Why You Don't Like Art History

Was your Art History class an endless succession of names and dates and movements? Art History doesn't have to be that way! We discuss new (and much more compelling) approaches the study of art. Learn more about Civilizations on PBS and how you can watch!: www.pbs.org/civilizations/home/
Also check out John Berger's Ways of Seeing (I know, I mispronounced it, it's Berger like merger): • John Berger / Ways of ...
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[@LilyN2099]

i read the title and my initial thought was "but i LOVE art history!!"

[@theoffkeydiva]

+

[@CactusThorn]

Ditto. I also hate titles that assume what I don’t know or what I need to know.

[@musteiner3406]

Saaame, I loved this video tho

[@rachelelizabeth6017]

Mimi Nguyen same! 😄😄

[@richardbond258]

I don't think that this video was aimed at us, the ones who enjoyed Art History. It was a very good video though.

[@drewliedtke2377]

I think many people hate their art history class because they’re not thinking critically for themselves. Memorizing sucks and no one really cares about exact dates, but when you really get down and research the context of the art you realize art history is only barely about the art itself. It’s really about the culture in which the art was made, which is completely fascinating.

[@MrDanygonc]

and isnt just that the point?

[@ShaudaySmith]

Mostly true. People hate their Art History class because they are not thinking critically for themselves.. and they are not really encouraged to in any real sense. The instructors are often too concerned with cramming data about the art being shown that they RARELY give any context. As an Illustration major, I remember my history classes being just endless listings of creation processes and dates. Doesn't exactly inspire critical thought. I've had, maybe, two history instructors that inspired me to take a more critical look at art history. And that's because they inspired in me what you are suggesting Art History courses ought to. Through cultural context (both at the time the piece was created and today), i was encouraged to look critically for myself.

[@howardhill3395]

tI's both - the art and the context in which it was made

[@evimbourger]

Genuinely intruiged, it was inferred that people HAVE to take an Art History class for some reason or oter in your comment. Why would this be?

[@azertyssement1]

I would say art history is a little bit making the deads alive, figuring what did they think in their times. It's so outstanding trying to understand and feel what dead people felt too. It's a mystic thought making us unique and eternal through Art.

[@ojiverdeconfleco]

I had an amazing Art History professor. She did use slides, but always told a story of how that art came to be and why it matters, and why it cannot be compared to pieces from other times or places as in "inferior" or "less evolved", which I loved and helped me understand our Human History in general. But the single most awesome thing from her class was that often the photographs in her slides were taken by her and usually with her husband next to the piece or monument for scale, telling the anecdote of how they interacted with the art, making us all feel like we were there with her, looking through her camera lense. I am so thankful for her and her class, like I am thankful for this video series; you bring to me the same feeling of involved looking. Much, much love.

[@myemailaccount3046]

ojiverdeconfleco wow did she use a dildo in art deco too?

[@penina8438]

I'm an art history major and there are so many theorists and writers and artists that i want to just idk..fight. Like half the time I feel like my essays are pure pettiness. Researching can also be a pain because so much that has been written about history was guesswork heavily steeped in racism and sexism and I have to interpret what is or isn't a valid source. I am thankfully lucky enough to go to a university (concordia in Montreal, for anyone curious) that is working on making its program less western centric and offers a good amount of classes aimed towards decolonization. It's definitely far from perfect but I'm really happy that I get to participate in re framing the discussions. Studying art history can be incredibly frustrating but also very rewarding and interesting. I loved this video!

[@DonovanPresents]

EyesLikeACat The art class that I took started at the turn of the 20th Century until WW2 and that was fun. Also I found out you can do more than just read about the history as research.

[@theartassignment]

HAH. I felt the same way throughout much of my art history education. The desire to fight the theorists was actually what drove me to complete my studies, I think. But how cool and wonderful that your university is making moves in the right direction. Most schools are, but progress is slow, and many programs at other schools are structurally biased toward the old way of doing things. Three cheers for re-framing the discussion in the best ways we can!

[@DonovanPresents]

The Art Assignment You should look at the Interdisciplinary Arts and Performance program at Arizona State University West. They are doing this all the time!

