Verified Document

History As Art The Past Is Not Thesis

History As Art The past is not real, nor tangible. We cannot revisit the past as we are forever placed here, in the eternal now to navigate our existence. History provides our imaginations with concepts and ideas that allow us to seemingly describe the past. It must be remembered and heavily emphasized that history is in fact an art. It is not a science and it has no capability of being inductively reasoned and scientifically applied.

Although these limitations are often ignored by many historians and scholars, who feel that history is a guiding force, ignores the pulling forces of the needs of the future for mankind. The purpose of this essay is to explain the various considerations of diverse groups and how these themes impact the way we see the past. This essay will attempt to explain the thinking of other groups as it relates to history by giving several examples. The inevitability of history's forcing of multiple opinions and the perceptions surrounding these opinions will be discussed to help frame the many problems that history has as a relevant intellectual approach and its failures to capture a true reality.

History Is Not Real

History is the art form of essentially controlling the thoughts and emotions of the present, using the events of the past as a stimulus for hopes of a certain future. To suggest that the totality of any one single event may be captured in a document or written expose, sells the human experience short in so many awful ways. The hubris attached with most historical documents suggest that something bigger is at work. Some may argue that history is nothing more than propaganda. It is a historian's...

It is not that history does not have its place, it is just that there is too much belief that history is "real" and should be taken as fact.
When considering the incestuous actions by most academic groups when it comes to protecting their own point-of-view and dismantling others', history is more a less a rhetorical competition that seeks to mesmerize and hypnotize its consumers into states of belief that somehow make them feel as if their way of thinking is more acceptable than another's. History is mostly books written about books written about books.

History is more like a court case, where scholars present their cases with so called evidence. Napoleon once said "history is a set of lies agreed upon" and many famous men have uttered that "history is written by the winners." In essence, history is relegated to the place of myth as time draws towards infinity. While the actual historic events do not mean so much, myth, on the other hand does provide some guidance and help to our present cause. History is the seedling of myth which eventually grows into something larger and more elaborate, perhaps based on a small modicum of truth, but evolved into something much different and complex than its material genesis.

Examples

By examining American history in the short time span of 1870-1900 we can see how the history machines have done to promote a certain viewpoint while basing…

Sources used in this document:
References

Twentieth Century by Howard Zinn: Intro and Chapter 1 ISBN 0060530340

Give me liberty by Eric Foner: Chapter 15-17 ISBN 0393920313

. The Untold History of the United States by Stone/Kuznick: Intro to (to page xxxiii) ISBN 1451613520
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Art Therapy and PTSD Art
Words: 4716 Length: 15 Document Type: Research Proposal

Children need special attention when dealing with traumas they might not fully understand. Thus art therapy has been proven to benefit the increasing number of children dealing with PTSD and other trauma related disorders creating fear and anxiety within the innocent child. Another major benefit of art therapy is that of the informal nature of the expression. Unlike language which is complicated through strict grammatical rules, artistic expression has

Art of Classical Antiquity, in the Ancient
Words: 1563 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Art of classical antiquity, in the ancient cultures of Greece and Rome, has been much revered, admired, and imitated. In fact, the arts of ancient Greece and Rome can be considered the first self-conscious and cohesive art movements in Europe. Style, form, execution, and media were standardized and honed to the point where aesthetic ideals were created and sustained over time. The art of classical antiquity in Greece and Rome

Art History and Contemporary Art the World
Words: 1094 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Art History And Contemporary Art The world is a complex place and the old, outmoded, Eurocentric way we look at politics, economics and culture (art) may not be the right way to conceive the new order. Globalism describes, in fact, the increasing unification of the world through economic means (reduction of trade barriers, support of international trade, and mitigation of export and import quotas). They goal for globalization is to increase

History of Graphic Design Technology
Words: 3422 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

However, it is good to note that despite the numbers of typefaces, designers were seemed to be not contented with it. The new batch of designers did not maximize using the traditional typefaces offered to them by the computer, and they opted to use specialized software programs and created new type forms. Not only were they able to create unique typeface of their own, but they were also able to

Art the Renaissance Heralded in
Words: 2995 Length: 9 Document Type: Term Paper

French Romantic painter, Eugene Delacroix, is well-known from this period. Delacroix often took his subjects from literature but added much more by using color to create an effect of pure energy and emotion that he compared to music. He also showed that paintings can be done about present-day historical events, not just those in the past (Wood, 217). He was at home with styles such as pen, watercolor, pastel, and

History of Western Art Looking
Words: 1837 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

To illustrate these different views, he creates Starry Night over the Rhone. This shows the sense of anticipation that is occurring before the evening begins. As he is depicting, a quit outdoor cafe that is waiting for: the customers to begin arriving and the festivities to commence. To illustrate this sense of anticipation he uses different colors and lighter brush strokes. As there is: yellow, black, blue, tan and

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now