Art History Introduction

[pat41ful]

When I saw your video I was reminded of Renoir. " He hated any notion of artists being more than simple laborers who day after day had a job to do - paint."

This point of view may make art somehow more accessible.

Check out my art I made three short videos. Thanks!

[cannoir]

but most painter were rich folk.they can hate labor because they had enough time to explore and workaround conventions and rules.That alone is a luxury che non ho.

[rabbitwood12]

I appreciate your desire to share these opinions in such an accessible manner. Youtube is a perfect medium to facilitate the type of universality you speak of in your video. Respect.

[RypeIdeas]

i totally agree, and the story about the horse sculpture reminds me of every statue nose in egypt...

[MikeInterpreter]

Although I generally agree with your opinion, I don't agree that the majority of people view art and artists as being "other worldly" as you put it. Especially nowadays when anybody can call themselves a "modern artist" with little to no training. Then they just prey upon the ignorance and gulibility of the masses. The simple fact is that most peoples last art class was in 6th or 7th grade. They walk into a museum trying to appreciate a master work with a 6th grade art education.

[claudiasansaya]

hola te invitamos a participar en ARHTYW. 

[ThePunjabdholi123456]

can you help me more on this stuff??

[BlakeBarbieDoll]

Well done. I look forward to sharing this with my nieces.

[TiminPhoenix]

I hope you become a professor one day and can use your talent at teaching to the greatest degree.

Really, yours is an excellent video.

[N8wood1]

i am an artist. so if you like art you should check out my video.

[painxtreme]

I had a similar discussion with my very first Art Professor. I told her I felt that Art was as much a feeling as an ability. She responded with. "Well, then, we have a lot of work to do on your ability then, don't we?"

[oscargurses]

...lol, she might have been correct. in any case, its more like the ability to express your feeling in a way that can stimulate others.

[oxauna]

windy

[Poonard]

@oxauna almost like a sane bob ross without little secret bushes...well..maybe. :) keep it up!

[oxauna]

:) I agree - you are so right

[mayisirris]

loved the essay. thank you.

[cdkeeton77]

I remember wanting to be an intellectual like this guy in college. Now I just struggle to even make art. Perhaps if I had just enjoyed the creative process I would not be flipping burgers at a Dairy Queen in Kentucky now.

[WaterSpirit89]

that is crazy!! art is art, it comes from the heart, dont mean to rhyme : ) but yeah, how do you think the greats did it, with a couple books or by following their instincts? :)

[retePtnecniV]

books AND instincts

one of the easiest questions ever asked

[WaterSpirit89]

that was a rhetorical question, i wasn't really asking, im just saying for those who glue themselves to books should follow their instinct first, the first artists had no books.

[0ubermann2]

There are ALWAYS options my friend..

Get up, leave, go somewhere, be something..

Find an interest and be the best at it.

[almohvn33]

why are your hands flying?

[kmish213]

shut the fuck up

[jnewseattle]

right on! great intro to what you want to do! I really want to know more about art! I don't think you are being snobish either, and I wouldn't care if you were! I might mention one of my basic motivations for higher learning though... I want to be a character in a Dan Brown novel, so in order to make that happen I feel I really need to learn as much about mathematics, art, psychology, and history! lol.. i know its ridiculous but hey... im a college student! :D

[kataihase]

He has such a sweet sound:)

[billmtracer]

"It is through art that we exit Plato's cave." This was the most profound thing he said.

[oldskoolmacboy]

The first part was absolute rubbish and the use of this kind of language is what's wrong with art education today. The use of long winded big thought provoking sentences. If you want to get across Art history, break it down into component parts for the general public. The use of new media is there to help us. Why shouldn't it be in an easily digestible format? Art is not elitist, it's for everyone it's fascinating and a historical commentary. Let's lose the snobbery.

[Dwnofthded]

heres art history for you in its component parts in plain english, "art used to be good now its fuckin balls!" its no longer about the work its about the price now, diamond skulls lol fuckin BALLS

[nahhboss]

Just as a response to 'art is not elitist'; conversely, art has often been elitist- as it had been back then, and as it is now. Art, at SEVERAL points of history has been used to demonstrate power, divinity (think Church, Christ Icons) or wealth, elitism, status (think all the amazing LouisXIV paintings and such). Today, most people dont have time for 'art'- if you follow a Marxist discourse, art is left solely for the IDLE, and then the WEALTHY, i.e. those who have an abundance of time.

[Serbpride4lif]

Art is not elitist...or cant you understand that???? You can buy cheaply priced pop art, prints or photographs..all of which offer great art at affordable prices that everyone in the developed world could afford to buy and enjoy. Art is to be enjoyed its as simple as that.

[nahhboss]

However this discourse is arguable as art is in every part of our lives- esp. now in ways that it is used as the 'new media' , regardless of its negative or positive implicatioons. It is extremely commercial, and global. At the same time, we regard art as a product of something extremely personal. Here lies the crux of the dilemma. And I really don't think the first part was rubbish at all. He was using quite clear, coherent English, from what I heard...

[oldskoolmacboy]

I get the feeling that this guy is stroking his own ego. Everything I dislike about art students and historians. A painful video to watch. I disagree, complete self indulgent rubbish.

[dianinQ]

you win! ...jk but yeah you're absolutely right... what else can i say

[jmmurphy2]

Thank you! This is exactly what I want and need right now. Will you be cerating more videos? I really hope so. JMx

[dianinQ]

i guess i didn't really mean we should simplify our english i meant our words, you know?

[dianinQ]

I love art, its history, its purpose, etc. but if we don't start simplifying our english people are just going to keep being bored with it... I have to admit art is complex and sometimes there are only a few words that can describe certain movements, periods, artists, etc.

