Academic Resources Center, Saint Joseph



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CENTER FOR ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

Dorothy Keller, l991

Tips for the Study of Art History–Learning to See

"To look is one thing,

To see what you look at is another.

To understand what you see is a third,

To learn from what you understand is still something else:

To act on what you learn is all that matters." --Taoist saying

"You use a mirror to see your face–You use a work of art to see your soul."--G.B. Shaw

The purpose of Art History is the discerning appreciation and enjoyment of art, from whatever time and place it may have come, by whatever hands it may have been made.

The purpose of FRIAR 134 and FRIAR 135 is to help you acquire the knowledge and understanding you will need to make and support personal decisions about works of art. The process used in the class is active learning which involves critical thinking, discernment, aesthetic sensitivity, etc.

Getting Information from Works of Art: Art Criticism

Art criticism is an orderly way of looking at and talking about art. It helps to direct you to information found within woks of art. A search strategy, or way of looking, will make the task of looking for those qualities much easier. The search strategy consists of four steps:

➢ Description: Through which you try to find out what is in the work.

➢ Analysis: Through which you discover how the work is organized or put together.

➢ Interpretation: Through which you try to determine the feelings, moods, or ideas communicated by the work.

➢ Judgement: Through which you make a decision about the artistic merit of the work.

Getting Information from Works of Art: Art History

A search strategy is used in this instance to gain information about a work of art rather than gain information from the work as used in art criticism. As used in art history, the search strategy would look like this:

➢ Description: Through which you try to find out when, where, and by whom the work was done.

➢ Analysis: Through which you discover the unique features of a work of art.

➢ Interpretation: Through which you try to determine how the artist was influenced by the world in which he or she lived and worked.

➢ Judgement: Through which you make a decision about the work's importance in the history of art.

Other Ideas

Art is a visual experience–look at the works, slides, plates, etc.

Make it your own–think, reflect, discern, talk about it.

Deal with the big ideas and concepts–keep your mind open to a variety of interpretations;

be creative with your imagination; invent ideas; invent solutions; daydream; question yourself.

Know that you are a unique, creative, imaginative, individual and that there is never one

way to respond to a work of art.

Explain concepts or ideas about a work of art to some who is not in the class; reflect on

their responses; share your insights.

Internalize rather than memorize; use the ARC tutors to help sharpen your awareness and gain helpful suggestions about your thinking.

Read the text material before you come to class and review the text after to see if ideas

are clear. Write down ideas, concepts, and words that you understand, as well as those you may not clearly comprehend.

Ask questions.

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