There are lots of resources out there for people who want to study art history on their own. However, structure and guidance are harder to come by, so here is my best advice for getting the most out of your art history self study.
Category: Art History
What is Attribution?
Understand attribution, the process by which art historians make educated suppositions about who made an artwork, and learn about the pseudonyms given to artists whose real names we don't know. Enjoy some pretty religious paintings at the same time.
What is Contrapposto?
The term contrapposto is often used when describing classical, Renaissance, and later paintings and sculptures. But what exactly is contrapposto?
How To Teach Children About Art History
I wasn't a big art lover as a child, but there's no reason other kids won't be. Here are my ideas for how to introduce children to art history.
Seven Reasons to Study Art History
I stumbled upon art history by accident and loved it, but here are some much better reasons to study this fascinating subject.
Surviving College Art History and Its Exams
Studying art history in college is a very rewarding experience, but it can definitely be a bit confusing and always stressful at exam time. Here is my advice about what to expect, how to succeed, and how to prepare for exams.
What Are Votives? They’re Not Just Candles.
Over Christmas break, I saw Agents of Faith: Votive Objects in Time and Place at the Bard College Graduate Center Gallery in Manhattan. The show's almost over, so instead of writing a review, I thought I would tell you what votives are and what I learned about them in the show.
You Can Now Take My Gothic Architecture Course Online
For the past few months, I've been working with Citaliarestauro.com, a Portuguese e-learning company specializing in art history, to create an online course about the history of Gothic architecture. I'm so excited to announce that it is now available for purchase!
What is Provenance, and Why is It Important?
If you've been around the art world for a while, chances are that you've heard the term "provenance". If so, you've probably gotten the sense that it is important, but you may not know what it is or why it matters. Provenance is an artwork's history of ownership, and it help you determine if a work is genuine and honest.
What is Genre Painting?
We often talk about genres of paintings the way we might talk about genres of movies or books. But then we also talk about genre painting being one of those genres. That might be confusing, so it's important to understand the difference.