[@BeFree611]

I'm so happy you brought this up. All my Art History profs have been women so far and we always make a note that us learning this subject and practicing it is, in a way, undoing all that. What's really frustrating is only getting one side of the history, because often time that's what it feels like. Also being South Asian, I want to be able to link history back into mine. The first years of the program (were great) focused on Ancient art and it's influences on western cultures. This video is the first time I've heard Rembrandt mentioned in the same sentence as Bichitr. I thank you for sharing and hopefully we can help turn this wheel. :)

[@colincourtney6508]

@EyesLikeACat Interesting, I go to Concordia as well and am writing an art-historical essay on the artist Gordon Matta-Clark right now, (for Nicola Pezolet's Architecture course). Im planning to take more Art History classes and want to learn it from profs who are in the know of everything you've expressed. Do you have any profs for Art History to reccomend? Cheers, Colin

[@maggieedna]

when I was in college one part of my job was 'helping freshmen pick majors' and we were trained that when they wanted to be in a closed major (ie one with an application process), we should encourage them to have a back up open major. studio art was a closed major, and when freshmen said they wanted to be art majors, we were taught to encourage them to use art history as their back up. as the only actual art history major in my job, I saw this as THE WORST IDEA but didnt have enough influence to get it pulled out of the training. don't get me wrong, I knew many lovely double majors, and the studio art majors had to do about 2/3 of an art hist minor, but the types of interests and strengths and goals that make someone want to be a studio art major (like, creativity, specific technical skills, desire to expend the reaches of human expression forwards, whatever else, idk studio arts majors are scary), are so different than those of art history majors that I always wndered how many disgruntled art history students there were out there being told that instead of making things with their hands they should sit in the quietest section of the library for four hours a day trying to figure out various increasingly nonsensical art manifestos.

[@KieranIsCamera]

This video is, in a nutshell, why you should consider the culture of the universities you're considering. I got lucky, because I was put off by the stuffy syllabus outlines of certain unnamed English universities and chose to study literature at a place which emphasises creative critical practice and contemporary literature - I would only find out later the full extent of how uncommon this can be. Not all institutions look at the humanities in the same way, and I don't think many 18 year-olds applying to these places really understand the extent of that. I sure didn't!

[@SamOshins]

i can't stop thinking about the fake books behind you and how good they are. Would love to read "Yes" and "No Thanks" and I'm sure i've seen "Swedish Things" for sale at my local independent book seller. also, i've said it before and i'll say it again, this channel does the absolute most and absolutely the most under appreciated.

[@theartassignment]

I would also like copies of all the fake books behind me. In case you'd like to know more about their originator, they were made by Nathaniel Russell, who makes lots and lots of wonderful things: nathanielrussell.com/fake-books-1/

[@miraymghayarwassouf337]

I absolutely love this, I love that "Renaissances"..it is something that is continuously overlooked, always looking at things from the Italian view. At the time when Van Gogh was painting, he continuously spoke of the Japanese..resemblance in many cultures is always there, we just need to highlight the facts and information more. Thank you.

[@yungmetr0135]

It's called Renaissance and it's eurocentric because the Renaissance by definition is a European phenomenon that saw rise after the centuries of cultural and religious repression that were rendered even tougher by the various plagues that ravaged Europe for centuries starting from the 1300's. "Renaissance" means rebirth, which is fitting because Europe started flourishing in art and culture after being an empty husk for so much time. I get the intention of "including" other cultures in our view of art history, but just using Renaissance as a blanket statement for the 1500's all around the world is historically inaccurate for the sake of political correctness

[@dianahenne8736]

@@yungmetr0135 Correct me if I'm wrong, as I've never watched the show, but from the way Sarah explained I took it that the show talks about "rebirths" at different time periods for different cultures rather than using the term Renaissance as a blanket term for all art from the 1500s.

[@PresleyMartin1]

I had the great fortune of having my first survey of Western Art History class taught on a trip to Europe where we saw many of the works in person. Oh and it also happened to be in 1990 so we saw the 100th anniversary show of Van Gogh, and the Jim Henson memorial at St. Paul's cathedral with Muppets hanging from the ceiling. A dark room slide lecture combined with looking at actual works can make a lifelong art history lover.

[@KB-zo6ky]

Cracking up over the fact that you just literally outlined my art history methods syllabus...

[@SamandeepSingh]

I literally developed an interest in art history 2 days ago. I'm not sure where it came from but I just stumbled on this video from researching museum curators. I am so glad I found this. I've never seen this much passion in anyone. I'm absolutely moved by your dedication to not only art history but to inclusiveness. I love this so much. Thank you for posting this.

[@harrisonwallace7339]

I just wrote my Art History thesis about this exact subject! Thank you for encapsulating this issue so well.

