No more memorizing timelines — these 4 core themes will revolutionize the way you learn art history
2020 went by really fast. After the expansion, the new MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) has opened its doors to the public for more than a year!
When the first group of visitors walked into the exhibition hall of Pablo Picasso’s “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (1907), they were surprised to find another oil painting exhibited alongside it — “American People Series #20: Die” (1967) by contemporary artist Faith Ringgold. These two paintings were created six decades apart.
This is actually an innovative move by the museum, which has carried out a large-scale reform of the way the permanent collections are displayed, hoping to break away from the traditional art history narrative. Here, the art gallery emphasizes that Ringgold’s work was largely influenced by Picasso, especially his depiction of fear and violence in Guernica.
This comparison method has received mixed reviews among art critics, but it allows us to see another dimension of art history outside of chronology — themes.
The themes we’re talking about refer to some concepts and ideas that have repeatedly appeared in artistic creations in different regions, eras and cultural backgrounds, or in the interpretation of these artistic creations by art historians.
Now, let’s take a dive into some of the most fundamental themes in art history.
Theme 1: Physical Geography and Human Activities
As a type of human activity, art is deeply affected by the natural environment.
The relationship between the two is not limited to art depicting nature, but extends to other ways of interaction such as art transforming nature and nature as the conditions and limitations of artistic creation. Especially in early stages of human society, the use of certain materials in artistic creation itself is worth studying.
For example, research has shown that in Stonehenge, a prehistoric site in England, the stones used to build the round stone forest were transported from a location 25 kilometers away, indicating that these stones are likely to be special or even sacred to the builders. This finding has further deepened the great significance of Stonehenge to builders and users.
Theme 2: Religious belief and worship
Since ancient times, religion has been an important subject of art, and these artworks in turn have become an important part of religious worship. On the other hand, the church also played the role of art patrons, which largely determined the path of development of art history at that time.
For instance, Renaissance-era German artist Lucas Cranach the Elder used his work “Allegory of Law and Grace” to depict the Protestant tolerance of salvation and the harshness of Catholicism, making it a critical piece during the Reformation.
In order to promote Protestantism to the public, the work is created as woodcut letterpress, which enables mass printing. At the same time, the text used in the artwork is in German, which was commonly used, instead of Latin, the official language of the church.
Theme 3: Secular power and wealth
In addition to religion, another influence that has dominated art for a long time is secular power, including royals, nobles, wealthy warlords, political leaders and so on. Every detail in these paintings symbolizes the patron’s prominent status and wealth.
For example, in this portrait painted by Velázquez for King Philip IV of Spain, his bright silver-rimmed robe, the silver baton in his hand and the saber beside him all show that this portrait is painted to celebrate the victory of a war.
The red of this robe is not ordinary red, but the unique carmine red of cochineal from America. This red dye was “exclusively imported” from the Americas by the Spanish in the 16th century and gained popularity in Europe, making Spain a fortune. In the 17th and 18th centuries, dyes extracted from cochineal became important materials second only to gold and silver.
Theme 4: Identity Politics and Civil Rights
Let’s look back at the two paintings at MoMA. Apart from the common portrayal of pain and violence, according to the curator, there is another tacit connection between them.
Picasso’s aggressive and invasive portrayal of female nudes in “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” shocked the world, and in order to achieve this, he extensively appropriated the visual language of African art.
Ringgold happens to be an African-American female artist. Interpretations like this, which are based on the creator’s personal identity and life experience, can be widely applied to various ages and regions in art history with sufficient historical evidence. However, actively using this as a starting point for creation basically only exists in modern and contemporary art . In this giant canvas, Ringgold tried to document her own perspective and feelings as an African-American female artist in the 1960s, against the backdrop of racial tension and the resulting national riots back then.
The above-mentioned themes are just the tip of the iceberg in the academic discussion of art history. But understanding them and the way of thinking they represent will make art history more interesting, and broaden our thinking when appreciating a work of art. If you are interested in this way of learning art history, we highly recommend the Coursera online course “Modern Art and Ideas” provided by MoMA.
