17 Month Year
The Technical Approach to Art History
The art historian, Henri Focillon made a statement concerning the reason for having technical knowledge to establish the place in history for objects and other art works. In his discussions, he asserted that the reason for this is that it assists with the control of ones own objectivity. This would lead to a universal “observation of technical phenomena” that presents “the same terms, and the same point of view, as it is presented to the artist.” The art historian needs to have technical knowledge in order for him, or her, to correctly establish a chronology, in the overall light of the constructed bronzes, as seen from the examples in the bronzes from Hunyuan (Bagley ).
Aspects that create a consistency in the way that certain technical knowledge could give art historians more insight are the decoration on the objects in the from of the motifs, the form of the motifs, and the way in which it was arranged on the object. Particular shapes of the objects, as seen in the Hunyuan bronzes from the foundry at Houma. In the instance of this analysis, one would look to the archeologist. It would be easier if the art historian has the technical background to archeology as well. This could mean that they would be able to identify objects even if there were only shards left of an object. Recognizing materials are as important to both the art historian and the archeologist.
Robert Bagley understood the importance of this, as he set out to establish the connection between archeology and art history. He set this out in his book, Max Loehr and the Study of Chinese Bronzes: Style and Classification in the History of Art, as well as the book where he discusses the Hunyuan bronzes in the book Gombrich among the Egyptians: And Other Essays in the History of Art. In the latter, he established that the Hunyuan bronzes were decorated with pattern blocks. Thus, the style and classification of the bronzes would allow the art historians to understand the complete art piece, which included all the values mentioned before – such as the motifs, which n this case were created with pattern block. (Bagley ).
Most importantly for the art historian is that they need to have technical knowledge for the investigation of objects, These include the use of scientific methods to establish the origins or the originality of a painting for example. For this purpose, they often make use of radiography or infrared reflectography, dendrochronology, or gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry to establish the place (location), how and when the paintings were created. Technical information gathered form these methods offers more insight into the mere physical evidence gathered from the painting. An example of this is seen in the restoration work of the Master of Flémalle. The technical investigation into the work, allowed for much more than the obvious to be revealed (Nash 55).
What might further be of great help to the art historian is the fact that workmanship is there to create the essence of the artwork. Pye gives an example of how an initial drawing could be the answer to the meaning of the finished product (Pye 16). The value of the work is also in its interpretation. Thus, the art historian would need to be aware of the technical aspects of how a sculptor works, for example. I tis in the faint marks left by the sculptor, and the art historians recognition of it, that would allow for the interpretation of the work Pye 16).
The reality, therefore, is that the art historian needs to have a range of technical knowledge in order for him, or her, to establish the origin, the location, the period, the materials, and the workmanship. This can be seen in the technical methods by which an art historian can establish these aspects in an art work or object. There is also a need for the art historian to have a connection with the archeologist (even be one), t find the true value of an object in its entirety, and in terms of the established criteria (mentioned in the discussion).
Works Cited
Bagley, Robert. Gombrich among the Egyptians: And Other Essays in the History of Art. Seattle,
WA: Marquand, 2015. Print
Nash, Susie. Northern Renaissance Art. New York: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.
Pye, David. The Nature and Art of Workmanship: David Pye. Cambridge: U, 1968. Print.
