design, format, and style

Art history is not only a biographical endeavor. Art historians often root their studies in the scrutiny of individual objects. They thus attempt to answer in historically specific ways, questions such as: What are key features of this style ?, What meaning did this object convey?, How does it function visually?, Did the artist meet their goals well?, What symbols are involved?, and Does it function discursively?

Art history might seem like a relatively straightforward concept: “art” and “history” are subjects most of us first studied in elementary school. In practice, however, the idea of “the history of art” raises complex questions.

Art history spans the entire history of humankind, from prehistoric times to the twenty-first century. Whether you like to observe caveman paintings or Botticelli

Art history, also called art historiography, historical study of the visual arts, being concerned with identifying, classifying, describing, evaluating, interpreting, and historic development of the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, the decorative arts, drawing, printmaking, photography, interior design, etc.

A cornerstone of the liberal arts experience, the study of art history explores how ideas — whether religious, political, social, scientific, philosophical or literary — ultimately influence the visual form.

Studying Art History develops visual literacy, communication skills, critical/creative thinking and an understanding of diversity.

Have you ever looked at something and wondered why it looks the way that it does? Do you like visiting museums and galleries and thinking about the objects you see? Then studying History of Art could be for you.

You don’t need any real background. If you are visually sensitive and interested in anything from history, literature, philosophy, religion and foreign languages (modern and/or ancient) to politics, economics, music, science or maths then you have something you can bring to our understanding of the subject.

Studying Art History doesn’t just mean looking at paintings and sculptures (although we do a lot of that): art historians study anything that was made at least partly to be looked at – anything with an aesthetic side to it. Teapots, churches, jewellery, wallpaper, gardens, adverts, gravestones, spoons, temples, picture frames, coins, graffiti, wall paintings, plates, fans, printed books, clothes, gargoyles, houses, pottery, illuminated manuscripts, palaces, candlesticks, museum design... all of these can be and are studied by an art historian.

We study these objects in their historical and cultural contexts, and ask a lot of questions. Who made them? What subject is shown? What are they made of? When were they made? How were they used? Who used them? How do they compare to similar objects, or other representations of the same subject? We ask these questions in different ways, but the most important question an art historian asks is: why does this object (be it a painting, sculpture, building, or something else) look the way it does and have the impact that it does?