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intro-arthistory

Buddha Offering Protection, 10th century, Sri Lanka, central plateau, copper alloy with gilding, 60.3 x 17.8 x 10.2 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — Mudras are a set of hand gestures and finger positions that serve as symbols in Buddhist art.

Mudras in Buddhist art

by The MAP Academy

Nine Bis Poles, from left to right: Jiem (artist), Otsjanep village, c. 1960; Jiem (artist), Otsjanep village, c. 1960; Terepos (artist), Omadesep village, c. 1960; Jewer (artist), Omadesep village, c. 1960; Fanipdas (artist), Omadesep village, c. 1960; artist unknown, probably Per village, c. 1960; artist unknown, Omadesep village, late 1950s; Ajowmien (artist), Omadesep village, c. 1960; Bifarq (artist), Otsjanep village, c. 1960, Asmat people, Faretsj River region, Papua Province, Irian Jaya, Indonesia, wood, paint, fiber (Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — “Art history is relevant” is not how the discipline of art history is typically framed in popular discourse.

Art history and world art history

by Smarthistory

Leutze with viewers — The reason people study the art of the past are varied - but all agree, it can tell us a lot about our own world.

Ever wondered…why study art of the past?

by Smarthistory

schiaparelli-thumb — Studying art history isn't a conventional path to success — so why do people do it?

Ever wondered… why people become art historians?

by Smarthistory

Jizō Bosatsu, late 12th–mid-13th century (Kamakura period), wood with lacquer, gold leaf, cutout gold foil decoration, and color, 181.6 x 72.4 x 57.4 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — Empathy is a term we hear a lot, but what does it mean and how does it work?

Art and empathy

by The Art Assignment

Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Iyoba), 16th century, Edo peoples, Court of Benin, Nigeria, ivory, iron, copper, 23.8 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) — Methods change, the canon expands, and we write history anew. Long focused on the West, the field is going global.

What is art history and where is ...

by Dr. Robert Glass

A brief history of the representation of the body in Western sculpture — Sculptors have had different goals at different times. Two recur: naturalism and abstraction.

A brief history of the representation of ...

by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris

A brief history of the representation of the body in Western painting — Respond to contemporary culture, or reclaim the past? Each artist decides how to approach the human form.

A brief history of the representation of ...

by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris