Part II Discussion

1. I believe it is important to study the history of images. It is good to know

where you came from and how you got there and I believe studying the
history of images can help tell us the story of our history and how society has
formed to what it is today. It is also important to study the history of images
because there is more to the image than we think. If we did not study the
history of images we would just take an image for what it is. By
understanding the history, we are able to get an insight as to why the image
was taken at that particular moment.
2. From studying the history of art, we learn the culture of different time
periods based on how people expressed themselves through art. During
times where everything was not written down, we in some instances only
have art to try to piece together what it was like to live in that time period.
We can understand the cultural norms and the way society worked. For many
years paintings would not have women staring directly at the viewer of the
picture. From this we learned the standards of men and women in this time.
This is just one example of what we can take away from art that helps us
learn about history.
3. I believe that having only male architects and artists presented is a
problem. It shows us that women were not always given equal opportunity as
men. Although women can create equally as beautiful and unique art as men
they are not given the same credit. This is a problem because it creates a
double standard and gender imbalance. I believe this is a problem because it
can discourage women from becoming artists and showing their creative
aspects. Especially in a society where equality is very important, this display
of only males creates a problem.
4. I believe there is such thing as European identity. With many factors such
as language, different cultures, and territorial differences suggesting
otherwise, I believe there is such an identity. Coming from Canada and taking
this course has proven this identity to me. Through religion, art, education
and politics, an identity has been created. Religion is a big form of this
identity which helped contribute to its creation. As shown in class, the vast
majority of Europe is Catholic giving them that religious identity. Almost, if
not every city has a big cathedral and place of worship. Education is freely
studied through borders and Europeans can travel amongst their countries to
get the best education for themselves. Europe as a whole is headed by the
EU, uniting all of the countries so that there is a clear head of leadership and
union to help guide them together. By working together, Europe has created
unity amongst countries and is giving them an identity. The countries within

Europe help each other out through imports and exports, making many
goods and services available to everyone. Art is shared throughout Europe
but yet the most distinct and famous artists are from different countries but
give Europe that art identity. Through the topics studied in this course I
believe such a European identity exists.
5. From studying art history I have learned to not judge a book by its cover.
Being in the 21st century, I automatically perceive the painting as how they
are. I learned to think more critically about the artist themselves and what
they were thinking when creating the painting. I learned that there is a lot
more to art than just what I perceive at first glance. Studying art history also
gives me an insight as too what was going on in society when the art was
created. I learned how society was, and the norms were of the time.
I feel that studying art history will be useful to me in the future. Although I
am an accounting student from Canada, studying art history has helped me
learn the back ground and growth of Europe as a whole. Through
understanding the history, I am able to get a better concept as to how things
operate in Europe today and understand the transformation Europe has gone
through over the years. With future hopes of doing business in Europe, this
understanding of Europes history will help me comprehend why certain
things are the way they are.
6. the most interesting period of European art was the 19th century and the
beginning of the modern era. It was the most interesting time period
because it was during this time period when the French Revolution occurred
and in my eyes, there was a big change in society during this century. It was
interesting to learn about the art that portrayed and displayed this time
period through the emotions and expressions from the painters themselves.
The least interesting period to learn about was during the 14th century.
During this time period Religion was the main focal point of art, and the
different ways of portraying Jesus Christ. Although I came from a Catholic
High school in Canada, religion and religious art history did not interest me.