What is Art History?

Art 108 Ancient to Medieval

Professor Melissa Hall
Fall 2017
 What is Art?
“The conscious use of skill
and creative imagination in
the production of an aesthetic
object”
Merriam Webster Dictionary

Image source:
https://blogs.uoregon.edu/shelly/profile/artifact2what-is-art-for/
 Why Make Art?
Human beings have been
making art since the
beginning of time

Image source: Cartoonstock.com

 Why Make Art?
Why do we do this?

Image source: http://www.mindstepsinc.com/2013/11/hold-on-to-

your-why/
 Why Make Art?
Experts identify five major
“purposes” of art

Image source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlQOytFCRI

 Religion
The oldest form of art was
made for religious or magical
purposes as a way to control
the environment, or to
appease the gods

Image source:
http://www.mesopotamia.co.uk/gods/home_set.html
 Ceremonial
Most of the art we will study
in this class was made for
religious purposes

Rose Window and Lancets, North transept, Chartres Cathedral, c.

1220
 Narrative
Narrative art is art that tells a
story

Image source:
http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2011/01/exclusive-
fantagraphics-to-publish-the-complete-carl-barks/
 Narrative
We have been using art to
tell stories since the very
beginning of civilization

Royal Standard of Ur, c. 2600 BCE. British Museum

 Functional
Functional art is made to be
used in every day life

It includes pottery, quilts, and

furniture

Image source: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/7570693

 Functional
Our ancestors enriched their
surroundings with decorative
objects that expressed
wealth and status, or gave
praise to their gods

Belt buckle, from the Sutton Hoo ship burial Anglo Saxon, early
7thc. British Museum
 Persuasive
Persuasive art is made to
persuade people to do
something, or think a certain
way

Advertising and propaganda

are types of “persuasive art”

Shepard Fairey, “Hope,” 2008

 Persuasive
Many ancient rulers used art
to promote their power, and
mold public opinion

Augustus of Prima Porta, Early 1stc BCE Copy of bronze original,

6’ 8” Vatican Museums
 Persuasive
Before the invention of
modern media, art was the
primary means of social
communication

Image source: https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/a-primer-

on-communication-studies/s15-media-technology-and-
communica.html
 Expressive
Expressive art is made to
express the personal feelings
or emotions of the artist

Image source:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60869032442218130/?lp=true
 Expressive
Vincent Van Gogh is a
perfect example of an
“expressive artist

Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait1889, Museé D’Orsay

 Expressive
But the idea of art as
personal expression is a
modern concept

Image source:
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/60869032442218130/?lp=true
 The Artists in the Ancient World
In most ancient societies,
artist’s were not expected to
express their own individual
vision

Nina de Garis Davies, 20th century facsimile drawing of “Sculptors at

Work,” from the Tomb of Rekhmire, original of ca. 1479-1425 BCE
 The Artists in the Ancient World
They worked in teams, rather
than alone, and they were
valued for their skill rather
than their intellect or
creativity

Relief depicting two sculptors carving a statue, from the a, Old

Kingdom, c.2325 BC. Painted limestone.
 The Artists in the Ancient World
Their social status was
similar to other skilled
laborers such as carpenters
and masons

Masons, Stonecutters, and Sculptors, The St. Sylvester Window,

Chartres Cathedral, c. 1220
 The Artists in the Ancient World
They were expected to meet
the demands of their patrons,
rather than express their own
personal vision

Seated Statue of Khafre c. 2520-2494 BCE

 The Artists in the Ancient World
This means we will have to
adjust our expectations, and
consider the intentions of the
patron, rather than the artist,
when evaluating the intended
meaning or “message” of the
work

Augustus of Prima Porta, Early 1stc BCE Copy of bronze original,

6’ 8” Vatican Museums
 The Artists in the Ancient World
This means we will have to
adjust our expectations, and
consider the intentions of the
patron, rather than the artist,
when evaluating the intended
meaning or “message” of the
work

Augustus of Prima Porta, Early 1stc BCE Copy of bronze original,

6’ 8” Vatican Museums
 What is Art History?
Art historians study objects
and artifacts and try to
determine how they were
made, and why they were
made

Image source: https://www.scad.edu/academics/programs/art-

history
 Art History as Time Travel
Art history clas is like a
Western Civilization class
with pictures

Image source: http://rmalinger.com/webquest/

 Art History as Time Travel
“Well, I look at works of art
as historical documents:
they are a reflection of
their particular time and
their particular place. As
an art historian, I try to
understand the meaning of
a particular work of art by
placing it within its
historical and cultural
context . . . Basically, art
historians are time
travelers.”

Professor Julia C. Fischer

Image source: http://rmalinger.com/webquest/

 How Do Art Historians Study Art?
What methods do art
historians use to analyze art?

