{"id":6931,"date":"2022-04-05T09:38:22","date_gmt":"2022-04-05T14:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=6931"},"modified":"2022-04-06T14:42:51","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T19:42:51","slug":"art-historian-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/art-historian-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Want to Open People&#8217;s Eyes\u2019: Tips From an Art Historian"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-triple has-large-font-size\">Pace University professor Janetta Rebold Benton \u201967 wrote the book\u2014literally\u2014on how to understand art<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Beth Saulnier<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><em>AAP grad <a href=\"http:\/\/www.janettareboldbenton.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Janetta Rebold Benton \u201967 <\/a>has spent decades teaching art history, both to university students and to visitors at such venues as the Smithsonian, the Met in NYC, Boston\u2019s Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Gallery in Washington, D.C.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-style-offset\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"A portrait of Janetta Rebold Benton\" class=\"wp-image-6947 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-768x961.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-1228x1536.jpg 1228w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Janetta-Rebold-Benton-B.jpg 1259w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>Benton, who holds a doctorate in art history from Brown, has lectured around the world.  <em>(Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em><em>Last fall, the London-based publisher Thames &amp; Hudson released <\/em><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thamesandhudsonusa.com\/books\/how-to-understand-art-softcover\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">How to Understand Art<\/a><em><em>, in which Benton covers the fundamentals of the <\/em>visual arts\u2014with a focus on painting and sculpture from Western Europe and North America, but with examples from around the globe\u2014and offers insights into how to think critically about artworks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Boasting some 100 images, the guide has been translated into French, Spanish, Italian, German, Latvian, and Chinese. \u201cMy intent was to enhance, elevate, and expand people&#8217;s ability to understand art, no matter their background or initial level of interest,\u201d Benton says. \u201cI want to open people&#8217;s eyes.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>A specialist in the medieval period, the BFA alum is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pace.edu\/profile\/janetta-benton\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">distinguished professor of art history at Pace University<\/a>; she has also taught in France and (as a Fulbright Scholar) in Russia and China. Her tenth book, <\/em>The History of Western Art, <em>comes out in fall 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>One of the questions you ponder is \u201cwhat is art?\u201d So, what is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s no universally accepted definition, but I love Andy Warhol\u2019s: \u201cArt is what you can get away with.\u201d It&#8217;s personal and individual. The expression \u201cI don&#8217;t know much about art\u2014but I know what I like\u201d is very valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"799\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A-1024x799.jpg\" alt=\"&quot;The Bedroom&quot; painting by van Gogh\" class=\"wp-image-6948\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A-1024x799.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A-768x599.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A-1536x1198.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Vincent_van_Gogh_-_The_Bedroom_-_Google_Art_Project-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption><em>The Bedroom<\/em> by Vincent van Gogh, painted in Arles, France, in fall 1888. <em>(Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>To approach the question a different way: what does a work need to do to be considered art?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One idea is that it should have a degree of beauty and aesthetic appeal. It should give you pleasure, make you feel good. As Matisse said: \u201cArt should be like a good armchair in which to rest from physical fatigue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another idea is that it should produce an emotional response in the viewer. For example, Donatello\u2019s sculpture of Mary Magdalene depicts her after fasting in the desert\u2014she&#8217;s an emaciated, desiccated, old woman. She is not pretty by any modern standards, but she evokes emotion. Even if you know nothing about the religious subject, it&#8217;s so moving, you can\u2019t look away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile is-style-offset\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The statue &quot;Penitent Magdalene&quot; by Donatello\" class=\"wp-image-6943 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/Penitent_Magdalene_Donatello_-_48199304927-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>A detail of Donatello&#8217;s <em>Penitent Magdalene<\/em>, a wooden sculpture carved in the 1450s. <em>(Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>If the title of the book is \u201cHow to Understand Art,\u201d how do we begin that process?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Be as open minded as possible; just doing that is a major accomplishment. Try to look at works without any preconceived notions about what you might like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>But aren\u2019t certain kinds of art an acquired taste?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without a doubt, some things are easier than others. Impressionism is one of the most popular styles of all time; it\u2019s easy to identify with, the colors are light and bright, the events are pleasant. