African Art & Contemporary Practice Week #1

What comes before language in how we understand the world?

Seeing

How does seeing help us relate to the world?

It shows us our place in it

What’s the difference between seeing and knowing?

Seeing is instant; knowing takes thought and isn’t always exact

How do beliefs affect what we see?

They shape how we interpret what we see

How does personal experience change our vision?

It influences how we emotionally respond to what we see

Do we automatically see everything around us?

No, we only see what we choose to look at

Do we see things in isolation?

No, we see things in relation to other things and ourselves

When do we become aware that we’re being seen?

Soon after we learn to see

What is the reciprocal nature of seeing?

If we can see something, we know it can see us too

What are all images the result of?

Human choices—even photos involve framing and timing

What do images do to time and place?

They separate what we see from its original moment

What does every image reflect?

The way the creator saw what they were showing

What affects how we see images?

Our own experiences and perspective

Why were the first images created?

To show things that weren’t physically present

What role did images later take on?

To preserve and record people, places, or events

What shift happened in the Renaissance?

Artists began showing how they saw the world

How are images different from written records?

They give direct visual testimony of the past

What assumptions do people bring to art?

Ideas about beauty, truth, genius, taste, and status

What is mystification in art?

Making art seem more mysterious or elite than it really is

What does mystification do to the past?

It hides real meaning to protect power structures

What’s the real story in Frans Hals’s painting?

A poor artist painting the rich people who controlled his life

What do art historians often ignore?

The social realities behind artworks

What was Renaissance perspective based on?

A single, fixed viewpoint centered on the viewer

What did the camera change about seeing?

It showed multiple views and moments, not one fixed point

How did Impressionists respond to photography?

They painted fleeting, ever-changing moments

What did Cubists do differently?

Showed all possible views of an object at once

How were paintings seen before photography?

In one place only, tied to buildings and space

What did the camera do to art’s uniqueness?

Made it reproducible and easier to access

What happens when a painting appears on TV?

It enters each person’s life and home differently

Why are originals still valued today?

Because they’re the source of all reproductions

How is market value tied to mystification?

High prices create fake spiritual or historical importance

What mattered in the “Virgin of the Rocks” case?

Proving which version was “real,” not what it meant

How does education affect museum visits?

The more education, the more likely someone visits museums

Why do some people feel excluded from museums?

Museums feel like churches—serious, elite, unwelcoming

What changes when images are reproduced?

They become just information, not special or powerful

How can reproductions be misused?

To support power, tradition, or fake status

What’s an alternative use of images?

Personal collections that mix life, art, and memory equally

What do original artworks still offer?

Silence, stillness, and a physical connection to history

What’s the key question about art meaning?

Who gets to decide what the art means?

Where was art originally kept?

In sacred or powerful spaces like caves or palaces

What did reproduction do to art’s power?

Took it out of elite spaces and made it everyday

What illusion do we have about art today?

That everyone appreciates it like the elite once did

What’s the real opportunity now with images?

To create a new visual language for real experience

Why does controlling image language matter?

It shapes who has cultural and political power