The field of "art history" was developed in the West, and originally
dealt exclusively with European art history, with the High Renaissance
(and its Greek precedent) as the defining standard. Gradually, over the
course of the twentieth century, a wider vision of art history has
developed. This expanded version includes societies from across the
globe, and it usually attempts to analyze artifacts in terms of the
cultural values in which they were created. Thus, art history is now
seen to encompass all visual art, from the megaliths of Western Europe
to the paintings of the Tang Dynasty in China.
The history of art is often told as a chronology of masterpieces
created in each civilization in the world. It can thus be framed as a
story of high culture, epitomized by the Seven Wonders of the World,
which is somehow different from vernacular expressions. The latter can,
however, be integrated into art historical narratives, in which case
they are usually referred to as folk arts or craft. The more closely
that an art historian engages with these latter forms of low culture,
the more likely it is that they will identify their work as examining
visual culture or material culture, or as contributing to fields
related to art history, such as anthropology or archeology. In the
latter cases art objects may be referred to as archeological artifacts
dealt exclusively with European art history, with the High Renaissance
(and its Greek precedent) as the defining standard. Gradually, over the
course of the twentieth century, a wider vision of art history has
developed. This expanded version includes societies from across the
globe, and it usually attempts to analyze artifacts in terms of the
cultural values in which they were created. Thus, art history is now
seen to encompass all visual art, from the megaliths of Western Europe
to the paintings of the Tang Dynasty in China.
The history of art is often told as a chronology of masterpieces
created in each civilization in the world. It can thus be framed as a
story of high culture, epitomized by the Seven Wonders of the World,
which is somehow different from vernacular expressions. The latter can,
however, be integrated into art historical narratives, in which case
they are usually referred to as folk arts or craft. The more closely
that an art historian engages with these latter forms of low culture,
the more likely it is that they will identify their work as examining
visual culture or material culture, or as contributing to fields
related to art history, such as anthropology or archeology. In the
latter cases art objects may be referred to as archeological artifacts
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