Study Abroad and the Student of Art History
Gentle readers, it has been far too long since I posted. As usual, I’m consumed with a number of projects. One of the more exciting ones involves my traveling to Paris in the spring to set up a student internship at Versailles. I was thinking back to the first time I visited the grand palace and gardens. It was the summer of 1997, and I was one of the faculty, albeit a grad student, for a London study abroad. My husband and I traveled to Paris for a week, where we went museum and monument hunting from dawn until dusk. It was one of the most blissful weeks of my life. The day we went to Versailles was a beautiful summer day, and I remember having one of those moments–you know those moments, when your heart swells and your eyes fill with tears and you think, “I’m here, I’m actually here! I’m seeing this masterpiece! I’m actually walking through this architectural wonder!” And you know that you are experiencing something exquisite and unforgettable, even life changing. Even though I have been to Versailles many times since, I am still overcome every time I approach the château.
One of the items that our administration is scrutinizing is study abroad, and they are determining the extent of their support for such programs. I personally think it is imperative that students of art history study and experience art and architecture in its original setting–or at least in an appropriate cultural/historical one (with a nod to the Elgin Marbles and all of those other “displaced” artworks). I know that many of you have participated in study abroad as students. We are in the process of gathering testimonials for study abroad as a central part of an art history curriculum and would be much obliged if former students shared their experiences with us, either as a comment to this blog or more formally via an email or letter addressed to the BYU art history faculty.
Conversation topic: How did study abroad enhance your educational experience?
6 comments
It IS imperative! And you will most likely be receiving an email from me on the topic.
Me too.
I think that Study Abroad programs are crucial to Art History students! Images of paintings and buildings can never capture the entirety of the experience, and that experience is, I think, an essential component of a work’s makeup. There is no way to capture the awe-inspiring and hushed grandeur of a Gothic cathedral like Chartres, for instance, through an image or a series of images. There is no way to completely communicate the all-encompassing draw and scale of a Pollock painting through a small picture or a slide projection. An image of Rubens’ “Raising of the Cross” never fully communicates that powerfully turbulent emotion so beautifully portrayed. You must to be there in person! I’ll never forget my experiences as a study abroad student in Europe- it was something that couldn’t be replicated through travel alone, because a major part of the educational benefit was to experience these monuments and works in the company of professors who not only explained concepts, styles, and cultures, but also answered questions along the way. I think that to dismiss these kind of experiences as anything less than fundamental creates an Art History education that is sadly lacking.
It seems that all of my coursework in Provo was ancillary to my experience on study abroad. Furthermore, as one who has found a job with an art history degree, I know that I wouldn’t have been taken seriously without it. While working at Yale, I learned that all undergraduates there are required to study abroad in order to graduate. It is a unique and irreplaceable way to learn about the world.
The supposition that one can truly grasp what art and architecture (especially architecture) are all about from jpegs is ridiculous. Art history is, by definition, so visual that the visual experience shouldn’t be impeded by how much money the administration has to offer.
Like Becca, I feel like my study abroad was the key experience of my undergraduate career, and all of my coursework provided a means to enrich that experience. The coursework couldn’t have effectively replace the experience.
I think that Study Abroad programs are crucial to Art History students! Images of paintings and buildings can never capture the entirety of the experience, and that experience is, I think, an essential component of a work’s makeup. There is no way to capture the awe-inspiring and hushed grandeur of a Gothic cathedral like Chartres, for instance, through an image or a series of images. There is no way to completely communicate the all-encompassing draw and scale of a Pollock painting through a small picture or a slide projection. An image of Rubens’ “Raising of the Cross” never fully communicates that powerfully turbulent emotion so beautifully portrayed. You must to be there in person! I’ll never forget my experiences as a study abroad student in Europe- it was something that couldn’t be replicated through travel alone, because a major part of the educational benefit was to experience these monuments and works in the company of professors who not only explained concepts, styles, and cultures, but also answered questions along the way. I think that to dismiss these kind of experiences as anything less than fundamental creates an Art History education that is sadly lacking.
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