The field of art history is the study of the development of various artistic works from around the world, across a wide range of time periods. It explores the choices made by artists and the social forces that shaped them. Art is a very human activity, and it can cover almost every aspect of the human experience and life.
What makes art different from other forms of expression? Art is created to communicate something, and it can be anything – from a story to a poem or music. It may express feelings of beauty or love, of anger or sorrow, or even a sense of humor. Art helps humans to better understand their world and connect with each other.
Visual art is the medium through which we convey our understanding of the world and ourselves to others. It can take the form of paintings, sculptures, sketches, or photographs. The goal is to capture emotion and ideas in a way that will be meaningful to the viewer.
Some people – Plato in his Republic and primitive Christians or strict Mohammedans – have denied the existence of art altogether. But the majority of men accept it, and some give it an especially high importance.
This special importance of art has always been based on the fact that it is a means of grasping the world, not only the physical world, which science attempts to do, but the whole world of human experience and spiritual perception. In this respect it is unlike other activities, such as music or literature, which are merely an instrument for transmitting emotions, but it is also different from religion, which seeks to enlighten and sanctify.
The concept of art is a constantly changing one. It can be opened up or closed at any moment, depending on the context in which we are confronted. This flexibility is part of the very nature of the concept, and it enables us to approach the problems of a new age more easily than in the past, when the idea of a single art was predetermined.
Each lesson includes a teacher script, which covers essential information about the particular art style and time period. This is followed by a series of questions designed to help students analyze and interpret the artwork. Then, there is a selection of extension art projects, a reflection and review page, vocabulary words, and a word search with the vocabulary.