What is the value of a piece of art?

How can you determine the value of a particular piece of art? Carl Matheson, head of the department of philosophy at the University of Manitoba, believes that originality is a big contribution to the value of a piece of art, along with originality. If a man copies a piece of art, should it still have the same value? I think not, I personally feel the value should be determined by the thought and originality that went in to the painting. Many people have the ability to copy a particular piece of art, but few have the ability to concieve an entirely new, ground breaking idea. 

Art History

1.)    What do you think we can learn from studying works of art from the past?

By studying past works of art, I think we can learn of past cultures and the emotions of the people who lived during those times. This can benefit mankind in the fact that we can learn about our ancestors and how they coped with life in times of great prosperity or great hardship. Art is a very important aspect of our history that we can benefit greatly from.

2.)    Explain the truth of the adage “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

“a picture is worth a thousand words”, an adage that in my opinion is if anything an understatement. A picture can explain so much, not only can it tell a fictional story, but a picture has the ability to portray the characteristics of its creator. An artist’s painting or any piece of arts can communicate his/her emotions at the time of the piece’s conception. This also allows for many different interpretations of the emotions of the piece that are unique to each viewer. If you ask me a picture is worth a thousand+ words.

3.)    What kinds of careers could someone go in to with a degree in art history?

Someone with a degree in art history has a few options for their career. A degree in art history can amplify the quality of any particular artist by having the knowledge of many past styles. Also a person with this degree could go in to anthropology or archaeology and study the cultures of the people living during the conception of each work of art and study old paintings.

4.)    What is critical thinking and how is it applied to the study of visual art?

Critical thinking is looking in depth in to something and looking even further than the ordinary eye can see. This is applied in the study of visual art because there can be many different representations of each piece of art and critical thinking can help you see what the artist may have seen, felt or thought at the time of the painting’s creation.

5.)    Of the arts we will be studying, sculpture, painting, architecture, photography, film and fashion, which are you most interested in and why?

 I am most interested in architecture and how the sorrows or prosperities are represented in each work. I am most interested in this because I want to study archaeology and anthropology in high school because it absolutely fascinates me. I feel like architecture is the most interesting of all of these when it comes to the study of human culture, though they all apply there.