[@mandrakescreams]

This is one of the best channels on youtube. Great quality videos

[@KannikCat]

If my art class was just Sarah in front of a background speaking eloquently like this, I'd be all in. :) (Though I am curious why you hoped you'd never say methodology...) Great video, I'd never really reflected on how all the ism's are always presented as evolutions or linear in nature; as though one either surpasses the other, or that the others necessarily cease at this next stage. But it is much more messy than that, isn't it? A big ball of flowingness rather than a stream.... Also, I really like the idea of teaching how to see and be present to your experience. I had the machine-gun-slide show style of art and architectural history courses, and while they were good because I was interested in them, the lack of context (I realize now) ultimately made their impact on my appreciation and understanding quite minimal. That's one thing I appreciate about this channel -- the fact it does jump all around, and inquires into various things from different angles -- creates a much more complete essence of what art is to us humans and allows me to step inside and look around to find myself inside of it all. :)

[@theartassignment]

Aw, shucks. Thanks, Oliver. (Methodology is one of those words that, for me, unnecessarily alienates. Many people don't know what it means, and I think for communication reasons it's better to say "how you learn stuff," or the like. During my art history schooling, it became a word on my personal no-no list of words never to say in a non grad school setting.)

[@KannikCat]

Ah! I can see that. I'll add it to my list of "caution before use" words to check if it will land before I use it. :)

[@NoelleMar]

I laughed when you said "a word I hoped I'd never say publicly..." XD So many words like that.

[@iHerc]

I had four semesters of Art History during Uni. I wasn't expecting this before starting uni, but I loved it SO much that I keep learning about it even today. It's truly fascinating.

[@minenotyours8537]

I had an amazing art history teacher Mrs. Jung, she is the reason I keep learning as much art history as I can. Also I truly love your channel. Since I found it I watch as much as I can. Your insights on art and artist is so enjoyable. Keep up the great work. Thanks.

[@theartassignment]

Yay for amazing art history teachers! (I am likely being unfair to art history teachers in general with this video.) Thanks for watching and adding to the discussion.

[@JoLeeStephens]

The Art Assignment No kidding! Are you trying to discourage people from taking my class?! I work incredibly hard to contextualize art and try to embrace controversy. (I've introduced many of my students to your channel, by the way. The Mona Lisa episode is probably their favorite.) I think we should take art history so that we have the knowledge we need to have the types of discussions you highlight in the video.

[@sayondeepchoudhury7558]

At 1:40. The place is Kolkata, not Delhi. There's a locality in Kolkata, known as 'Kumartuli' where these clay idols are made. It's a very interesting place, where tiny clumsy alleys house the 'studios' where immense clay idols are made.

[@Beryllahawk]

I have to admit one of the most helpful ideas about "what is art" came from Scott McCloud as he discussed comics. "Art is anything we do or make that doesn't directly relate to survival." (I'm not sure that I have the quote quite right, but that's the idea.)

[@rubenespinoza2015]

Another great video. I especially like the ones that challenge my beliefs on what I think is art. Sometimes my mind is changed other times it is not, but I still appreciate them.

[@DM-ig1fb]

Thanks for introducing this series to me! To my delight after a little research I discovered I'm able to watch this on BBC iPlayer (I'm in the UK) and will soon have a binge watch

[@victorgabrielbuena]

I've recently remembered this channel and watching all the videos

[@rachelelizabeth6017]

I really love these videos, I have yet to see one that hasn’t really made me think about and appreciate art even more! 😄💕😄 I am now REALLY excited to be taking an Art History class next year!

[@nexussever]

Art History was my favorite class- my professor made it come alive!

[@olliewarren1993]

This is a fantastic video. I watched Civilizations a few weeks ago and was blown away by the fresh perspectives that I had never thought about. This video explains why that series is so much more interesting than conventional discussions of "art."

[@claredibella6843]

I'm majoring in Visual Studies and one of my favorite courses I've taken so far was Methods of Art History. Every class was spent with a new method and applying different theories to art history (pretty much all the ones you named). The classes at my university are small (often less than 15 people) and extremely discussion heavy so I left every class just completely mentally exhausted from trying to wrap my head around what we were talking about that day. It was a great to be that intellectually challenged and it really changed the way I approach art history.

[@kiddtekno4382]

I wish my art history classes were taught in the same format you do videos! Everything I've seen from this channel up to now I've just loved! Thank you for continuing to post awesome content. On another note I would love if you folks did a video on Murakami or Kaws! :)

[@prisillaspace]

Thank you for this! & thanks to your patrons! I have been attending college PT for many years & finally I'm at the cusp of some art classes (which is my major)...I am learning while I was in the process of making art that my style is mostly non-objective & playful.....because our lives are filled with scheduling & jobs+family.....Art is 'my escape' from definition. ❤🎨

[@Erik_A06]

I’m currently a studio art major; focal point on new media art. I’ve recently finished my art history classes necessary for my major, and was taught by a great professor. This video has confirmed how important it is not only for art majors, but for humanity to learn history of art, and its effect on culture and/society. It as well, has provided me more with excitement of the art history being created currently. Thank you ❤️

[@gothamgirl]

Just had my Art History exam the other day! Wish we did more about eastern art and learnt more than just the name of an artist and how to differentiate between eras. Like you stated we only learn a timeline starting from the Italian Renaissance and crammed in the Avant Garde movements into the final lecture! (which most people find more interesting) I know people who would've liked art history a lot more if they gave us more about the culture surrounding the movement, what led that certain artist to develop that style and why they may not have been accepted by society of the time. Alas in Cyprus we follow the American system in universities as well so, so many people in my year hated the lesson :/ As always great video! i'll be sure to spread this around ^_^

[@sylviabowersox1114]

Greetings from Wisconsin. Thank you for "Civilizations" and Civilization. I'm going to immerse myself in both. Your channel is terrific. Plus your bangs are a work of art.

[@kylehenderson9489]

Thank you for not "just" showing us various stills of art but talking us through the piece and making it come alive.

[@dupinema137]

What an amazing video! Thoughtful, educational and exellently presented. I clicked it since the title was interesting and because I love art history (and hopefully will start studying it soon hehe) I live in Croatia and the situation rearding Art history isn't much different. It depends on which high school you go to but generally art history is kinda more of an afterthought compared to other subjects. To use my example the high school I went to is very general in the sense that you get basic knowledge of various subjects ranging from latin to psycology to physics and biology and so on. There are a lot of subjects, and so I had one art history lesson per week.(lessons here last for 45 minutes) Because of this every lesson was a new movement or civilisation (it wasn't unusual for us to go through multiple movements just because there's so much stuff compared to the amount of time our teacher had. Personally I really liked our teacher but she could have made the subject a bit more welcoming.) Our program is also very eurocentric not only because of the time constraints but also because of the exams we have at the end. Basically we have these exams at the end of our high school education and the knowledge you need to have for the art history exam is very west-centric. All of our teacher's teaching plans are made with these exams in mind so they have to preapare us for these tests so there often isn't enough time to maybe explore something non western. The only time we mentioned art outside the west was when it influenced artists from Europe or America. Sorry for the longish comment but I really liked the video and it really made me think about all the different ways you can approach art. Thank you very much!

[@nickcatalano9371]

I'm a High School Art Teaching working both in the states and internationally at International Baccalaureate schools. One of the requirements of the Diploma level Art course is to write a Comparative Study. Optionally a student may also do an Extended Essay in Art. Both these projects demand just the sort of open ended approach to art history that you so perfectly express in this video. Thank you, you're just wonderful. All of my students have benefited from this study.

[@zach.taylor]

First channel on youtube I've ever binge-watched (thats a good thing.) Thank you

[@lukoshey79]

Our Art History teacher had us watch episodes of Robert Hughes, Shock of the New.. Loved it, we giggled all through it..

[@jrsinsf]

Sarah, this is one of your best videos... thanks for sharing your ideas!!

[@TASmith10]

This was an excellent video. Getting people to like and respect art is the fundamental goal. I always think art teachers should be like DJ's, showing off the best art we can find on a regular basis, something to knock the socks off our students. Then asking enough questions to get students thinking about the work on a deeper level.

[@gabrielleavena1295]

Thank you for this series! It inspired me to attempt to self-study art history on my own!

[@tomasspasiuk2429]

Hey just saying i love love love all your videos! Also best way to learn in my (2nd year design school opinion (with 4 art history classes under my belt...well after tomorrow’s final)) is fighting and having a argument- it forces you to think about all problems and holes- and you recall,what you remember rather than memorizing- yea this may sound like a essay- but I hate hate hate writing them. The discussion is the best part

[@hectorobtavio]

LOVE THIS. Thank you for all the rich content! I appreciate the hard work guys, keep it up :)

[@dangomles]

I just love this channel too much. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING.

[@marchabuyuan-llanes684]

Can't put to words how much I appreciate the effort and thought yall put into yall videos. Has seriously helped me love art even more

[@notlikewater]

My favorite exchange involved talking to someone about the Renaissance, and I said "Which one?" and they kept insisting "THE Renaissance" as if there is only one. It's true that we teach it in this way, but it is also true that The (Italian) Renaissance isn't the only one. :)

[@MKMonsterr]

I guess I got lucky with good professors because I enjoyed all of my art history classes. We skipped class one day and went to the MoMa with my Modern Art History class. My professor, another student, and I wound up meeting up at one point and I walked around with them and it was such a great time walking through the museum with someone so knowledgeable. Also! When you put up the picture of Loren Munk's work it looked very familiar so I went back through my collection of books given out at my school's gallery openings and sure enough, he was a featured artist one year. So I actually got to hear him speak about his own work that day.

