Art History is a discipline that strives to understand works of art, architecture and design from a variety of perspectives, including the original context of their making and reception as well as their subsequent circulation, collection, conservation, and display. As culturally embedded expressions, works of art may yield multiple meanings depending on the kinds of research and interpretive strategies that art historians bring into play. These might include consultation of original archives, philosophical and critical discourses, as well as research into social history or formal analysis.
As part of their training, students of Art History become proficient in visual analysis as well as historical and cultural interpretation. The discipline of Art History teaches students how to engage, understand and interpret architecture and design, material culture, fashion, film and video, painting, sculpture, prints, photographs and other works on paper, as well as performance and installation art, to name only the most salient forms of visual expression.
Beginning with antiquity and extending to the present day, the objects of art historical study are drawn from geographically diverse cultures in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Eastern and Western Europe, and the Middle East.