[EyeLean5280]

I couldn't agree with you less.

First off, our language has been "simplified" enough. Second, the power of English, which is neither lyrical nor poetic, is in its precision. It is so precise because its vocabulary is so huge (over twice as many words as the next biggest, which is French).

Second, beautiful speech only bores people who can't appreciate beautiful speech.

You don't have to be here. You are free to watch simple videos with simple talk made for simple people.

[dianinQ]

It's ironic how you talk about beautiful speech while being incredibly rude.

However, I agree with you. Beautiful speech bores those who can't appreciate it.

If you're going to talk about freedom the why not consider freedom of speech. What I wrote my opinion and I don't need your approval. I appreciate your opinion regardless because I don't only believe in the power of speech but also in the power of listening and being more tolerant of other people's opinions.

[RemmyVanRijn]

There are plenty of books with simplified english...it's just that most of them target children.

I think communicating logically and concisely is key. If the reader/listener can understand the jist or general idea of what your saying, that will make up for any "big words" you use in the details.

[aperchedeagle]

Fantastic insights into art, man.I am writing a film about an artist who doesnt believe in herself (can't give away more than that!) and I don't know much about art and just from watching that FANTASTIC intro to your series I am convinced you are both knowledgable and in touch with exactly what art means.I feel the same way about films, and plays(and all art) that you do.The universal human experience. Sadly, people have started to seek entertatainment rather than catharsis.I will give both! :(

[antityranny]

I am of the opinion (pompous as it may seem) that we are entering a Dark Age of technology. Any effort to bring "art to the people" will most certainly fail because most of "the people" are in Socrates "cave", which, in our time, is the very medium used to entertain them.  And remember, Socrates banished the poets! He was also opposed to the arts. What, therefore, would he think of the art you use to reflect the arts? People must not be led. They must be left. All else is arrogance.

[EyeLean5280]

I'm wondering if perhaps you mean Plato (I could be wrong - it's been a long time).

Still, I agree with what you say about entering a Dark Age. A very Dark Age. For many reasons.

But if our world continues putting effort resources into bickering over religious ideas, it will come down on us all the faster and harder.

[pakarpis]

As an artist I appreciate your goal to

help the average person enjoy the visual arts. I think music fairs better because people are exposed more to new music. New works of art are more difficult to access.

[EyeLean5280]

I'm not sure you and I have the same veiw of Tetraopteryx's goal. I think he seeks to understand art profoundly and hopes that others will come along with him on that journey. That's not the same as trying to engage the "average" person.

The opacity of contemporary art is certainly a problem. But is the solution to throw images at the viewer in rapid succession, accompanied by pop music?

Or is the solution to encourage people to slow down, think and educate themselves?

[skyhighlady]

good for you, great purpose! keep at it!

[funerallimosine1]

i'm studying art history at university next year, nice one mate for mentioning radiohead

[tw0k1ngs]

It is a known fact Leonardo's nickname was "The father of greenhouse gases".

[EyeLean5280]

Are you saying that because he was vegetarian?

[dianinQ]

lmao.....

[voodoochild22]

All 'great' individuals have felt this feeling of uselessness in their work- yes, it might be beautiful but what is the point in this beauty? What is beauty? Man's time is short, why bother with such fanciful exploits? Such is the mind that questions everything. This then leads to the very refined 'perfecting' of one's efforts.

Had to share!

[EyeLean5280]

True. Leonardo complained in his notebooks about his frustration with the gulf between what he had imagined and what he ended up creating. Now try to picture how much "better" Leonardo's ideas seemed in his mind than on his canvases! No wonder his output was so small.

[voodoochild22]

only communicate what is essential. Also it is not understandable to those without a good imagination how having the work already completed to perfection in one's mind can dissuade the artist from attempting with the brush. How could you expect to touch on such a thing with crude matter?

[voodoochild22]

period. He also had a terribly fractured childhood and was later accused of lewd sexual acts... and so on. He was the opposite of lazy, to most people who can't paint they think that if they could, then they would do it all the time, this is not the case because upon obtaining the prerequisite knowledge for painting well, you find that painting for the sake of painting is folly and one must

[voodoochild22]

If we can say anything of Leonardo with complete certainty it is that he was a grafter of the first order. Take his literary output alone, even the small fraction of what remains is beyond the ability (in every sense) of nearly most people today. Then realise that he had many many other interests and lived in a horrible time in history when you could expect to live for a far shorter

[foozlefoozle]

a real pleasure to hear you discuss art with such eloquence and passion... in a couple of days, I will start a course on Art History, to try and become a docent in the Huntington Gallery of The Huntington, San Marino. I look forward to hearing your sequence. Thanks loads for sharing your views and thoughts. Art education is a terrific fit for your talent. Go for it!

[EyeLean5280]

Excellent. Refreshing.

Looking forward to more.

[Flashingpohny]

I was very glad to hear your opinion because it's exactly the same way I'm thinking about art!:D Are you also studying arthistory perhaps? Please continue with these videos!

[tetraopteryx]

I'm glad you like it! thanks for your kind words!

[mariabeja]

thanks so much for this! can't wait to see more!

[gaybullet]

like the vid thnkxxx very much !!

[bethrhu]

I enjoyed this and the Cimabue one -- I will use them for my online course. Are you aware of my blog - smARThistory -- that seeks to do some similar things?

[jesshamm]

Woops, you were cut off at the end!

[jesshamm]

YEs, but Leonardo was a very hard worker. He was the opposite of lazy.

PS, I like your puppet in the background.