The History of Art

Before I get started let me say this: my brother was an art history major and he is the smartest cat I know so don't think I am biased. And he even feels me on this one.

The following will only be relevant to those of you who took or are taking an art history class. You have to have sat in one of these classes to fully understand what I'm about to preach.

Ever since I took my first art history class in my junior year in high school I noticed people LOVE to talk. Not the talk that Jewish mothers do but the talk where the same people always have something to say whether its about Roman sculptures or 18th Century French paintings. We only had art history class once a week in my junior year but it was enough to see a pattern.

I chose to take art history 5 days a week senior year and was one of 4 guys in the class. Total was 18. I enjoyed that art history class a lot. The material found me well and I liked my professor. I raised my hand occasionally but was called on a lot more. But there was always those two girls who always had something to say and, although it was never disclosed, battled each other for art history supremacy.

Every time a new slide was shown there are those hands that shoot into the air quicker than Doc Holiday could draw his pistol. In my senior year, I would roll my eyes, slouch further in my chair, or look around the classroom to see who was on my level. Occasionally I would catch someones eyes and, without saying it, we would exchange a "can you believe this?!"

I am taking another art history course over here in Italy and I like it a lot. The professor is a cool older lady (aren't they always) and the material is swell. The number of girls in the class far outweighs the number of guys, of course. And you have the same folks (girls) who always talk. One of my favorite parts is, in order to remember the painting or sculpture, I decide to draw it myself in my notebook. There is a small window of opportunity because the next slide is always on the way but I manage to draw some pretty darn good stick figures if I do say so myself.

To be fair to some of the people, art history does give students more of an opportunity to speak in comparison to calculus or biology. The teachers like to hear what the students think and encourage them to share those thoughts. But there is a limit. Its not just the students who get tired of hearing the same voice (in the front row) over and over. Teachers hate it, too. They definitely see your hand when it first goes up but pretend they don't. They stall to give others a chance and to delay hearing that one, same voice.

But is there anything better when those girls go on a two minute speech about a certain work of art and then the teacher hesitates, thinks for a second, and then says they are wrong? I mean that is beautiful. It usually starts off with the polite "Not exactly" or "Not in this case". I love that. I keep a little tally in my notebook, you know the one where you draw a line for a point and on the fifth you draw a diagonal one. Its great.

I'm not trying to say that those who take art history and talk a lot should stop. I'm just saying don't talk all the time. Sure you are helping the awkward pauses when nobody else knows the answer but sometimes just take one for the team and keep your pie hole shut. Its on the other students, too. Y'all gotta step up and take a risk every now and then, too. You might not be exactly right but the teacher will appreciate the participation. And how wrong could you be? A lot of art is based on how it makes the observer feel and what they think about it.

Constant talkers: talk a little less
Non-talkers: talk a little more

It's that easy.