Museum Visit and Formal Analysis
We cannot overlook the role photography has played in the development of the field of art history and arts education as we know it today. While it was once traditional for European painters to copy the great works of the “masters” in museums, photographs provided another option. Now, many American artists study and may copy photos of original works in their own homes and studios and rarely see “masterworks” in person. Photography is a fine art in its own right, and photographic imagery is often appropriated “as is” for modern creations. Pablo Picasso’s collages ushered in a new era when he chose to incorporate printed newspapers and advertisements into some of his major works. We cannot deny, however, that photographs separate us from what’s real. Photographs are not always good substitutes for the “real thing.” Why visit a museum when there are hundreds of “virtual galleries” available with the click of a button? Is art simply visual imagery, or is seeing or participating in art an essential human experience?
