Art History: A Relevant Degree in a Contemporary World

When one tells people that they study Art History, a common reaction is that people often look at you incredulously; they are unsure of what the degree entails or the opportunities it can lead to. However, Art History is continually relevant to the present cultural landscape, as it inspires innovative ways of thinking and seeing the past, present, and future.

Photo of the writer, essay research with Helene Saunders print, drawing room, Somerset House, The Courtauld Institute of Arts.

Many people associate Art History with art studies and believe that it is the study of art making. While this is true, Art History also entails the world surrounding art and encourages interdisciplinary analysis. For instance, through this degree, one can become a curator - the person in charge of the ‘design’ of an exhibition. They decide which artworks will be exhibited and the layout of the exhibition, or they can oversee entire museum departments. Other fields include conservation or restoration, which is about repairing damaged art pieces and maintaining their condition. 

Moreover, it is not only the study of the History of Art but also the art of history. What is meant by that is that you do not only study how history impacted art but also how art impacted history; art is part of our historical record, and without it, there is much of our past that we could not have reconstructed. For instance, through Greek vase paintings, you may learn about everyday Greek life in Antiquity, or through the paintings of David Olère, portray illustrated records of the architecture of concentration camps during the Second World War. Moreover, oftentimes art lasts longer than written documents; paper burns and can be eaten by vermin, but materials like bronze or pottery are sturdy and last for centuries. 

This is also true for modern art. By analysing the art of creators from minority communities, we can get a valuable insight on how they view the world. By visiting exhibitions made by transgender artists, for instance, we get a better understanding of their triumphs and struggles. Art is records, but also communication; today, like in the past, when words fail, art prevails. This degree, therefore, teaches you to listen and pay more attention; what are people trying to say, or what are the things they cannot put into words? Art History teaches you to be curious and ask questions, to analyze and ask yourself - what can I learn from this piece or this artist and what is it that they are trying to teach me? 

As a first-year in an Art History bachelor’s degree, you wouldn’t have to specialize in any career yet, but you would first be given an overall education in art. You would study its history in chronological order and consider how the artwork was perceived at its time of creation.  Beyond this,  Art History encourages its students to contemplate how their present lives influence the way we think about what was created centuries ago, and how this might evolve in the future. For a very long time, art was considered and taught through a Western-centered lens, and the only works that were thought of as worthwhile were the ones created in the West and followed traditionally accepted mediums such as painting or sculpture. Over time art historians began to realise that this was a mistake, as a huge part of Art History, artworks and objects from cultures beyond the West, were rejected. So courses have adapted to be more inclusive and multicultural. This allows for a greater understanding of the important diplomatic relations between cultures and religions and the visual traditions that they share. 

‘A conversation’, Vanessa Bell, 1913-1916, oil on board, 69 x 52 cm. The Courtauld, London. This work, while appearing like a regular painting, is actually a great historical insight into the condition of female artist during modernism, and the domestic constraints imposed on women in the 20th century.

Moreover, an Art History degree is usually divided between museum or exhibition visits and on-campus lectures or discussions. By studying on-site, you are taught to analyze artworks and produce visual analysis (describing the visuals of a work, such as what/who it depicts, the colours used, etc.). Rather than simply studying art in theory, you’ll have the opportunity to examine real artworks and spend some time where you will potentially work in the future. These exhibition visits train you to overcome the shyness that comes with sharing what you feel or think; while objective visual analyses can be done, what one sees in an artwork is heavily linked to one’s personal experience. For instance, if you are passionate about gender studies and women’s rights, you will most likely tend to analyse a painting in terms of how the different genders are represented. But some of your classmates might focus rather on searching for meanings of spiritualities. Thus it can be daunting to share with the class (and the other visitors eavesdropping). But after a lot of practice you learn to be confident in your ideas and opinions, which is a skill that we put to use every single day. 

History of Art is about familiarizing students with everything around art and art making in the first years and training the way you look at and deal with art. Further down the line (for a master’s, for example), they train you for particular jobs such as curator or conservator. If you like art, it is highly recommended to pursue this degree. It is quite common to hear people say that they wanted to study Art History, but they did not think that it would lead to any stable job or stable income. That is not only untrue, but it also overlooks the fact that art is a field that is constantly evolving, with new kinds of jobs and job opportunities developing constantly. Many people do other jobs combined with Art History, such as working in the sales department of galleries, working in art criminology, or as a Public Relations Officer for auction houses. If you broaden your horizons, you will see that you can do many things in art and that it is, in fact, a career worth pursuing.