Art: A Path to History Education

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Appreciation of art is not gained by visiting museums or brief observations, it has to be realized at an early age by planting it in ones’ education, leading to the realization of its importance.

Artwork by Aalaa Albastaki (Instagram:@lalaa_albastaki, Twitter: @AalaaAlbastaki)

Very little appreciation is given to the art and design industry, especially in the current times. Today, the attention goes to technological advancements as a priority, thanks to the widespread ideology that it is of much benefit and greater use to the future of our world.

Despite the reality of the previous statement, our society enjoys the visual and mental impact of aesthetics and poetry. However, highly developed cities and societies such as Dubai have much of their focus on subjects such as futurism, artificial intelligence and looking into new methods of advancement, forcing the general public to potentially lose sight of the creative industry and perhaps undervalue it. That was before the launch of the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi (the UAE’s capital), which is seen to have an evident impact on the UAE’s reputation and outlook on art, while greatly shifting the community’s perspective by providing them the opportunity to admire its beauty and understand the richness of its content and related history, leaving them in awe and a growing interest in the field.

The value of art differs from one society to another; one of the main reasons for that is due to the country’s connection with its history in art and design. It is clearly noticeable if a country has had art deeply rooted in its past, such as some of the European countries that still treasure their medieval architecture and famous artists’ works. Examples of some of these countries include France, Germany, and Italy, which hold these valuable artworks in museums and other safe households. The artworks are also heavily displayed outside in the forms of murals, statues, and sculptures.

If seen from a different angle: artists are a rather talented form of historians, mirroring the state of a society or political system, as well as important events in history, and generally capturing both the beautiful and dark aspects of life. The result of this talent results in masterpieces that live on until this day, continuing the legacies of famous artists, whose works are immensely treasured by those curating and admiring it. There has to be some intellect and a creative spirit before a talent can lead a person to be an artist.

Students and aspiring creators are inspired by the techniques which masters of art have created such as impressionism, surrealism, abstract art, etc. Therefore, art history is a vital field of education, that is greatly rich with details and continues to evolve alongside global advancements. Inventions that stemmed from and started with art such as printmaking and photography has been changing the world in so many ways, widening the definition of visual art – a field that can never die, but continues to impress, succeed and help humanity.

People and institutions that do not value the creative field are missing a crucial branch of knowledge. This often leads to discouraging talented people from improving their practice or from pursuing their passion in the creative field, especially when owning superior skills in artistic expression and understanding, which -when put in use- may majorly impact the society and world.

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