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Article Review: Why Art History Might be the Most Important Subject You Could Study Today

The main point of this article, The Art of Learning: Why Art History Might be the Most Important Subject You Could Study Today, that's expressed throughout is that art history can teach you different ways to look at the world around you from different perspectives because you have to understand what the artist is trying to express with very little evidence to do so. Art history essentially teaches you to be sympathetic: human. However, since STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) along with many Republican senators have been pushing art history as a 'past-time activity,' the field has been nearly eclipsed by other more demanding jobs. Although, the author convinces you that it is definitely worth a shot. 

What I appreciate the most about this article is that the author stresses the importance of learning empathy through the field of art history. Since one has to understand what an artist was trying to convey through their art, in order to be good in this field, one has to have a certain level of empathy. The way the author of this article describes this importance using John Berger, an art historian made famous for his television show, "Ways of Seeing," as his example makes the article itself more human. This gives an automatic connection with the author and the reader thus giving the reader a taste of the empathy he stresses. In a world where the only thing that's important is inanimate green paper or how many Twitter followers one has; there is a dire need for more humility in society, and I respect this author for realizing that and putting it down on paper.

However, there is a consistent resentment to the Republican party in the author's article. While they absolutely have a part in the slow destruction of art history as a field of study, it doesn't help his argument. It seems that he is blaming the party more than the forced uninterest and the demand for more physical or technical jobs such as contractors or engineers that have been placed onto students all over the world. The author seems to think the dying field of art history is a surprise. Unfortunately, people have been moving away from studying art history for years. Whether it's because of senators pushing the field out of view or that people are generally not interested the subject. However, this article can definitely change your mind about that.

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 14, 2017 at 8:29 AM

    I like the ancient egypt art so much;I like the picture too!

    ReplyDelete

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