[@kadyg8041]

I had a great Art History class. Granted, it was AP Art History and not college art history, but it sparked my interest in art and led me to this channel.

[@jules6631]

Same! I took it cause I needed a Fine Arts credit and didn't want anything to do with "actual art" but then I took it and it turns out I love art????

[@JoaoPessoa86]

god that Ingres harem scene. Everytime I see it I can't get over how that blonde in the corner looks like she's made of marshmallows. It is possible to be too soft and languid...does she even have any bones?

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

Fulano de Tal Harem Girl #3: the First Human Invertebrate

[@JoaoPessoa86]

we have an early 16th century Cranach the Elder piece in the museum I work at. He seems to have over corrected in an attempt for sensual softness of three goddesses so that too me and several of my coworkers they look like they're made of noodles.

[@equesdeventusoccasus]

I love all forms of history, so I thought that video isn't for me. However, I am glad I watched it. I am equally glad I found this channel. Please keep up the good work.

[@WelcometotheMuseum]

Thanks a lot, one more great video that raises awareness about beauty and importance of art. You guys are amazing!

[@eheheheheedesscoi5173]

I didn’t learn art in college but instead in middle school from the country that I’m from, and the first time I learned and visualized its concepts and beauty I just fell in love with it, I love to go to a art museum and being acculturated about certain paintings, I will say that I was lucky to have a good Art history teacher and I’m happy that I expanded my knowledge on it.

[@marycompton4918]

I just started my art history course today... I have to say, I was very intimidated by the massive amounts of reading and analyzing, but after watching this I have come to realize that although the things being discussed have happened long ago, they all hold an important role in how art is shaped today. Thank you for another great video

[@theartassignment]

Just started today? Exciting! There is indeed a lot to read and analyze, but you have the right attitude. If the intimidation creeps in again, just remember there is no such thing as mastery of a subject. There is always more to learn. Soak up what you can.

[@marycompton4918]

The Art Assignment thank you so much for the encouragement! I will definitely keep that in mind :)

[@crazydragy4233]

Honestly while my art history classes were in a lot of ways similar to the dry Eurocentric syllabus style I always loved when we had to do analyses. The teacher didn’t grade us on if we got things ‘right’, it was about our arguments and what we saw. It was always really fun to spend a whole lesson just staring at a piece and analysing it, plugging in the context and things you learned in previous classes on the topic. While many people rushed to get it over with i’d often still be rushing to write down one last observation as the period ended. It was always the same ’question’: “Explain what effect(s) the artist achieves and by what means.”

[@Ai-ikon]

This channel made me love art history. Thank you

[@munusshih4936]

The part about squeezed up the whole modern art into few pages is totally relatable!!! I wonder if there's any book that can tell the story of modern art as vigorous and as fascinating as Art Assignment, I would love to read them.

[@brisvegas859]

I do like art history - its fascinating...

[@monono1991]

I was so fascinated once I took my first class. Not because my prof made it interesting, but because of the web of connection that art has. I grew to really and truly love art and it’s purpose in human existence.

[@FrancescaPessarelli]

Just graduated with my BA in Art History. You're totally right! My intro classes were total snooze fests because they portrayed art as being separate from the humans that created it. Classes that focused on discursive media, performativity, etc. and made art human were what got me hooked!

[@lorenabpv]

i love this background! (and i've never had an art history class, so no negative feelings towards them)

[@WorldWideWong]

Wow that was almost meta in talking about art itself and the art of talking about art...or maybe I'm just really tired and should be sleeping instead of watching youtube videos... BTW, you guys should collaborate with Wisecrack on something. They're often talking about the philosophy and meaning behind pop-culture. They blend classic and contemporary well.

[@paradiseart]

Brought back memories of art history class: 3 hour lectures in dark theatres with sleepy students watching a prof stumble over their hundredth image projected on a screen. I loved Kenneth Clark's Civilization and the everything the BBC has produced ever since on the topic. It's all about the teaching. You need intelligence and passion to teach art history. Will definitely check out your recommendations!

[@toughtink]

the best art history course i ever took was for the history of illustration. it went through illustrations of all sorts through the ages including fashion plates and illuminated manuscripts, but the best part was that it finally filled in that gap between paintings of the 1800's and "modern art" with a whole host of amazing american illustrators that were producing work at the time and were popular enough to be household names then, even if the only one that seems to have stuck around now is norman rockwell. i don't know why every other art history class thinks it's okay to skip the golden age of illustration. it just contributes to the flawed idea that commericial art=/=art.

[@lynerichard5306]

toughtink Yes! Commercial art and illustration is art.

