ART HISTORY
WHAT IS ART HISTORY?
Art history is, first, the study of artistic style through which meaning is expressed, resulting in an art object. Second, art history is the social, political, and historical context in which the art was created. Works of art can be studied on their own terms as objects of beauty or as cultural artifacts, as history, reflecting and embodying the issues of the day.
Art history can reveal to us not only the terms in which cultures define their highest achievements—their masterpieces—but also how those definitions change over time, and how works of art continue to express the "human condition." The study of art history reveals our selves to ourselves—the words that Paul Gauguin employed to title his great painting, Where Do We Come From? Where Are We? Where Are We Going? In the broadest sense, art history is an exercise in self-knowledge.
WHAT COURSES DO YOU NEED TO TAKE?
Art history today is taught in one of two ways. The institution you choose may have an art history department, or art history may be part of the fine arts department. Regardless of the path you take, the following requirements and electives generally are offered:
- Baroque Art
- Chinese Art
- Gender Issues in Art
- Greek/Classical Art
- History of Western Art
- Indian Art
- Modern Art
- 19th and 20th Century American Art
- Renaissance Art
Various courses that address other ethnic and non-European traditions are also offered.
WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH A DEGREE IN ART HISTORY?
Art history has long carried the stigma of being an impractical discipline, a refined course of study, training its students, in Charles Eliot Norton's words, "in the ways of high living and true thought." But, as art history increasingly confronts the cultural (and class) biases behind such assumptions, it has become an increasingly engaged, rich field of cultural study.
Job opportunities in the field, however, remain relatively few. As museums feel the pressure of decreased public funding, fewer curatorial positions are available. There are some opportunities with galleries in the private sector, but the wisest approach is to be versatile. Students seeking jobs in the private sector should think about minoring in business, with a marketing and accounting emphasis. Conversely, an art major with a business major can lead to employment opportunities in institutional development and marketing for museums, as well as the private sector.
Many of the employment opportunities today are for individuals with degrees in graphic arts. Art history provides graphic designers and fine artists with the self-knowledge that allows them to create art with a self-critical sense.