Studying English Literature and Art History, I have met my fair share of incredibly pretentious students. But should we be so quick to label people? Let’s face it, it’s fairly hard not to sound pretentious when discussing the paradoxical representations of images of Christ in classical Roman art.
There’s always that one person in tutorials who sounds like they’ve swallowed a textbook, and the lone soldier that raises their hand in lectures, and I think that, generalising, it would be more accurate to say that Art History students are the pretentious ones—not the subject.
I have found art to be one of the most insightful and empathetic ways to view history—it helps you understand real people’s emotional reactions and mental recollections of events of the past in a way that numbers and facts cannot. It is relatable to the average person because we are all humans with hearts that long to create. Whether that’s journalling, painting, writing music, talking—we all exercise our creativity when something happens to us.
So the study of Art History should be for all and yet, it has an elitist reputation. Art has always been placed on a pedestal, behind glass and in museums for the middle-class. Both Prince William and Princess Kate studied it, and in 2011, over two thirds of Art History students at Cambridge University had come from private schools. Very few state colleges and sixth forms offer Art History as a subject—mine certainly didn’t.
So, is the study of Art History elitist because the kind of people who study it are those with prior knowledge, who grew up around art and visiting galleries? It would make sense that these kinds of people would make the best art historians, but it creates a subject area that is full of a very specific person; a person that can seem, to some, pretentious.
If we want to diversify the study of Art History, the funding for art education needs to be increased, so that everyone is exposed to the arts from a young age. Scotland does a great job at providing free exhibitions and student discounts for galleries, theatres and cinemas, and London’s Art Fund pass means that young people can get discounted access to these things too. But there is still so far to come. The creative industry is not appealing to the working class because it seems as though it will condemn you to poverty. There needs to be more funding for art education, up and coming artists and exposure to art as a young person, before we can expect the study of art history to become less pretentious.
Illustration by Rose Binghamm for The Student