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Chapter 1: Why art? and, what is art?

We have already encountered the idea that art is one of the most powerful ways we have of learning about history in general, and about premodern history in particular. But why is this the case? What is so special about art? What can art tell us or reveal to us that other kinds of historical inquiry cannot? In this chapter, we will explore some reasons behind why art.

Art is for the people.

As most students of history are already aware, levels of literacy around the world were not the same in premodern times as they are today. The best way to understand levels of premodern literacy—how many people could read and write, with how much facility, and to what extent—is an idea called the “spectrum of literacy.” The idea of a spectrum takes us beyond a simple notion of “a person can read and write, or they cannot”—literacy is not as clear-cut as this. Instead, we want to imagine ability to read and write, to absorb and to produce information and ideas using the written word, as a spectrum, with infinitely many points along the journey from “cannot read and write at all” to “can read and write very complex texts with speed, facility, and ease.” People would have existed at various points along that spectrum. For example, there would have been people who could read and write their own name, which, given their unique circumstances, socioeconomic class, and access to education, might have been a very high level of literacy to them and their families. There would have been people who could read or write a simple letter (and in the pre-internet, pre-cell phone world, knowing how to read and how to compose a letter would have opened up enormous possibilities of communication, even across borders). There would have been people who could read a simple text, or an intermediate one. And then, of course, at the other end of the spectrum of literary, we would find the premodern folks who created, and consumed, the texts we study when we take a history class—like the texts of Homer, Confucius, Aristotle, or even the Qur’an or the Bible. In other words, humanity has always been diverse, in everything, including levels of literacy. In all times and all places, each human has been singular and unique, with their own life’s story.

But what we can say, in a more general sense, is that levels of literacy worldwide were lower in premodern times than they are today. This is due to several factors, including less access to education, less government support or universalization of education, and simply a different flow to most folks’ everyday life: some 90% of people worked in agriculture in premodern times, a life that often leaves little room for the time-consuming pursuits of reading or writing a text by hand.

Because of this, art is a wonderful way for accessing all those many levels of the population who could not, or did not have much time to, participate in literacy. Anyone can look at and take a message from art; no literacy is required. To a certain extent, anyone can create art as well; knowing how to read and write is not strictly required to make art either. Studying art allows us a window into the worlds, hearts, and minds of folks outside of the “great writers” of history, nearly all of whom came from high socioeconomic classes. Studying art broadens our perspective.

Art touches the emotions.

Here is an idea that you are invited to explore: art is what we do for pleasure and for expression, when all the things we “have to do” are done. We can see this in our own lives just as well as we can see it in the lives of premodern people; the human impulse to entertain and be entertained, to tell stories and to experience them, to share our emotions through expression, seems to be one that we share even with our very early ancestors. When all of our work is done, we might watch TV, movies, or videos; listen to music; go shopping for beautiful things; play video games; or even watch or participate in sports or other kinds of movement. (Yes, we can consider all of those things art; we’ll explore the big question of what is art? just below!) Similarly, we can imagine our premodern ancestors finishing up their “workday” and going to the theater or the arena, reading a book by candlelight, or even telling stories while stargazing—which we might consider the “old-timey” versions of our modern-day forms of art and entertainment!

Art is what we do by choice, for love, for enjoyment and pleasure, not because it is an obligation, not because we “have to.” Art is also often an expression of emotion—so many forms of art, from novels to poetry, from movies to rap songs, from tragedies to TikTok videos are meant to share the creators’ ideas, emotions, and daily experiences and inspire a feeling of resonance in the audience for that art. And this is true of art from any historical age. Therefore, when we study art, we go beyond, we go deeper than, lists of dates or historical facts, the big names of the “great figures of history,” or the stereotypical narrative of “which civilization went to war and conquered another civilization.” When we study art, we learn about humans, their emotions and their experiences. Studying art brings history to life.

What is art?

How can we understand the multifaceted idea of “art?” Can “art” be defined? You are invited, in this book at least, to see art from a very broad perspective. This book defines art as any expression of human emotion or experience through an external medium. That definition of art is big enough to encompass many different types of human creation, including music; any artistic pursuit that relies on acting, from ancient theater plays to modern Netflix series; the more traditional styles of art like painting and sculpture; and even sports and other types of physical expression like dance or martial arts, which express values and ideas such as teamwork, strategy, rhythm, flow, athletic ability and prowess, emotion and story through the body, and a quality that sports fans often call “poetry in motion.”

Can we also consider something functional to be a piece of art, or does art need to exist simply for its own sake? In this book, we will be invited to consider archaeological objects, the objects of premodern folks’ everyday lives, everything from spoons to buildings, as a kind of art as well. There can be art in the creation, decoration, or even the use of an everyday or household object, in spite of or even through those objects’ functionality.

There are some scholars who believe that the very idea of “art,” of something being a “work of art” that exists for its own sake and not to fulfill a function, is one that exists only in the modern day, and that our premodern ancestors would not have understood or defined art in this way. But if we consider art to be an expression of emotion, experience, skill, or expertise of creation in an external medium, we can encompass a broader idea of art that may be able to help us see art across time and space.

But art is subjective; it exists at least in part only in the eye of the beholder (an idea we will explore in chapter 3!). It is at least as important, if not more important, to develop your own understanding of art as it is to study art using academic tools. Here are some questions for reflection as you explore your own definition of what art is.

Questions for reflection

1. What is art? How do you define art?
2. What are the “boundaries” of art for you? What do you consider art and not art? For example, is basketball art? Is meditation art? Are video games art? Is a TikTok video art? Is philosophy art? What about ballet, or photography, or public speaking? Explore the broadness and the limitations of art, in your opinion and experience.
3. What is your favorite kind, or piece, of art, and why?
4. Do you create art of any kind? What does creating art fulfill for you? What do you express in your art? Do you ever share your art with others? How does that feel for you?