[@landryharmon1891]

Love this video! Because of you and this channel, I'm minoring in Art History!

[@gallerymanifesto9060]

I mean, who doesn’t love art history, favorite topics to discuss for sure!

[@noshankyouvm]

I am cracking up over the back ground, though. "SWEDISH THINGS"

[@dhimanshagor368]

Hello Sarah, this is an awesome channel indeed! And this specific content is amazing. But in one frame that demonstrates the image-"CLAY HINDU ICONS BEING MODELED'- there is the name of the place given -Delhi, India. But I guess this particular image is from any site of West Bengal, India instead, cause I've identified some bengali texts written on the wall. Not any serious issue though. I admire all the efforts of Art Assignment. And this is one of my favorite channels. Cheers!

[@artesiningart4961]

I love art...that's it. Well, I am not an artist, not an art historian, not even a part of any creative or art-related industry or field of work. I am really loving art since I was a young child, but it was science that was my first love as I love to organize, ask questions, compare, and observe as well as learning about nature is also fun. I am joining science quiz bees as well as art competitions in school level to division level those times. It all changed in high school, when I started to have classes that teaches less art lessons but integrates art in all of learning. We do role plays, skits, video presentations, song numbers, dance presentations, short films, write poems and stories, write essays, and do creative and artistic projects. I just saw and witnessed how the sciences and the arts are all important and interconnected in my life. I started to love visual arts especially drawing and painting, but I also love theater, film, and literature as well as music. Learning visual arts and films brought me to shapes in geometry, patterns in nature and biology, chemistry of materials used in art, learning about colors and both its uses in art as well as its physical properties which lead me to study more on lights and optics, music brought me to acoustics and sounds, visual art also brought me to visual perception and communication then to psychology, literature brought me to cultures and languages as well as linguistics, theater brought me to integration of all arts skills and to the study of art history and history in general, the development of human creativity with art and technology, arts also brought me to the study of humans and cultures, to anthropology, to sociology, to geography, to earth sciences, then to space sciences. Art opened doors for me to learn more and see connections of art to sciences and humanities and to my life and others life. It brought me to more deep studies like aesthetics and other philosophies, to understanding contexts, intentions, traditions, biases, differences, similarities, interactions, integrations, and others of ideas, thoughts, experiences, creativity, and innovations in the modern world. Art opened my eyes to see it as not just for it's sake but with practical uses in the fields of applied and decorative arts, to things such as catharsis, to emotions, to personalities, to art as used in post-traumatic therapies and as tools for dealing with our psyche, our anxieties, our sadness, to disorders and depression and other mental and physical health conditions. So, whether I study art in linear historical way or through different lenses and see its flaws and biases and how it interacts in the modern world with other fields, or how it matters or not matters to me and the people around me, is not a big deal for me to study art. As long as it is about art, count me in. I really want to take a degree or major in fine arts as I want to develop my skills in art production like in drawing and painting, but I also am interested in other art fields and to art history as well, and this gives me a hard time to choose a particular field. Plus, my hometown is not interested in arts I guess, because there are no art degrees offered in any colleges and universities in here, which makes me even sadder and bit depressive just thinking about it. I still love science (natural), and the social sciences too, and I also love other humanities fields, but nothing can beat art right now in my mind and my heart. For me, art is so beautiful to think, to feel and experience, to witness, to observe, to study, to practice and do, and to just wonder and be in awe about how humans think and the ideas we have, the questions, the experiences, and the conditions of us as individuals and as an interconnected whole through time and through different perspectives.

[@jendeleonart]

I can’t be the only one who actually loves art history. 😅 I’ll have to check out Civilizations. 😉

[@thearthistoryhappyhour4214]

Absolute goals for me, this video!

[@gavinreid8351]

I have studied art history. I will forever be studying. The subject is vast and complex. All the theories , philosophies, and complex issues disappear when in a gallery in front of a work of art. National Gallery , London , absorbed in sublime Monet .Nothing else matters.

[@deadeaded]

I recently came across a quote by Nabokov on literature, and I think it applies equally to other forms of art. "In reading, one should notice and fondle details. There is nothing wrong about the moonshine of generalization when it comes after the sunny trifles of the book have been lovingly collected. If one begins with a readymade generalization, one begins at the wrong end and travels away from the book before one has started to understand it. Nothing is more boring or more unfair to the author than starting to read, say, Madame Bovary, with the preconceived notion that it is a denunciation of the bourgeoisie. We should always remember that the work of art is invariably the creation of a new world, so that the first thing we should do is to study that new world as closely as possible, approaching it as something brand new, having no obvious connection with the worlds we already know. When this new world has been closely studied, then and only then let us examine its links with other worlds, other branches of knowledge." I would love to see this philosophy applied more in today's criticism. Too often, people approach a piece of art armed with their favourite critical theory. Rather than appreciating the art itself, they cram it into their critical framework and deploy it as one more unappreciated foot soldier in their ideological war.

