The history of art movements and each of their respective contents are vital to understanding and capturing the history of America. These movements each were created in a response to the political and social issues of their times, employing forms such as photography, painting, and performance art in order to comment on, express, and navigate the ideas about each of these issues. Outlets of art not only facilitated the spread of news and ideas around the country, but also became a platform at times for political activism, as well as documented the history within their time periods. It also created an outlet for people to express their emotions and depict the struggles and triumphs of the American people in the time periods of each respective movement.
Art has commonly been an incredibly important platform of spreading ideas and news throughout the country. It gives the artist an ability to capture the aspects of a time period or moment, allowing others who were not there to view it in a similar way. It encapsulates a movement and spreads it to other parts of the country. Art has contributed to this through the journalism and print world, as the creation of photography led to the first aspects of photojournalism that allowed readers to understand at a greater standpoint the severity of the civil war. Similarly, the Art Deco movement greatly influenced magazines and advertisements that would spread information throughout the country. Through these outlets, art facilitated the widespread of images and ideas of history.
The eras and forms of Art history have often been responses to societal issues that called for an outlet that would express the views of the American people, not only to reflect their opinions, but to voice their desire for change. After the Civil War, art shifted to a more realistic portrayal of reality, depicting the struggles of the American people. Similarly, “New Deal” art was used to portray the difficult working conditions of and plight of the working class in early twentieth century America. Art was used to depict these difficulties and document their struggles to the rest of the American people. Art as political activism has also been greatly utilized by artists and people alike, for example, when feminists used performance art in order to support their movement.
By capturing the opinions, experiences, and stories of American people, art history captures the moments of its time and serves to document its historical context. Not only does it give an artistic representation of these times, but offers the opinions of Americans and helps us to understand American history more deeply. Had the Harlem Renaissance not ignited an artistic movement, stereotypes of African Americans may have taken much longer to subside. Viewing these images now allows people to understand the history of that time and severity of racial stereotypes in the US. As a viewer in modern times, art allows us to view a first hand account of history and further understand the difficulties of their time.
Though art is beneficial to our understanding of historical moments, it lacks the complete ability to document history. Instead of replacing historical documents such as texts, letters, and newspapers, it instead acts as a supplement to these important aspects, broadening and personalizing our understanding of the American people. It vitally supports and enhances knowledge of the history of America. Through its representation of historical difficulties, art forms have facilitated a spread of information and expression, as well as created political voices. Viewing these images today allows a person to visually understand conflicts and achievements in the US, leading to a greater understanding of the timeline of American History since 1865.
Art has commonly been an incredibly important platform of spreading ideas and news throughout the country. It gives the artist an ability to capture the aspects of a time period or moment, allowing others who were not there to view it in a similar way. It encapsulates a movement and spreads it to other parts of the country. Art has contributed to this through the journalism and print world, as the creation of photography led to the first aspects of photojournalism that allowed readers to understand at a greater standpoint the severity of the civil war. Similarly, the Art Deco movement greatly influenced magazines and advertisements that would spread information throughout the country. Through these outlets, art facilitated the widespread of images and ideas of history.
The eras and forms of Art history have often been responses to societal issues that called for an outlet that would express the views of the American people, not only to reflect their opinions, but to voice their desire for change. After the Civil War, art shifted to a more realistic portrayal of reality, depicting the struggles of the American people. Similarly, “New Deal” art was used to portray the difficult working conditions of and plight of the working class in early twentieth century America. Art was used to depict these difficulties and document their struggles to the rest of the American people. Art as political activism has also been greatly utilized by artists and people alike, for example, when feminists used performance art in order to support their movement.
By capturing the opinions, experiences, and stories of American people, art history captures the moments of its time and serves to document its historical context. Not only does it give an artistic representation of these times, but offers the opinions of Americans and helps us to understand American history more deeply. Had the Harlem Renaissance not ignited an artistic movement, stereotypes of African Americans may have taken much longer to subside. Viewing these images now allows people to understand the history of that time and severity of racial stereotypes in the US. As a viewer in modern times, art allows us to view a first hand account of history and further understand the difficulties of their time.
Though art is beneficial to our understanding of historical moments, it lacks the complete ability to document history. Instead of replacing historical documents such as texts, letters, and newspapers, it instead acts as a supplement to these important aspects, broadening and personalizing our understanding of the American people. It vitally supports and enhances knowledge of the history of America. Through its representation of historical difficulties, art forms have facilitated a spread of information and expression, as well as created political voices. Viewing these images today allows a person to visually understand conflicts and achievements in the US, leading to a greater understanding of the timeline of American History since 1865.