Art Through Man's Eyes

"...A central aim of art history is to determine the original context of artworks. Art historians seek to achieve a full understanding not only of why these 'persisting events' of human history look the way they do but also of why the artistic events happened at all." (Gardner's Art Through The Ages Twelfth Edition, Volume I, page XXVIII)

Art is a purely human invention. No other creature creates art, nor can any other creature record, analyze, or appreciate it. It is due to the intrinsically human nature of art that one can only truly attempt to understand it through a human-centered perspective. The ways in which art is understood in Gardner's Art Through the Ages takes this aim, in a wholly successful mode of historical recording. Through analysis of the human events which surround a given piece or movement of art, one can gain a deeper understand that surpasses the subject alone. In my personal opinion, I find that learning the details about an artist, his life, his society, and his artistic goals is the only way to grasp the full scope of artistic meaning.

A prime example of how this human-context focus best grasps the full meaning of art is displayed in the paragraphs surrounding Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece. Gardner describes the social circles that the piece's donors traveled, citing the fact that van Eyck was, at the time, the court painter for King Philip the Good. To learn that the commission of this altarpiece in all likelihood helped in the appointment of the donor to the position of burgomeister speaks volumes to the political power that art held in the 15th century of the Netherlands. To commission such a highly regarded artist conveyed to the public that the donor, Jodocus Vvy, held powerful connections. It is important to understand the context of a work, so as to discover it's historical significance and value.

Moving forward to Raphael's School of Athens, we notice that Gardner has not only chosen to describe the context of the papal commission, but what sort of personal portrayal that Pope Julius II was trying to convey with his subject choice. While many religious leaders wish to portray power and devotion to their teachings, because Pope Julius II chose philosophic, scientific, and mathematic-related subjects, his intelligence and high education were most associated with his reign. Considering the generally religious-themed pieces created at the time of School of Athens, without this background donor information one might be confused as to Raphael's subject choice, or led to question Raphael's artistic merit and contribution to the High Renaissance as a total movement.

In many pieces, the historical inspiration is obvious by the historical subject, such as in Peter Paul Rubens' Arrival of Marie de' Medici at Marseilles. And though most historical records would simply detail the events which lead to the creation of such a painting, it is in Gardner's history that the artistic choices that Rubens made are explained in the context of the tastes of the age. Royal power was further reinforced by majestic and 'baroque' imagery, which is why the artist was chosen to paint the Queen's arrival to Marseilles. His mastery and understanding of the Baroque style of splendor made him a wise choice to portray the event, and with his artistic embellishments of allegorical personifications and mythological beings, the abstract power of the Medici family was conceptualized for all to see. It is only with this background detail that the true value of the painting, as a support in the public eye for a family of great influence, can be appreciated.

To attempt to explain art in a historical context without the humanistic information surrounding each piece leaves a wide gap in the knowledge that could be gained. Artistic movements and styles take on new meaning when their causes and factors are taken into consideration and compared to one another. Human nature is not spontaneous; our actions and artistic interpretations of our world are caused by our interactions with each other. To understand our past is to gain power and insight over our future, and to combat ignorance with understanding is a noble goal of any historian. One might go so far as to claim that to study art history without taking all humanistic and historic factors into account is pure folly, and will gain no insight into the truth of history or art. Art is only as powerful as the men and women who created it, and it is only through understanding those people that we can understand the art itself.