Art is a way for human beings to express their ideas and emotions, elicit empathy, and make meaning of life. Its history reaches back thousands of years, with the first examples emerging from ancient civilizations as they used available techniques and media to depict culturally significant subject matter. Since then, countless art movements have emerged, influenced by the cultures in which they arose and the artists who created them.
While the concept of art is a highly contested one, most scholars agree that it includes many things such as decorative and functional objects, expressive or symbolic images, and a variety of aesthetic forms. The term also encompasses the idea of an artistic style or movement, and the philosophies that guide its study.
In addition to these broader concepts, some scholars argue that a work of art should be understood as an attempt by its creator to achieve certain aesthetic goals and that such works are thus meaningful in and of themselves. Despite this, other scholars have pointed out that a work of art’s purpose and meaning may vary, depending on its context, medium, and historical or social influences.
The term art is often associated with the visual arts, which include painting, sculpture, and drawing, as well as architecture, printmaking, and other design disciplines. The field of art history studies these and other artforms in terms of their development, characteristics, and meanings, with the goal of understanding their influence on culture and society.
A work of art is said to have an artist if it is created by a human being, has a conscious intent to produce an effect in the viewer, and utilizes design elements such as line, shape, color, value, and texture. It is also considered to be art if it is intended by its creator as an expression of ideas and feelings or if it attempts to imitate reality through mimesis.
An art history lesson can be a powerful tool to develop students’ understanding of a time period, culture, and the world around them. It allows students to engage with a piece of artwork and analyze the intentional and unintentional choices made by an artist that lead to its form and content, while providing them with the tools they need to critique a work of art in terms of quality, taste, and meaning.
Incorporate a lesson from this collection into your teaching to help students analyze the features of a work of art and its impact on culture, as well as how the elements of line, shape, color, value, and text contribute to its significance. Then, encourage them to use their knowledge of art history to speculate subjectively as a group about what the artist was trying to communicate. This is a great way to practice art analysis and promote the skills of critical thinking, collaboration, and communication that are necessary for studying art. For more art lessons like this, check out the rest of the Curated Connections Library!