ART HISTORY 1

ART HISTORY

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Course

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Art History

Art history refers to the study of items and objects of art in relation to their time

period. Art history includes studying aesthetic objects and visual expression. These are

studied in a historical and stylistic perspective and context. There are various forms of art

history, which include drawing, painting, decorative arts, architecture, ceramics, and

sculpture. Art history involves studying and examining different objects formed by different

cultures around the globe. These objects are significant in the various cultures, and they

convey an important meaning in the community and serve a useful purpose within the

community. Art history is a practice that combines religious, political, artistic, economic, and

cultural disciplines that produce the visual appearance of the work of art.

Threats to Artwork

There are several phenomena that can threaten the work of art and can be divided into

two; natural and human threats. These threats can destroy already created artwork. A threat

can be defined as a statement of intention to inflict damage. A threat can be posed by

something or somebody. Natural threats are those threats that are initiated by natural

phenomena like sun, dust, rain, earthquakes, and wind, among others. Most of the time, these

threats are uncontrollable by human beings. There are several examples of art work that

damaged and destroyed by natural disasters in art history.

These include; in the year 1966, Cimabue’s crucifix of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy,

was destroyed beyond recognition. Cimabue’s crucifix was created in the year 1288 during

Byzantine art. The crucifix was destroyed and lost around 60% of its paint when the Arno

River flooded in Florence town (Artspace Editors, 2019). Also, millions of artwork, such as

Gates of Paradise, Magdalene Penitent, National Central Library, and Gabinetto Vieuseuxx

Library, among others, were destroyed during that time, and around 101 people died as a
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result of the flood. The flood was caused by landslides that had blocked tunnels of Arno

River hence causing the floods. Another example of artwork that was destroyed is the Bronze

Colossus that was erected on the Greek island of Rhodes in 280 BC and was 108 feet high. It

was constructed by Chares of Lindos and was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World. The Bronze Colossus collapsed in 226 BC during an earthquake (Artspace

Editors, 2019).

The artwork is also faced with human threats, which are threats that are as a result of

human activities and critics. Some examples of human threats to artwork include cyber risk,

social gathering, and improper installation. In most cases, the government is not in control of

what is posted in social media. Photography and posting is something that is widespread and

often happens wherever there are social gathering. People can take photos in front of high-

value artwork, which is a leak of the artwork’s privacy. This may not be the plan of the

intended purpose of the artwork. Cyber risk happens when people can link photos in social

media with places where they can be found. These people, most of the times, have malicious

interests like stealing the piece of artwork. A good example of this is the stealing of historic

and high-value painting from Oxford College gallery (Otte, 2020). It is said that the pieces of

artwork date back to the 16th and 17th centuries. The stolen pieces of the artwork include

Anthony Van Dyck’s Soldier on Horseback of 1616 and Salvator Rosa’s Rocky Coast with

Soldiers Studying a Plan of the late 1640s (Otte, 2020).

Pre-historic Artwork

Some examples of pre-historic artwork include the megalithic architecture and dome

building. Megalithic architecture refers to the construction of structures consisting of a very

large stone. Megalithic architecture can be divided into two that is monuments and

arrangement of stones. Megalithic constructions or architecture included houses, towers,

tombs, and temples. Megalithic architectures are characterized by structures made of large

stones without necessarily using concrete or mortar. Megalithic structures are significant in a

particular culture as they notify the level of permanence or sedentary lifestyle in a particular

community. Dome buildings are architectures that are curve-shaped. They are the strongest

structures that are quick and easy to erect (Hicks, 2016).

Examples of Megalithic structures and dome buildings include Stonehenge found in

Wiltshire, England. It is a megalithic monument that consists of a ring of standing stones

each 13 feet high and 7 feet wide. Newgrange tomb is another example of a megalithic

structure, which is a monument dating between 3000-2500 BCE. It is found in the Boyne

Valley in Ireland. Newgrange is basically made up of a large mound with alternating layers of

earth and stones. It also has grass growing on the top of the top surrounded by white quartz

stones. The entrance of Newgrange is made up of large stone slabs known as Orthostats. All

these make it a beautiful tourist attraction site. Tholos tombs of Mycenae, Greece, which

dates between 1300-1200 BCE, is another example of a dome building. Tholos tomb is a

stone-built, corbel-vaulted, and dome-shaped, which is pointed at the top. It was built using

the ashlar masonry, which gives a conical shape.

Pantheon is another example of a dome building, which is a former Roman temple. It

was constructed in 113-125 AD and was exclusive and dedicated to pagan gods in Rome,

Italy. It was made up of bricks and concrete divided into three sections; a portico with granite

columns, a huge dome-shaped rotunda, and a rectangular-shaped area joining the two parts.

Finally, Florence Cathedral found in Florence, Italy, which is a dome building. It was

constructed between 1296 and 1436. This building includes Renaissance architecture, Gothic

revival architecture, Gothic architecture, and Italian Gothic architecture (Mueller, 2014). It

was designed by Filippo Brunelleschi and is the most beautiful structure in Florence city.
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References

Artspace Editors. (2020). Times Nature Won Over Art: Natural Disasters and Culture.

Retrieved from https://www.artspace.com/magazine/art_101/perspectives/5-times-nature-

won-over-art-natural-disasters-and-culture-56382

Hicks J.S. (2016) Dome Design Materials and Construction Methods. In: Building a

Roll-Off Roof or Dome Observatory. The Patrick Moore Practical Astronomy Series.

Springer, New York, NY.

Mueller, T. (2014). Brunelleschi's Dome. Retrieved from

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2014/02/Il-Duomo/

Otte, J. (2020). Historic, high-value paintings stolen from Oxford college gallery.

Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/mar/15/historic-high-value-

paintings-stolen-from-oxford-college-gallery