introduction

i purchased this rather big book 'history of art' a good few months ago - enthusiastic to teach myself just that. of course it ended up on the top shelf of our modest 'library' looking impressive in its size with its long gold ribbon... but it remained unopened.

this week i opened the book to the introduction feeling a little overwhelmed. so much text in relation to images! do people really read these books? are they used only for the odd reference?

i have never studied art out of high school and my knowledge of the subject is limited to personal enthusiasm. i have been drawing and painting since i was 4 feeling a deep passion for creative expression. when i was doing the weekly art enrichment class with seven year old yuval, i learnt so much and enjoyed doing the research each week.

so coming back to my opening of the book and feeling intimidated with my ignorance... i realised that i know a lot more than i thought i did.

"the fact that art is a complex and in many ways mysterious human activity about which even the experts can hope to offer only tentative and partial conclusions can be taken as confirming the belief that "i dont know anything about art." but are there really people who know nothing about art?"

learning more about the history of art will help me feel more a part of this world, will inspire and will give me more confidence and focus in my own work.