Welcome to /r/ArtHistory

I graduated with my BA in Art History recently but didn't go straight to grad school because I didn't know exactly what period/movement/culture I wanted to focus on and I'm still trying to figure out what role in the museum I want to do. Recently I've been thinking about getting my Master's in Art History (and possibly with Museum Studies) but I still don't have a set culture or period I'd want to dedicate my career/research to. Does anyone have any advice for picking one? I'm a bit scared because I don't want to be tied down to a specific period/culture when I do decide what career I want to pursue, but I see myself going down a curatorial route and many programs require a specific field of study

Hey there! Does anyone have any recommendations for books/resources for studying vanitas/momento mori paintings in the 16th century and beyond? Extra points if it contemplates modern/contemporary takes on vanitas as well. Looking for text and images (research for some paintings I want to do!).

When this design motif started appearing about 5 years ago I had a bit of an uh oh moment, mentioned it to a few people and wasn't taken seriously. Maybe I've just been looking for things to confirm my fears but I don't think so.

https://preview.redd.it/yj2kcw2y8yzd1.jpg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45409e4fd2cb66473c53c2034c63ff43afd87df6

https://preview.redd.it/35z6c35z8yzd1.jpg?width=2991&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=91047aa2fc4754c32e39544d36112f441c02efeb

A little bit of a meta question for the other professors out there; how do you deal with the general lack of history knowledge in your students? I find myself having to spend significant amounts of time in class just covering general history, culture, and religion. A good example would be I had a class of 12 where none of them could tell me what the protestant reformation was. This makes it really hard to teach the split between northern and southern Renaissance. Similarly their exposure to Greco-Roman mythology is essentially Disney's Hercules. When we hit famous or pivotal paintings of historical figures or events they have no context or incorrect context of what it is depicting. For example when we cover Napoleon Crossing the Alps they often do not know who Napoleon is and definitely do not know anything about Charlemagne or Hannibal.

I could work around this with readings but their willingness and ability to read is quite low. I assign fairly modest readings (1-2 chapters of a world history textbook) a week. The students that do the readings tell me they take 1-3 hours to complete what should be a 15-20 minute reading. For most students that do the readings the comprehension and takeaway is quite low. I'm a bit at a loss.

Are you all facing similar challenges or is this just my student body? If you have faced similar challenges, what have you found to be successful?

Hey folks! Thought this might be a good place to ask. Can anyone recommend a good book for beginners who want to learn more about art history? Recommendations greatly appreciated 👍

I could SWEAR I once saw a painting somewhere that portrayed a very similar subject matter in very similar composition to Duchamp’s Nude Descending a Staircase. It was in a different art style though, something more romantic-era (realist) or impressionist? A teal or greenish background and blonde women/a blonde woman walking down the stairs. There were definitively multiple of her, but I can’t remember if they were all the same person like here, or just a company of women walking behind each other. It might have been way younger too, just that’s vaguely what the style looked like. Does anyone know what I’m talking about?

Sorry about the bad description, I’m not an art person.

Are y’all aware of any adult classes for art history, intro to art, understanding art, etc, in the Washington DC area?

I’m not looking to create art (I have virtually no artistic ability), but I really appreciate fine art and am very interested in learning more

Thx

TL;DR Where is the most prestigious place to get an art history masters? (In any country)

Mostly interested in the old world, Silk Road, the modern and pre-modern Middle East, Near East, West Asia, etc. What school is considered the absolute best? (Like the reputation Harvard has for undergraduate majors)

There are a lot of posts on this sub with similar questions, but they are mostly for European/British/French art. What if I want to study the Ottoman Empire, Safavids in Iran, or Greeks following the fall of Byzantines, that kind of thing.

I saw earlier recommendations for SOAS in London, but when I looked it up, people literally wrote that it's not even a "serious institution".

Context: I have a BFA (GPA 3.9) and am applying to Art History PhD's in an area similar to the niche I've described above. As a plan B, I want to apply to Masters programs, but will only go if I know for sure that it'll be an excellent investment. I don't mind if the Masters program doesn't focus on my niche specifically, I just want to have a very solid foundation at the best place. I want to pursue academia, research, write articles, etc., so I'm not looking into Masters programs that only have an industry focus.

Schools that I hear are good for this:

Brown, Georgetown (Art History and Museum Studies), (Oxford (only a Master of Science in Teaching), Cambridge (MPhil), Edinburgh, The Courtauld

What about other countries, I'm only mainly aware of schools in the UK and US?

I'm applying to US universities like Harvard, Columbia, Stanford, Yale, NYU for a PhD, so I won't be applying for masters at those schools (some of them don't offer Masters anyways).

Hello,
I enjoy visiting museums and art galleries. I try to appreciate paintings aesthetically, while also considering the time and effort invested in each piece. However, I currently know little about art or painting techniques. How should I start learning?

I’d like to understand a painting’s composition, technique, the historical background of the artwork, the story it portrays, and how it connects with previous works and influences future ones. Where should I begin?

Some ideas I’m considering:

• Reading official museum guidebooks
• Exploring Taschen books about specific artists
• Reading general art books
• Watching videos on YouTube or taking online courses on platforms like Coursera
• Visiting museums and paying for guided tours (how do I prepare the visit then?)

I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I'm in my last year of high school, and since 9th grade, I knew I wanted to study Art History at University. I know that most jobs will require further education like a Master's degree or a PhD, and I know it won't be easy. Now, every time someone asks what I'll be majoring in the first thing they say to me is "Are you sure?" Literally every time. I hate that they never say that to any one of my classmates who want to do business or marketing. At school, teachers are telling me to reconsider and tell me it won't be a degree worth studying because it won't lead to a career that pays well. Now I'm starting to think I should change majors. The thing is, I don't think I'll find something else I'm interested in.

I am putting together an imaginary exhibition for my final project in my Art History class, and I want to highlight female artists (sculpture or painting). Normally this would not be that hard to do, but the assignment has the pre-requisite that the artwork must be pre 1400 CE. I am not getting a lot of hits for named artists prior to 1400 CE that are women. Is this project even possible?

I've just seen the latest Louvre exhibit, which was on the image of the Fool through time (medieval to XIX century). It was good, but not great, and would have benefited in my opinion from limiting the time range (the Renaissance bits were the best, as could be expected from the subject).

One example of a great exhibit was, also in the Louvre, Les Choses, a history of still life, which did the same thing (from Roman mosaics to Ron Muek sculptures) but this time it worked.

Exhibits that present the works of one artist can also be great (Lucian Freud), or merely good (Franz Hals, O'Keeffe). All of this is subjective of course.

Any exhibit you have seen recently that you thought was great?

Eduard Friedrich Leybold: Portrait of a Young Lady in a Red Dress (1824)

I want a good quality print for my reading room but don’t know what makes a good one from a bad, or anywhere that has a decent selection. Any suggestions for quality ones that aren’t insanely expensive?

Update: Found a great one. Got a Dosso Dossi panting. Site had a big selection and the paper/print is top notch. Looks like they sell to museums too.   https://artbauergalerie.com

It's called bihag (captive) by EDGAR TALUSAN FERNANDEZ

Someone knows what simbology the colors of Angels clothes have? Like in Maestà of Giotto, the Angels in green and white have a particoular simbology? And also why the Virgin Mary Is in White and not in the usual Red clothes?