[@pluralofAbyss]

My degree is in art history and this video made my day

[@lorenabpv]

+

[@samer17579]

video makes a lot of great points, couldn't tear my eyes off the misspelled "watercoler" on the left though

[@taylorgregrich2336]

I am taking are 1010 this year and I love it. The textbook we use is diverse and includes more women artists and artists that are non white. While we do have more of a focus on western are we have also included art from all around the world and different cultures. My teacher is great and provides great context to the art we are talking about in class

[@lailedcat]

Outstanding use of Dubious Inhaling Through Teeth.

[@theartassignment]

Thank you. I deploy it much in life, and have been looking for a chance to pull it out on video. I can check it off my list, along with Fake Puking into a Bucket from a few weeks ago.

[@EasterWitch]

I think I was lucky with my art history teachers because they were all artists themselves, and one of hem used to be a guide at our cathedral (a messy thing that has been rebuilt every century since it was first built thanks to fire), so they knew how to tell art history through an artists point of view to help us keep interested.

[@AmorSciendi]

My art history classes were all like this until my masters degree. To be fair though, this argument could be true of my history, math, and science education as well. The stories and paths we take through those disciplines are also limited, biased, have a bias toward linear treatment of information.

[@theartassignment]

That is a fine point, and one that occurred to me as well. Do you have to learn the simplistic view in every discipline before you go deeper? Or is there a way to bypass it? Open question.

[@AmorSciendi]

Yes, in math the position is well articulated by Paul Lockhart who compares high school math to an art class where you only do paint-by-numbers until grad school. It's a difficult question. I've been an educator for over a decade and worked at a couple schools that claimed to be the most progressive lab schools in the world. One thing I've realized is that students do need to learn a basic vocabulary in a discipline so that the conversations in the room can be productive, and the process of acquiring that vocabulary is often reductionist (like, you can't have an interesting discussion about experimental design in your science class unless everyone knows what an independent variable is, or even what inductive reasoning is). I personally think the best way to introduce critical thinking, creativity, and self reflection is to have as much interdisciplinary work and joint projects between classes/teachers as possible. When a student is asked to compare the process of building knowledge in a science class to the process of building knowledge in a history class, then they will start to do original learning. But I've also been in the game long enough to know that I don't know anything at all. Every student is different and there is no magic bullet here.

[@richardbond258]

I agree with Amor that with any discipline you must learn simplistic view first then from there go further into the area which captures your interest. A general Art History class is a good platform for a student to gain enough information to start researching on their own. I do believe that the class should be multicultural and look at many civilizations, not just Western Civilization. The instructor should also encourage their students to go to art museums, art galleries, and art festivals as well. Learning should not only be inside the classroom but also outside in the world.

[@ARTiculations]

I guess I was lucky that since I went to design school, our art history classes kind of all came from the angle of design, human environments, psychology and how it affects us today. I mean - it was still heavily Eurocentric and limited, but it was relevant and interesting enough for me to like art history despite not being interested in an art career. Civilizations seems like an awesome show, definitely going to check it out. :)

[@ColeTanaka]

I have never had an art history class but I have always enjoyed learning about art history. Perhaps it is just the way things are presented. I've noticed that I far prefer learning things on my own than learning something through a class.

[@NiamhCreates]

My first major in college was Art, which included Art History. After a year, I switched my major to Business (Accounting was actually my favorite class, I thought it was fun!). Art is a passion of mine, but I couldn't force myself to enjoy Art in school.

[@tonydemma8638]

Much gratitude for your videos! Is the "evolutionary timeline" of art (if I understand correctly: art is said to "improve" as time goes on and it conforms to its environment) a product of Romanticism?

[@pendlera2959]

+1 Would like to know this, too.

[@CRMayerCo]

Thanks. Great stuff!

[@HenkJanBakker]

There is only a linear story to art because we look back, looking for connections. Creating that narrative is an art too.

[@anirbanmaji80]

Can I download anywhere the art history map you use in your video?

[@Sahrilla]

I have a master in art history. I had very good and very bad classes. One of those showed a single slide for a whole semester about a small part of a Florence bronze door. Interesting for an hour, but not for a whole semester.

[@marco.nascimento]

Great video!

[@EugenioMenotti]

I really love your art history classes/videos. I wish I could the same.

[@catbot6733]

"Methodology, a word I hoped I'd never say publically." Sarah, you have a great sense of humour and it's quietly sprinkled throughout this show and I love it.

