Art History and the Renaissance

ART HISTORY
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Art History
Art history refers to the study of items and objects of art in relation to their time period. Art history includes studying aesthetic objects and visual expression. These are studied in a historical and stylistic perspective and context. There are various forms of art history, which include drawing, painting, decorative arts, architecture, ceramics, and sculpture. Art history involves studying and examining different objects formed by different cultures around the globe. These objects are significant in the various cultures, and they convey an important meaning in the community and serve a useful purpose within the community. Art history is a practice that combines religious, political, artistic, economic, and cultural disciplines that produce the visual appearance of the work of art.
Threats to Artwork
There are several phenomena that can threaten the work of art and can be divided into two; natural and human threats. These threats can destroy already created artwork. A threat can be defined as a statement of intention to inflict damage. A threat can be posed by something or somebody. Natural threats are those threats that are initiated by natural phenomena like sun, dust, rain, earthquakes, and wind, among others. Most of the time, these threats are uncontrollable by human beings. There are several examples of art work that damaged and destroyed by natural disasters in art history.
These include; in the year 1966, Cimabue’s crucifix of Santa Croce, Florence, Italy, was destroyed beyond recognition. Cimabue’s crucifix was created in the year 1288 during Byzantine art. The crucifix was destroyed and lost around 60% of its paint when the Arno River flooded in Florence town (Artspace Editors, 2019). Also, millions of artwork, such as Gates of Paradise, Magdalene Penitent, National Central Library, and Gabinetto Vieuseuxx Library, among others, were destroyed during that time, and around 101 people died as a result of the flood. The flood was caused by landslides that had blocked tunnels of Arno River hence causing the floods. Another example of artwork that was destroyed is the Bronze Colossus that was erected on the Greek island of Rhodes in 280 BC and was 108 feet high. It was constructed by Chares of Lindos and was regarded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The Bronze Colossus collapsed in 226 BC during an earthquake (Artspace Editors, 2019).
The artwork is also faced with human threats, which are threats that are as a result of human activities and critics. Some examples of human threats to artwork include cyber risk, social gathering, and improper installation. In most cases, the government is not in control of what is posted in social media. Photography and posting is something that is widespread and often happens wherever there are social gathering. People can take photos in front of high-value artwork, which is a leak of the artwork’s privacy. This may not be the plan of the intended purpose of the artwork. Cyber risk happens when peopl...