Art and visual culture both shape and reflect how culture see themselves. Studying them tells us how people cultures have seen themselves and their world, both in the past and in the present, and how they communicate their ideas to others.

Making art and visual culture is an almost universal human activity. The study of art history is thus a vital means for understanding human culture, from its distant days to the present.

As an art historian you will learn about this rich and fundamental strand of human culture. You will learn to talk and write about works of art from different periods and places, as well as developing skills of close looking and description. You will also acquire the tools and vocabulary for interpreting the visual culture that surrounds us.