Art History: Scholars and Texts (00:23)

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Scholarly writings help us understand objects and images in art and shape understanding of art history.

Origins of Art History (02:04)

Stephen Eisenman states that art history started during the Enlightenment with Anton Raphael Mengs. By the mid to late 19th century, many people were art historians; the modern discipline arose in the 20th century.

Evolution of Art History: Post-World War II (01:42)

The field of art history migrated to the United States; the reputation of principle European figures suffered. German and Jewish scholars established a discipline of art history.

Future of Art History (01:56)

Eisenman states that the field of art history has expanded beyond the ability to identify the greatest center of art production. See a list of resources for studying art.

Summary and Analysis (00:33)

Art historians use knowledge gained from previously written texts to form and support their arguments about a given artwork, style, or movement.

Importance of Summary and Analysis (00:41)

Eisenman states that art students must have the ability to summarize a written work before stating what is right or wrong.

Forming an Argument (01:35)

Summarize a work so that everyone has a common understanding. Consider four questions when listening to a summary before subjecting the argument to validity tests.

What is Criticism? (00:49)

Eisenman states that true art history begins with criticism. Criticism is subjecting an item to close scrutiny.

Role of Criticism (01:09)

Negative criticism is sometimes necessary for accountability. See a list of resources for studying art.

Constructing Arguments with Factual Evidence (00:34)

Art historians present arguments in the form essays to show new findings; they often have several sources to support their argument.

Getting Started (03:00)

Begin constructing an argument with an inductive process. Eisenman uses "Apple Harvest at Eragny" by Camille Pissarro as an example to explain the research process. See a list of resources for studying art.

Research: Steps and Procedures (00:41)

Steps to understanding artwork include: formal analysis, contextual analysis, and reviewing scholarly literature.

Researching a Work of Art (01:53)

Begin with basic texts before moving on to specialized material. When using Wikipedia, follow the textual references.

Role of the Internet (01:46)

Eisenman states that using the Internet as a sole resource is not enough; you have to go to the library. See a list of resources for studying art.