Revisioning Art History: how a century of change in imaging technologies helped to shape a discipline

Abstract

  Beginning in the latter nineteenth century, the use of photography to document works of art was a key factor in the emergence of art history as an independent discipline. The subsequent introduction of new technologies such as lantern slides, 35mm color slides, and carousel projectors resulted in significant transformation in pedagogy. In the twentieth century, the growing use of photographic illustrations influenced a shift in emphasis in the textual content of scholarly publications such as exhibition catalogs, artist monographs, and journal articles. More recently, the digital revolution has increased access to art information, transforming the ways works of art are studied and taught. Today the high quality digital image is a fundamental scholarly resource, and specialized forms of investigative photography offer new ways of analyzing the ultimate primary sources: the works of art themselves.