Class #7: The System (Art History Lesson) Class Followup

Watch the lecture then, go here:


http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/

As much as I call into question the tunnel-vision of the conventional art narrative, institutions like the Metropolitan museum are trying to give an honest representation of art-making practices across the globe and throughout history. Explore this amazing Heilbrun Timeline of Art History. You can navigate via a world map based upon historical period, look at historical or regional timelines, search for a particular artwork, or just type keywords in to a general search field.  Play around.

For your blog response, I would like you to compare two artworks made near the same time, one from the European or American mainstream art tradition and one work from a different part of the world.

For your mainstream art work, feel free to just search for "Romanticism", "Modernism" or one of the other terms mentioned in the online lecture. Or just navigate to the place and time via "world map" or "timelines".

Next find your piece from another part of the world using the "world map" or "timelines." Try to pick a work made as close to the date of the original as possible.

Post images and descriptions of both art objects in a blog post, and answer the below questions thoughtfully.

1. Describe each work in brief.

2. Give your best guess as to the audience of each work.

3. Describe what ideas each work it attempting to bear witness to.

4. Describe the differences between the respective works' representations of beauty.

5. Do you think either of the artists knew about the others' art-making tradition? Why?

6. Do you think the mainstream (European) work deserves its place in the mainstream story of art? Why?

7. Do you think the non-mainstream (non-European) work deserves a place in the mainstream story? Why?