Science major taking an Art History class?

Don't think of "feel" as being necessarily tied to an emotion. In fact, some of the worst art is art that tries to make your "feel" something. Art is as much about ideas as it is feelings. Don't ask yourself what you are feeling when you look at a piece, as your self what you are thinking. And ask the question "why" about what you see. Why is the person lying down? Why are they dressed/undressed as they are? Why did the artist use the color/light/brush technique, etc.?

Some art is simply beautiful. Some art is an achievement of technique more than it is about conveying emotion. Some art is about so much about expressing emotion that it is almost vulgar. Some art is about freeing the artist from the confines of everyday objects. Some art is about capturing the feeling of the times (zeitgeist).

And definitely try to do your own drawing/painting. Understanding techinique is a major step towards appreciating art.

Don't worry if you don't get it at first. You probably did not get quantum mechanics the first time around or calculus. You had to work at it. Art is the same way, except there are no answers in the back of the book. And that is why art is so important.

I have an analytical type mind, and I have had trouble with that sort of thing.

Try to break the picture down to its "elements" - perspective, line, color, medium (e.g. water color, oils, etc.) brush strokes (heavy, light, etc.), subject matter, time period, etc. Read a book on this sort of stuff if it isn't fairly intuitive (and there is no reason it should be). If you don't know a good book, ask your professor - that's what your paying her or him for!

Consider your picture of a man lying down. Is he the center of the picture? Who is he? Why might the artist have chosen him (perhaps he is some god, or a saint, or a famous personage). Does the artist use bright vibrant colors, or more muted colors? Why? When was the painting done? What were the characteristic concerns of artists and people in general during that period and how is that reflected in this painting? Does the picture use perspective? If so, how?

Just read some books on it (art history, an explanation of painting techniques (something like "painting for dummies" "The Elements of Drawing," by John Ruskin may help, or a similar book, but ask your professor), some essays by people who know what they are talking about talking about what they like and why, like in the New Yorker or the WSJ or something). Don't think of it as total BS, try in good faith to understand it, ask for help if you need it. You will probably surprise yourself and do okay. If not, don't worry too much - some people just don't like art, and that is fine!

And as another poster said, try some drawing if you have the time.

An analytical mind is all the better. You can easily decipher the reasons why the artwork was laid out that way, and all the other reasons it took its present shape. Sure, some decisions were made subconciously by the artist or because it looked "nice," but a majority of forming the piece was done for a certain reason.

I majored in art history and am now in a highly analytical role in finance, so I can see both sides.

First of all, if this is a true art history class (and not art appreciation), you will not have a problem. Art history is far closer to history than art. it is a blend of two things: 1) using art to understand history better, and 2) learning why the great art and artists are so tremendous.

It is not 'how does this painting make you feel.' So if this is really an art history class, you should think about it as a history class.

For example, you will be able to analyze questions like 'why did the 17th century Dutch like still lives and portraits of themselves rather than religious scenes?

Why did the church tear down old st peters in rome and build a new one? And why, 100 years later, did they add a giant collonade during the counter reformation? And then what did it mean when Mussolini built a giant road straight up to the collonade?

As for understanding why some art is great and some is not...that might be harder if you are resistant to its pleasures. But maybe after a semester of looking at beautiful things you will start to get it.

Thanks. I think the prof is coming from a nearly a strict art background, so it seemed like she's emphasizing art a lot more than history surrounding it, but after only one lecture it's hard to tell. She did say we will be memorizing literally hundreds of photos of art though, which is kind of a turnoff for me as I'm much more interested in understanding the reasons behind the art and the historical context, though I am a little excited to try and use my brain in ways I'm not used to. I think once my textbook comes I'll be in better shape (I usually learn from books just as well if not better than lectures).

Thanks for the help, guys.