Art History 101 . . . Without the Exams: Looking Closely at Objects from the History of Art

by Annie Labatt

Why is something a masterpiece? Art History 101 . . . Without the Exams is about revisiting famous works of art that we may have studied in an art history class or seen in a textbook. Each discussion delves into one great masterpiece and asks the questions that help us understand how it has shaped history. What is the piece about? How did the original owner look at this piece? Where was it originally placed? Why is it in this museum now? How did it get famous? From the sixth-century mosaics of Ravenna and the painted bulls of Altamira, Spain, dated 12,500 BCE, to an incense burner from twelfth-century Seljuk Iran, frescoes from a Late Byzantine funerary chapel, and masterworks by Botticelli, Caravaggio, Monet, and Sargent, this book shows readers how to look closely. It welcomes us to the joy of art history—but without the papers, notes, and exams.

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

536 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2022

Reviews

[Hansi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only a few chapters in and I'm disappointed by how the author chose to discuss looting of Assyrian art from Iraq and what it means for all these treasures from around the world to be in the British Museum. She starts talking about colonialism a little bit, but then makes a U-turn to talk about how museums like the British museum are our only hope for saving these historical treasures, completely ignoring how unrest in the region and the demand for pillaging these sites is directly connected

"Those people with guns and hammers are brutes... Museums can save us... He [Ashurnasirpal, the Assyrian king] gives us that gift."

I honestly thought this book must have been written decades ago but was astonished that she published this in 2022, when criticisms of British Museum are well known to anyone even barely tuned into those conversations.

She keeps talking about how pieces of the Assyrian empire are scattered around the world, and by that she means museums and universities of the Global North, without a hint of irony.

By setting it up as a us vs. them, she also talks about how we who "respect religion, art, and life itself" can be saviors. But had she not heard that Hobby Lobby was involved in a massive operation looting treasures from Iraq during the war, because they were obsessed by finding connections between ancient art and the Bible. What does she have to say about that?

So far the only reason I'm giving this book 2 stars is because it promised to be an informative read but quickly losing hope here!

[Connor David Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now I feel like a LITTLE less of an imposter w my cultivated reputation at my workplace

[Loree · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s hard for me to review this book because it was much more detail than I was ready for right now. I need something more like Art History for Dummies.