A World Without Art: The Influence of the Visual Arts Upon History by Callie

A World Without Art: The Influence of the Visual Arts Upon History by Callie - August 2017 Scholarship Essay

If I were a professor, I would teach a course titled A World Without Art: The Influence of the Visual Arts Upon History. This would be a discussion-based philosophy course, where healthy debate in the classroom would drive learning. Motivated students from any and all disciplines would be able to explore a wide-reaching concept deeply and find a new appreciation for many artistic aspects of life.
The course would go beyond simple art history; in fact, basic art history study would be a prerequisite. This would be a deeper dive into not just what art has been – a more basic, surface-level study – but a philosophical question of why it exists and how it has shaped civilization. It would examine all sides, from the psychological bases of creativity to the sociology behind the way art has shaped culture and documented history itself. Discussion would grow towards art’s influence in the 21st Century, how it is changing with digital technology and conversely how it is changing technology and life. The course would reveal how “art” is not just paintings on walls, but integral in every facet of life, and why it is so. My course would culminate in inspiring every college student – not just the art majors – to appreciate art and design’s existence and also recognize a natural sense of creativity in themselves.
I believe that this course would appeal to students wishing to challenge themselves by thinking at a deeper level than they thought possible. As aforementioned, this is not just a surface-level art history or humanities class; it is a combination of history, philosophy, humanities, design, and the science of creativity. Furthermore, I believe it would be an intriguing class to students from various disciplines, especially the sciences and mathematics departments. Often considered separate from visual art, these students might not consider themselves “good at art” (referencing the right-brain/left-brain theory) but this course would challenge that notion. Like Leonardo da Vinci, I feel we should not limit ourselves to one ‘subject’, but explore powerful connections between thinking; I believe that students would feel the same and be excited by this course. As a college professor, my goal would be to expand students’ minds and thus their horizons; for this reason, I would love to teach this artistic philosophy course.