2 Chapter 2: Our quick guide for looking at art

Chapter 2: Our quick guide for looking at art

Take these tips and ideas with you anytime you look at or study a piece of art.

1) Art is subjective.

*This means that there is no “right” or “wrong” when it comes to how to interpret, understand, and respond to art. Each person will have their own response to art, based on their own personality, circumstances, and life experiences.

2) Therefore: you DO get to have your own subjective opinion on art. Your opinion of art is valid.

*You are invited in this book to develop your own opinions, feelings, and understanding about the art we are going to explore. This is how we become “experts” in looking at and understanding art—or experts in any field, truly; by practice, by building experience and self-trust.

3) Anyone can look at and understand art.

*You do not need any special tools or training to look at and understand art; you need only your senses, your open-mindedness, and your experiences. Art has always been for all people and by all people; it is open to all of us, as both creators and audience members.

4) Art is timeless. Once created, it continues to exist forever. We can look at the world’s most ancient art and still be affected by it.

*We will indeed look at extremely ancient art, beginning in the prehistoric period, in this book, and the vast majority of the art we will explore comes from the premodern world. Exploring premodern art will help us engage with the question of whether there is anything eternal, enduring, or inherent about the human experience, human needs and desires, human relationships, and human emotions. How will our ancient ancestors speak to us through their art? Will we understand their messages? Will the experiences they shared through their art resonate with us in the modern day?

5) Historical context, art media or materials, archaeology/provenance, and art historical analysis and theory are academic tools. They are important. But here we will engage with the art first, and learn about it second.

*This is an art history textbook. You will, as the title of this book promises, learn facts and ideas about premodern history through art. You will also indeed learn about art historical topics and terminologies such as art media and provenance, with the hope that you will take these art historical and theoretical tools with you, whenever you may encounter art in the future. However, as we go through this book, you will still be invited to engage with the art first, and study it academically second. The reason behind this brings us back to one of the purposes of art, from the creators’ perspective (as we explored in chapter 1). Art communicates emotion. Art communicates story. Art communicates lived experience. The best way to interact with an expression of someone’s emotion, story, or lived experience is to engage with it on a human level. So we will practice that first, in honor of this deeper purpose and meaning of art. Then, once we have explored from the human angle, we will also apply tools, theories, and ideas from the study and practice of art history to enhance our understanding of the art.

9 things to observe when looking at a piece of art

1) What colors are used in the piece? What is the main color? What mood or tone do the colors convey? How did the artist create that color?

2) What figures, animals, aspects of the natural world, objects, shapes, etc. are present within the art?

3) Story and narrative. What story is being told through the art? What happened before the scene on the art; what will happen after? Does the artist assume the audience already knows this story, or are they telling it for the first time? Can we recognize the historical time period or historical events in this art?

4) Human interactions and relationships. If there are people featured in this art—how are they dressed? How are they moving through the space? How are they interacting with other people / animals / nature / objects? Can you tell what kind of people they are? Can you tell how they feel about themselves, others, or their situation?

5) Chronology and geography. Do any details of the art give you a sense of where, or when, it was made?

6) Function and use. How was this piece of art (or object) used? How can you tell? Why was it created? If you had this object, what would you use it for?

7) Condition and preservation. What is the condition of this piece of art? Does its condition reveal anything about where it was found (archaeologically) or how it was preserved since it was made?

8) Shape and material. What is the shape of this art or object? How do its decorations, imagery, or scenes interact with its shape? What is the object made of? How does its material interact with its decoration, form, or use?

9) Mood and emotional resonance. What mood or vibe does this art evoke? How do you think its creator wanted to make people feel when they saw it? How do you feel, looking at this art? What does it remind you of?