Image source: https://www.scad.edu/academics/programs/art-

history
 Visual Analysis
Visual analysis involves a
description of what you
actually see, and an informed
analysis and interpretation of
what it means

Image source:
http://smarthistory.tumblr.com/post/36663164164/barberini-faun-
c-220-b-c-e-marble-glyptothek
 Visual Analysis
1. Subject Matter Analysis:
description of what it
represents

2. Formal Analysis: analysis

of how it was made

3. Contextual Analysis:
analysis of what it meant

Image source: www.thinkandthrive.com

Identification
The first step is to properly
identify the work (similar to
beginning a book report with
the author and title of the
book)
Identification
This is the information that
typically appears on a
museum label
 Identification
Artist Duane Hanson

Title Tourists

Period/Civilization American
Contemporary Art

Date 1970

Medium/material Polyester resin and

fibreglass, painted
in oil, and mixed
media
Dimensions Man 152.00 x 80.50
x 31.00 cm; Woman
160.00 x 44.00 x
37.00 cm
Location/Museum National Galleries,
Scotland
Description
The next step is a description
of the work
Describe what you
see:
 Appearance
 Pose
 Costume
 Attributes
What conclusions
can you draw from
the “visual
evidence”?
How do we know
they are tourists:
 How do they
appear?
 What are they
doing?
 What are they
wearing?
 What are they
carrying?
Identification
Now let’s analyze an ancient
work of art
 Identification
Artist Unknown

Title Menkaure and

Kamerernebty(?)

Culture Egypt, Old Kingdom

Date c. 2490-2472 BCE

Medium/material Sculpture;
graywacke

Dimensions 4’ 6 ½” high

Location/Museum Museum of Fine

Arts, Boston
 Identification
Artist Unknown

Title Menkaure and

Kamerernebty(?)

Culture Egypt, Old Kingdom

Date c. 2490-2472 BCE

Medium/material Sculpture;
graywacke

Dimensions 4’ 6 ½” high

Location/Museum Museum of Fine

Arts, Boston
Identification
Location: where we can find
the work today

Find spot: where the work

was originally found
 Description
When describing a work of
art, imagine that you are
talking to someone on the
phone, or that your reader
has their eyes closed.

Image source: http://link2power.org/wordpress/2011/05/can-you-

hear-me-now/
 Description
Your job is to bring the image
to life so your reader can
“see” it, without looking at the
picture.

Image source: http://megaanswers.com/how-are-we-able-to-

sense-light-even-with-the-eyes-closed/
Description
Detailed description:

 How do they appear?

 What are they doing?

 What are they wearing?

Description
Conclusions:

 What is the “message”?

 What visual evidence

communicates this
message?
Description
Here is a description written
by Professor Christopher
Witcombe, at Sweetbriar
College
“Menkaure is portrayed in the familiar
Egyptian pose standing as if at attention
with his left leg extended forward, his arms
held stiff at his sides, and his fists
clenched holding some unidentified
cylindrical objects. His stance appears
assertive, indicative of his power. He is
represented as a mature yet vigorous
man, perhaps in his thirties, with slender
hips, broad shoulders, and well-developed
arms . . . . On his head he wears a nemes,
or headdress, the sides of which are
pulled back behind his rather large ears,
with the lappets falling to either side of his
chest. The beard and the headdress are
the primary symbols of his pharaonic
status. Besides the headdress, the only
other article of clothing he wears is a
shendjyt kilt which is folded across the
front, with one end falling down beneath,
and held in place with a belt round his
waist . . . .
“Menkaure is portrayed in the familiar
Egyptian pose standing as if at attention
with his left leg extended forward, his arms
held stiff at his sides, and his fists
clenched holding some unidentified
cylindrical objects. His stance appears
assertive, indicative of his power. He is
represented as a mature yet vigorous
man, perhaps in his thirties, with slender
hips, broad shoulders, and well-
developed arms . . . . On his head he
wears a nemes, or headdress, the sides of
which are pulled back behind his rather
large ears, with the lappets falling to either
side of his chest. The beard and the
headdress are the primary symbols of his
pharaonic status. Besides the headdress,
the only other article of clothing he wears
is a shendjyt kilt which is folded across the
front, with one end falling down beneath,
and held in place with a belt round his
waist . . . .
 Description
A good description helps us
“see” the work more clearly

It also leads us to a
conclusion about its intended
message or meaning

Image source: http://megaanswers.com/how-are-we-able-to-

sense-light-even-with-the-eyes-closed/
 Description
Try it yourself!

What is the subject matter?

Describe her appearance

What conclusions can you

draw?

Nude Woman (Venus of Willendorf) from Willendorf, Austria, c.

28,000-25,000 BCE
Homework