Art History
Introduction to Art History
New to art? If so, this is a good place to start. We often think we should understand what we see and that we know what we like, but art can be challenging. It has meant different things at different moments in history. Art gives us access to the way other people have seen the world. Jump in and explore!
The Basics
If you’ve ever found yourself saying “How can that be art?,” then this tutorial is for you! We’ve tried to answer the real questions that come up during a typical visit to a modern art museum. Learn how describing can help you slow down and better understand what a work of art is communicating. Learn how important historical context is and how meaning can change over time. This tutorial asks: Why is art important? How can a snow shovel be art? How can we find meaning in abstract art?
- Common Questions about Dates
- A Beginners Guide to the History of Western Culture
- Why Look at Art
- The Skill of Describing
- Warhol, Campbell's Soup Cans
- Art as Concept: In Advance of the Broken Arm
- Why Is That Important? Looking at Jackson Pollock
- Art & Context: Monet's Cliff Walk at Pourville and Malevich's White on White
- Representation & Abstraction: Millais's Ophelia and Newman's Vir Heroicus Sublimis
- Hirst, The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living
Media
Watching a soccer game is a lot more interesting if you’ve actually played the game yourself. Similarly, art makes a lot more sense if you understand how it was made. Different materials can have a profound effect on how a work of art looks and how we respond to it. Learn about how artist’s made their own supplies before there were art supply stores! Understand the differences between oil and tempera and how marble is quarried and carved.