[@cookieclaygirl77]

Do you have good books/resources for "new" ways of teaching art history/appreciation? I'd appreciate any guidance for this--I'd like to shift my teaching style.

[@TeaDrinker3000]

Hell yeah love me some art

[@lawrencecalablaster568]

I like this. The last work of art we learned in my first art history class was Spiral Jetty. In my second art history class, Spiral Jetty fell into the middle of our class.

[@jules6631]

Spiral Jetty is a work of art that makes me feel really weirdly calm when I read about it

[@PortalVIII]

I was looking through the videos and this title made me go "Whaat??" so of course I clicked it. I took a small number of art history courses on the side/minor in university of Helsinki and seriously, it wasn't boring at all, and all those things said about "civilizations" are already being implemented in the introductory courses... I'm honestly kind of shocked apparently so many think art history classes are dreadfully boring? But maybe I just got lucky. :'-D

[@nzaround]

This is a soapbox I practically lived on all through undergrad and many a grad school interview. Ultimately, I realized I wasn't a great fit for academia but in the process learned a boatload about how I want to talk about art in conversation with peers/friends/vaguely curious passersby. In slightly different news, if you haven't seen Art History Is Not Linear by Ryan McGinness it's pretty lovely and fits well with some of what is discussed in this video: www.ryanmcginness.com/sites/default/files/VMFA.pdf

[@laybay612]

John Burger, Ways of Seeing is on KZbin and is a great series. my drawing teacher recommended it to me

[@user-od7lf5yh1y]

Good video. Thank you.

[@SaiChester]

love the video! im more of a musicologist, but very similar things apply to my field. i feel like too many people are trying their best to look for quantifiable meaning when there really is no such thing, as all kinds of art are extremely subjective and your judgement of a piece of art depends heavily on what perspective you view it from. in art there is no such thing as objective truth and people should stop trying to make that happen lol.

[@gracenkem677]

thank you for this video

[@Sunny_Now_and_Then]

I can't imagine how anyone can hate Art History. I fell in love the first day. OMG, hating art history is like hating the world. Maybe you don't like remembering dates and movements, but how can you look at any art and not be filled with questions?

[@inkumoon515]

Actually the first art history class I ever took was pretty fascinating. The assignment throughout the semester was to select an art movement or an artist, present it in front of the class and pose a moral debate against it.

[@hyacinth1320]

The new series is sooooo good.

[@scotthughesphotog]

What you say at 4:25 into 4:40 reminds me of polarities, your work here in this video specifically and the work of PBS Idea Channel. Not that one is less than another, but the representation here focuses on more formal and higher level renderings of art and art history, where PBS Idea Channel focuses on the more common, even low brow, yet democratic influences of art making and culture in art. I love both together as a well rounded picture of art, culture and art history. Super Rad! Thoughts?

[@MrReaperofDead]

Art Historians give what I like to call, "The Patrick Bateman Hip to Be Square Analysis" when talking about art. What I mean by that is that in the movie, when Patrick Bateman was giving his analysis on the song Hip to be Square, he was able to greatly describe when the song was made, who made it, and what the critics said about the song...But he failed to explain anything personally about the song, how it made them feel, the metaphors behind the song, or anything that couldn't just be found off google. This is the same exact way all art historians analyze artworks, they talk about when it was made, who made it, and where, but in terms of analyzing the artwork from more abstract and insightful perspectives---such as from a psychological perspective, analyzing different metaphors, or going in depth to help draw a more intimate understanding of an artist's work, art historians fail every time, and just can't seem to do this. It's very off-putting and turns a trip to an art exhibit into an over glorified real-life google search engine simulator. There's just nothing given that emphasizes why I or anybody as a viewer should care about these vastly outdated artists. They'll over analyze something mundane about the art for over 2 hours, when one would love to simply go 'who cares? Why should I care?' What's worse is that if you listened to it all, the art world would have you believing that people making art stopped in the year 1940s. You NEVER hear any art historians talk about artworks from the 1970s, 80s, even the 90s. Not even from today's day and age. It's always about boring out of date crumbling old ancient artworks, and never of anybody new. This Hitler-themed elitism of what _perfect_ art should be is a major deterrent for scholars and many other intellectual minds wanting to learn what a history book can't easily teach about an artist from the inside out, and creates distance between the artist, his work, and the viewers.

[@Kram1032]

Ok so, as somebody not fomr the US or the UK, how to watch that series?

[@cavebearstudio6517]

I’ve written a couple of blogs for PBS for this show, and get to write a few more (and watch the shows early!): www.pbs.org/civilizations/blogs/artists-perspective/following-the-cult-of-the-artist/