motivating history (annotated bibliography)

8/18/2019 Motivating History (Annotated Bibliography)

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/motivating-history-annotated-bibliography 1/3

Keith MoxeyMotivating History

Bibliographic information

Moxey, Keith. "Motivating History." The Art Bulletin. no. 3 (1995): 393-401.

Personal Notes

This text o!s on one o the #ost i#$ortant %estions to&ay or art historians.

's it $ossie to *ee$ +or*ing +ith this #etho&oogy oes it #a*e any sense to

*ee$ reinor!ing #etho&oogies an& $e&agogies that have een $rove& to e

seess 't is !ear that this $arti!ar $oint o vie+ is, in #y o$inion, ony

a$$i!ae to art historians intereste& on !onte#$orary art. ost-#o&ernity has

given to the +or& the $ossiiity or everyone to $ostate hi#/herse as an

artist t it is aso trth that +e sti *ee$ !reating !anons o +hat is !onsi&ere&

interesting or not y the !riti!s. o, #y $ersona %estion is here: +ho $t history

ater art oes it #a*e sense to *ee$ +or*ing +ith the #etho&oogy o history

+hen the oe!t o or st&y is not histori!a yet History an& art history (an& in

genera h#anities) as 2angages or 2syste#s ten& to synthesie its oe!ts o

st&y, that #eans, to !hoose (' &ont *no+ i &eieratey) +hat e!o#es $art o

the &is!i$ine as a +hoe.

otions, aternatives...' as an art historian a# sti strgging to 6n& ot +hat

those are, +hat other $ossiiities +e have in or&er to ex$an& the &is!i$ine,

ex$an& it not ony in ter#s o in!&ing in it other 2ot!aste& artists t to try:

6rst to in!&e in or &is!i$ine other &is!i$ines so the range o 2n&erstan&ing

goes eyon& artists to rea!h the 2+hoe o the so!iety, in or&er to !o#$rehen&

or#ery ot!aste& artists an& not nee&ing to generate a ran*ing o athors in

ter#s o i#$ortan!e. This is, ti#atey, to go so#eho+ a!* to the i&ea o the

h#anities as a +hoe, to re-!o#ine or &is!i$ines. 7n& se!on&, an&!onse%enty, &estroy the eitist !onsi&eration o art as so#ething ony

n&erstoo& y the $eo$e intereste& on it. 7s the athor #entions this is a

$e&agogi!a tas*. My vie+ on this is that, in or&er to roa&en art history to avoi&

the !reation o !anons, art history e&!ation (as +e as e&!ation in instittions

s!h as #se#s or art !enters) sho& e #ore ex$erientia an& ess

theoreti!a. 't sho& et the s$e!tator or $erson intereste& on art ring his/her

o+n ex$erien!es in ive to the arena o the #se# to #a*e o it a $a!e or

&is!ssion an& not a $a!e or !anoni! *no+e&ge.



Quotations

− 8ho or +hat ha& &eter#ine& that there sho& e #ore oo*s on

!ertain artists rather than on others ; he ans+er, o !orse, is the !anon-that

#ost natraie& o a art-histori!a ass#$tions.

− <or the #ost $art, art history=s &is!i$inary +or* is !arrie& on as i there

+ere no nee& to arti!ate the so!ia n!tion it is s$$ose& to serve. ; he

irary sheves are the $hysi!a #aniestations o this !onsenss, the

e#o&i#ent o an estaishe& !tra $ra!ti!e.

(The interesting thing for me in this quotation is the assumption of a

social function in art history, is a sign of the reconsideration of the

discipline to be more “political, reminds me of !al "oster#$

%ummary

8hat Moxey &oes here is to, 6rst, ta!*e the $roe#ati! o the !ontinity o

the #etho&oogy o art history as it is estaishe&. Then, ater a genera a$$roa!h

to this $roe# he starts en#erating the 2ste$s that have e& the &is!i$ine to

its a!ta state...>asari, 8in!*e#ann, 8a!*en&ro&er...

Moxey e#$hasies on the $oiti!a a!*gron& o the exatation o !ertain

artist in or&er or so#e nations-states orn ater the <ren!h ?evotion to !reate

so#e *in& o nationa i&entity, to generate signs to e re!ognie& or. @ase& on

this he &eveo$s this i&ea o the $oiti!a a!*gron& o art history nti to&ay. Thogh he arges y the en& o the text that the text is not a histori!a a!!ont

(e!ase it +o& e oo+ing the !anon i it +ere): 2't is (rather) a$$ea or a

roa&er re!ognition o a roe $aye& y se!tivity in the arti!ation o histori!a

inter$retations.

The $roe# is that, even i trying not to &o it, the text oo+s the !anon o art

history an& even trying to !ai# or a ne+ re!onsi&eration o the &is!i$ine is

har&, i not i#$ossie to ste$ otsi&e the !ir!e. My o$inion here is that in or&er

to re!onsi&er or &is!i$ine +e have to start sing this 2asis that the !anon is

as another resor!e to i& so#ething ne+ rather than ra&i!ay !an!eing its



tiity.

motivating history (annotated bibliography)

Documents