Posted: March 18th, 2022

Art History as Fiction

Guidelines for Papers

Topic-
Select one of the chapter articles posted on Blackboard under the course documents tab. About half of your paper needs to provide a summary of the article that includes the primary argument and major points of the article that you chose. The other half of your paper needs to evaluate and critically analyze the article. Compare the information and perspective gained from the article with the relevant material from your textbook. Integrate what you learned from the article with what you have learned from the class. Include some of your own thoughts, observations, and suggestions as well. Be specific in your critique and provide support for your statements. When quoting or paraphrasing, always cite your source.
Format-
The title of your paper should make it clear which article you chose as the topic of your study. The paper needs to be 4-5 typed, double-spaced pages using 11 or 12 point font. No bibliography page is necessary. A simple citation system will suffice, using parentheses. For example the citation (Kleiner: 19) following a sentence would mean that you are either quoting or paraphrasing from page 19 in the textbook. Likewise a quote or paraphrase from the article that you chose will be structured: (author’s last name: page referenced).
Art History as Fiction
The Roman culture in the renaissance time is a very important for art historians: it has been studied by historians through analysis of arts and poetry. The most crucial item that has been utilized by art historians to analyses this period is the numerous pieces of fine paintings that are made in this time period. Over the renaissance period, the roman civilization saw a large number of painters whose work is admired and studied to date. Painters are concentrated more in the northern cities of Venice, Florence among others while other professions especially concerned with justice and governance are concentrated in the southern cities which include Madrid among others. These painters encoded society’s art, history, and politics, among others. This means that they were not necessarily recording history while doing their work (Barolsky, 16).
Barolsky notes that there has been varied interpretation of each of the Italian pieces of art which brings different meanings as the Interpretation has been very imaginative and cannot be considered to be factual. If art historians choose to record their interpretation as factual history, then it would be made up of very many fables. Barolsky does not work to dispute any interpretation by earlier of current art historians but only informs the readers that the interpretations cannot be considered to be factual. In some instance, he also reviews other aspects of several paintings done by Italian renaissance artists (Barolsky, 9).
Art historians for instance Malvisia or Vasari used a lot of fables in what they assumed was historical narratives. Later on and even in the current century, trained art historians transcend fiction as they interpret various works or events. This has led to having very imaginative accounts that are said to be historical events that took place, despite the importance of art historians to screen tales, fables and poetry from these early works of arts and represent the true historical account.
Some events that can be deemed to be imaginative include the assertion that painter Leonardo Da Vinci hired clowns and musicians to keep Mona Lisa busy as he painted. The other includes Vasari’s conclusion that painter Raphael refused to work in Agostino Chigi’s villa if his girlfriend was not allowed to stay with him. This cannot be factually proven and should not be taken as a true historical fact as this could have been a fable like the later one about Fornarina. In the painting school of Athens, It is also common for some art historians to conclude that there are a collection of portraits and philosophers of the time (Barolsky, 12). The writer Vasari assumes he saw some artists’ portraits. However, this cannot be proven.
On the other hand, Barolsky recognizes that such paintings can help in recounting of history, including paintings done to cover events. Such may include Veronese painting of the marriage at Cana. Others that also suggest and make references to important persons and painters of the time are Masaccio’s Saint Peters Healing by His shadow (Barolsky, 13). Michelangelo’s last judgment also helps reveal the religion of his time as well as people he had encountered in his life as he painted them either in heaven or in hell (Barolsky, 15). It also reveals that he considered himself a martyr like Bartholomew.
Barolsky’s views are supported by some historians but refuted by others. Those who support Barolsky’ ideas suggest that art historians should not conclude that their translation of given piece of art is a true historical account of an event. This is due to the recognition that artistic expressions by artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael could not have been entirely factual. These artists drew their inspiration from various events including the tales and legends of their communities. Their expressions were simple, artistic and poetic. The characters represented on the paintings could be real, imaginative or drawn from various myths and fables of the time.
On the other hand, some paintings provide some near factual information concerning their age, the political systems of the day, art and poetry among others. This makes them important sources of information especially as far as confirming dates and events recorded in written forms is concerned (Hartt & Wilkins, 47). At the same time, custom essay writing service it is common to have painters display portraits of important personalities of the time which might include the portrait of Michelangelo and Bartholomew in Last Judgment, the portrait of saint peter from Masaccio’s Saint Peters Healing by His shadow among others (Hartt & Wilkins, 21). This leads to a widespread acceptance of art especially the renaissance paintings in Italy as important resources that can be used to enrich history recorded in other forms through providing fine details. The above paintings offer a very crucial aid in reconstruction of history of art in the period where it was considered trivia, and unnecessary to record. This artistic expression covers the society’s music, imagination, tales, poetry among others and hence important.
In the past, several art historians have provided very contradicting and imaginative explanation of a particular painting, which has been worsened by presentation of their opinions as factual accounts (Adams, 78). Art historians should clearly label their opinions. The reader should be allowed an opportunity to determine what is real and what the conclusion was made by art historians about any subject maters. Art historians should avoid making their analysis of art to appear like fables.

Reference
Barolsky, P. (January 01, 1996). Art history as fiction. Artibus Et Historiae / Istituto Internationale Per Le Ricerche Di Storia Dell’arte (irsa), 9-17.
Hartt, F., & Wilkins, D. G. (2011). History of Italian Renaissance art: Painting, sculpture, architecture. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Adams, L. (2001). Italian Renaissance art. Boulder, Colo: Westview Press.

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