Art History

I really like the paintings The Death of Actaeon by Titian and The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. I don't particularly like modern art, as it seems like there's so much less effort put into paintings these days.

I really enjoyed Art History when I took it a few semesters ago. I didn't think architecture could be considered a form of art before then. Consider Gothic cathedrals: they are characterized by flying buttresses, ribbed vaults, and expansive windows. . The illusion of height was supposed to emphasize the ascendance to Heaven. Its vast stained glass windows and elaborate decorations, when looked at as a whole, is the glory of God.

I love the Reinassance just because those painting took years in the making, it really takes a lot of skill to do something like that, and the techniques are outstanding. It's not the movement that speaks to me on an emotional level, but I do admire those artists' thirst for knowledge and perfection. I do love the surrealism, Dali of course, it speaks to me because it's so strange, kind of sinister sometimes. I also like Dada, how it makes absolutely no sense mostly because it's not supposed to, it's not about a messege it's just about the freedom to create however the hell you like. The Scream is a magnificent painting, although it's rather disturbing. As is The Starry Night.

Picasso.

I'm a new college student, fresh out of high school. I enrolled in Art History 101. I'm not really sure what to expect. I love the Dark Ages and the Renaissance particularly. Can anyone tell me what I could learn in this class? Is it difficult? Boring? Do you have to have an acquired liking to actually want to be in the class? Any answer would be much appreciated

@ GreatUnknown
I've taken two art history classes; AP art history in high school and then a similar sort of broad overview course in college. I really really enjoyed both of them. They both focused more on the history side than art-theory type-things, which was perfect for me. In the college course, we basically skipped around studying key pieces from different eras in Western art history (ancient Greece, the Middle Ages, the Rennaisance, Romanticism, etc.)

They were both definitely fairly difficult classes, but I found they were worth the trouble. There was quite a lot of reading, which could be boring depending on how well-written the text is, but overall it's interesting stuff. Both teachers I had made the lectures really engaging. If you're interested in history / cultural history / symbolism in art, I'd say you'd probably enjoy the course.

Thank you! It definitely sounds interesting, Western art history sounds like my cup of tea.

My favorite artists are Andy Warhol, Audrey Flack, and Van Gogh, but there are so many others I studied in the art history class I took last semester that are awesome. "Garden of Earthly Delights" by Hieronymus Bosch, "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper, "Hunters in the Snow" by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, "Queen" by Audrey Flack, and "Orion" by Victor Vasarely are my favorite works from what I saw in that class.

Dali is one of my favorite artists, but The Raft of the Medusa by Theodore Gericault is one of my favorite paintings. Also, there's a music video on YouTube for the song 70 Million by Hold Your Horses. It features interpretations of 25 paintings. You guys should check it out!