Having now completed my undergraduate degree in History of Art at the University of Warwick, a full gamut of lessons that I have learnt throughout my studies from the past three years immediately come to mind. I believe that this is an apt manner for me to end off my time as President at the society. I hope that both current and prospective candidates for this degree can gain some awareness as to what the broader lessons one gains from pursuing this fantastically well-rounded, multi-faceted degree subject.
In no particular order, I shall commence with a handful of academic and professional lessons that I have learnt in my art history degree.
Look up:
As someone who has been blessed enough to have studied this wonderful subject for the past five years (including in sixth form), perhaps the most important advice I have been told that stuck with me would be to simply look up. I contend that, particularly in the case of buildings and monuments, the best way to absorb and process visual effects and structural layering over time is by looking up around you. Buildings and cities evolve over time. They are not static but, rather, have a dynamic and intricate story. One becomes more historically aware of different styles and artistic practices coming into play. Often, the most powerful art and architectural details are seen above eye-level. This point was tangibly reinforced during my recent (and hugely memorable) undergraduate term abroad in Venice, whereby every street and building was a masterpiece in itself.
Condensing vast quantities of information down into digestible chunks:
Whilst many humanities involving summarising huge quantities of details into concise and brief synopses which can be thoroughly analysed, art history is the only subject which involves condensing visual information. Subjectivity makes this particularly tricky. The essays, coursework, assignments, assessments, oral presentations and group projects that I have executed across my undergraduate degree have proved how significant it is to be able to eloquently lay out your thoughts, observations, ideas and evaluations. Art history teaches you to confidently pick apart and interpret insightfully art historical texts and visual material.
Communication abilities, presentation skills and clarity of articulation:
It has been gratifying to witness first-hand how far my coursemates and I have come in terms of advancing our communication capabilities, strengthening our public speaking skills and furthering our coherence in (written and spoken) articulation. It has longer-term advantages, for instance in being persuasive during job interviews, in university society speeches or in written post-graduate applications.
Diligence and attention to detail:
In History of Art, it is essential that one pays attention to detail. Be that for the texture, medium, palette, surface patina, scale, provenance, evidence of restoration, conservation solutions or authentication of an artwork. I now question what is put in front of me even more so than ever before. I have learnt the importance of questioning and challenging arguments – both your own and those of others – because art history is full of fakes, frauds, mistakes, human errors, alterations and mis-interpretations. One can distinguish an art historian versus a member of the general public when viewing a painting in a gallery because of the manner in which they tend to observe. We tend to start far away from the object, then go as close up to it as possible, then at an arm’s distance. It is said that the average spectator spends about 20 seconds with a painting in a gallery, though some art history professors have famously been known to have made their new students sit with a painting for literally hours. I cannot recommend that technique highly enough! Art history teaches you to look harder, to look differently and to look more enquiringly, thereby making you an ever-more inquisitive learner who is keen to find out the answer, or an answer.
Similarly, there are various tangible life lessons that art historians can learn from their subject.
Mindfulness:
The silent empathy that art demands from its spectator is rather powerful. An all-pervasive self-awareness is commanded from artworks, no matter how small. I have found that the individual viewing experience which art prompts encourages a uniquely heightened mindfulness.
Valuing different and new cultures:
I have learnt that understanding artistic and architectural output is a hugely efficient and tangible means of exploring new cultures. Both art and architecture reflect, encapsulate and embody past and contemporary trends, issues, ideas, practices and divides. The fingerprints left by artists from before our lifetime fascinate me, and have left imprinted on me an appreciation for human effort, human innovation, human ingenuity, human empathy and human creativity.
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