Art Historical Questions

Art historians ask many different kinds of questions as they attempt to more fully understand artworks. They ask factual questions about artworks and about the contexts in which artworks are made. They ask interpretive questions to help them understand what they meant in the culture in which they were made. And they ask questions to help them better understand how individual artworks relate to other artworks. You may find these questions helpful in guiding your own fuller understanding.

  1. Facts About The Artwork:
    1. Reproductions
      What can I learn about how this reproduction is different from the original artwork?
    2. Condition
      What can I determine about the condition of the artwork?
    3. Subject Matter
      What can I determine about what the artwork depicts, if anything?
    4. Tools, Materials, And Processes
      What can learn out about how the artwork was made?
    5. Sensory Elements
      What visual elements do you see?
    6. Formal Organization
      How do the elements in the artwork fit together?
  2. Contextual Facts:
    1. Natural Context
      What can I learn about the natural environment where the artwork was made?
    2.  Functional Context
      What can I learn about how the artwork was used?
    3. Cultural Context
      What can I determine about what people thought, believed, or did in the culture in which the artwork was made?
    4. Artworld Context
      What can I learn about the art ideas, beliefs, and activities that were important in the culture in which the artwork was made?
  3. Cultural/Historical Interpretation
    1. Maker's Intention
      What can I learn about why the maker wanted the artwork to look the way it does?
    2. Viewer Understanding
      What can I determine about how the viewer, patron, or user understood the artwork?
    3. Cultural Impact
      What can I learn about how the artwork was understood within culture in which it was made?
    4. Your Understanding
      What does the artwork mean to you here and now?
  4. Explanation Of Relationships Among Artworks:
    1. Style
      How does the artwork look like other artworks?
    2. Influence
      What can I find out about how earlier artworks influenced this artwork or about whether this artwork influenced later artworks?
    3. Theme
      What general ideas might help explain the artwork?