As an Art History major, the biggest hurdle I have is to explain what I do to others. It’s simple in concept but the execution is a whole other story. I cannot fault anyone, I was the exact same way come my first time sitting in that darkened classroom, the neon glow of the projector absorbing the entirety of my attention. Imagine my surprise when instead of the Mona Lisa I’m looking at a cave painting? To learn art history is to learn a long list of other disciplines all in the pursuit of understanding beauty. So to save everyone some student loans, I compiled a list of free art history resources I’ve discovered in my studies:
1. Crash Course Art History
First and most importantly, Crash Course has just released a new series on their channel called Crash Course Art History hosted by Dr. Sarah Urist Green. If you were in school around the time Youtube was first created, then you have watched these free academic videos in the classroom. They have the fame and antics of Bill Nye but span the length of the liberal arts. Now they add to their catalogue Art History!
2. SmartHistory
In terms of art historical resources to have in your back pocket, SmartHistory is the ole reliable. It’s a veritable goldmine of information. I’ve been trained like one of Pavlov’s dog’s whenever I hear that jazzy intro and those whispered museum discussions.
3. Museum Websites
Obviously as institutions that display art, they need to have resources that explain to people what they’re seeing. You can google any museum in the world but here is two to get you started:
4. Great Art Explained
Another Youtube Channel that engages in great art historical analysis. It has been featured as a resource in a number of my own blogs.
https://www.greatartexplained.com
5. The Lonely Palette Podcast
The longest form of art history content I will list thus far is The Lonely Palette Podcast. You can find them on Spotify, Youtube, or anywhere else you get your audio. Their website is linked below:
http://www.thelonelypalette.com/
https://open.spotify.com/show/0vEKCz43Xr9bffsjRLff5x?si=xPf1z3TxQSSQTsN8uwi4aQ
BONUS RESOURCES:
For those that make it this far into the article, I’m leaving you fellow amateur art historians some bonus content:
- If you receive SNAP benefits, you may be able to receive free entry to museums participating in this program! To find out more, visit them online at https://museums4all.org/
- If you’ve been wanting to read but don’t want the commitment of going to the library or buying a book at the store, I recommend the Libby app. It does require you sign in with a library card, but with it you’d gain the entire online catalogue, including Kindle and Audio editions of some of your favorite stories entirely for free. What’s better is that they automatically return any books that are due so you needn’t worry about deadlines!
- With said Libby app, you might be able to read two of my book recommendations. These are fairly short stand-alone novels that I had a hard time putting down.
- The Art Thief Lib/E: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
- The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell