← Back to catalogue
Research draft

history of art

vr.tr.history-of-art · INF.KNW

Let an agent describe art history as a discipline and as a narrative, relay periodisations, methods and major works with attribution, distinguish it from art criticism, aesthetics and the history of specific media, and point to museums and references.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent describe art history as a discipline and as a narrative, relay periodisations, methods and major works with attribution, distinguish it from art criticism, aesthetics and the history of specific media, and point to museums and references.

The academic study of visual art in its historical development and context, covering painting, sculpture, architecture, decorative arts and newer media across periods and cultures, and the historical narrative of art itself; art history uses methods from connoisseurship and formal analysis to social, feminist and global approaches, and is practised in universities, museums and heritage bodies.

What it is for: Understanding art in its historical and cultural context.

It can be explain the discipline and its methods; outline periods and regional traditions; relay interpretations with attribution; point to museums and references.

Distinguishing features

Historical discipline about art

Methods from connoisseurship to social history

Global scope with regional traditions

Institutional base in museums and universities

What it looks like

Not visible; a field of study found in books, journals, museums and courses.

How it is recognised

Historical study of visual art

Periods, styles and regional traditions

Art criticism judges; aesthetics theorises; the history of a medium is a subfield

Related models

is a kind of - a historical discipline

cultural history

studies - the subject

visual art

is contrasted with - evaluation rather than history

art criticism

is related to - a neighbouring field

museology

In practice

Families and kinds

history of Western art by period

histories of Asian, African, Islamic and other traditions

history of specific media such as ceramics and photography

national art histories

methodological approaches

global art history

Standards and regulation

No regulation; scholarly standards and museum documentation standards

Failure modes and hazards

Eurocentric narratives

Misattribution and dating errors

Presenting one interpretation as fact

Ignoring provenance and looting issues

Also called

history of ceramicshistory of Chinese ceramicsEarly Modern artHistory of art in Portugalhistory of Saudi Arabian art19th-century British arthistory of theatre18th-century arthistory of Christian arthistory of musical instrumentshistory of Asian artperiod and directions of western arthistory of painting19th-century artmosaic historyhistory of miniature paintinghistory of art in EuropeChilote School of Religious Imagery20th-century arthistory of architecturehistory of theatre in FinlandHistory of theatre in the Netherlandshistory of theatre in Croatiahistory of theater in the United StatesHistory of theatre in Colognehistory of theatre in Russiahistory of Japanese artdevelopment of Kazakh Soviet literature and artvisual art of the 2nd half of 20th-centuryhistory of architecture in Saudi Arabiahistory of architecture in Minskhistory of lighthouseshistory of ikebana

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Field What art history is.

Definition.

Scope

Scope and methods.

Scope

Scope.

  1. What does art history study, and with which methods? definition
  2. Is the question about art history, art criticism, aesthetics or a specific medium? boundary

Institutions

Institutions.

Institutions

Institutions.

  1. Which universities, museums and journals define the field? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific museum? action
Narrative Periods and traditions.

Content.

Periods

Periodisation.

Periods

Periods.

  1. How is the history of art periodised in different traditions, and what are the main periods? provenance
  2. Which entry fits a specific period? action

Global

Global perspectives.

Global

Global.

  1. How do global and non-Western perspectives reshape the narrative? provenance
  2. Is the presentation free of Eurocentric framing? boundary
Interpret Interpretation and debate.

Attribution.

Methods

Approaches.

Methods

Methods.

  1. What do formal, iconographic, social and feminist approaches contribute, with positions attributed? provenance
  2. Is the presentation neutral? boundary

Attribution

Attribution and dating.

Attribution

Attribution.

  1. How are works attributed and dated, and with what uncertainty? measurement
  2. Which references are standard? provenance
Resources Sources and teaching.

Resources.

Sources

Collections and archives.

Sources

Sources.

  1. Where are works, archives and digitised collections found? provenance
  2. Which entry fits provenance research? action

Teach

Teaching.

Teach

Teaching.

  1. How is art history taught, and which texts are standard? provenance
  2. Which misconceptions arise? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each period and tradition be a separate entry?
  • How should museum collections be linked?
  • The registry entry has merged aliases for national and media histories; should they be split off?
Draft as JSON