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In Renoir\u2019s paintings, the men are handsome, the women are pretty, and the weather is almost always good. It&#8217;s the idea of art as an escape. Abstract, non-representational, non-figurative art\u2014that&#8217;s a little tougher to identify with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>Can you give an example of when you\u2019ve changed your mind about a work or artist?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;m a medievalist, and I used to think that the work of [abstract expressionist painter] Jackson Pollock did not qualify as art in the usual sense. Then I visited his home and looked at many of his paintings. After learning about him as a person, I have come to maybe not love Pollock, but at least to appreciate what he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The renoir painting &quot;two sisters&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-6945\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-632x790.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-316x395.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-280x350.jpg 280w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-140x175.jpg 140w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-70x87.jpg 70w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-400x500.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-200x250.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A-100x125.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/renoir-two-sisters-A.jpg 1260w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><figcaption>Appealing Impressionist works like Renoir&#8217;s 1881 oil painting <em>Two Sisters (On the Terrace)<\/em> satisfy Matisse&#8217;s dictum that art should be like &#8220;a good armchair.&#8221; <em>(Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>Is art\u2014like beauty\u2014truly in the eye of the beholder? What if we\u2019re talking about a \u201cvelvet Elvis\u201d painting, or a print of dogs playing poker?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s a different form of art, but that doesn&#8217;t rule it out. If it gives you pleasure and you want to hang it on your wall, I see nothing wrong with it. It&#8217;s a matter of personal taste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>Your book offers a primer on art\u2019s building blocks\u2014the use of color, line, texture, etc. How does knowing those fundamentals enhance art appreciation?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I think it\u2019s crucial, because you need to know what <em>can<\/em> be done. What are the possibilities? What does the artist have to work with? A point I make in the book is that every artist has those same tools, those basic elements\u2014though they\u2019re not obligated to use all of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile is-style-offset\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"674\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A-674x1024.jpg\" alt=\"the cover of &quot;how to understand art&quot;\" class=\"wp-image-6946 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A-674x1024.jpg 674w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A-198x300.jpg 198w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A-768x1166.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A-1011x1536.jpg 1011w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/understand-art-book-cover-A.jpg 1037w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 674px) 100vw, 674px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>Does knowing about an artist\u2019s life enrich understanding of their work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Absolutely, and I would like to see even greater emphasis on this. How do you feel about Vincent van Gogh&#8217;s paintings if you\u2019ve never read his writings or heard his life story, which is so gripping? If you don&#8217;t know about his [psychological] condition, you don&#8217;t understand them\u2014that brushwork, the emotion, his choice of colors. If you ignore the artist, you&#8217;re shortchanging yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>To fully comprehend a work of art, do you have to revisit it over time?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do think it improves understanding to see something with fresh eyes\u2014like when I write something, if I put it aside and come back to it a few days later, it&#8217;s almost like getting an outside reader. <\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An excellent way of evaluating a work of art is whether you want to come back to it\u2014or are you done with it the first time you glance at it? If it&#8217;s at some level intriguing, I think that gives it high marks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>In the book, you recall overhearing a boy in a fine arts museum asking his father if they were in church. Do museums tend to have that sort of\u2014as you describe it\u2014\u201cholier-than-thou\u201d atmosphere?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They do. I hate to say this, but many museums are pompous. They are pretentious, and intentionally so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p>If you ignore the artist, you&#8217;re shortchanging yourself.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>How can you assure the museum-going public that they shouldn&#8217;t be intimidated?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you learn something about the artists, you realize these are real people. Art doesn&#8217;t just pop into view\u2014it doesn\u2019t just appear in someone&#8217;s fabulous collection, get sold at Christie&#8217;s or Sotheby&#8217;s, or materialize on the walls of a museum. There are people behind these things, with real stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"793\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A-1024x793.jpg\" alt=\"A painting of dogs playing poker\" class=\"wp-image-6944\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A-1024x793.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A-300x232.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A-768x595.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A-1536x1189.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/dogs-playing-poker-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Is it art? Perhaps that&#8217;s up to you. <em>(Photo provided)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>What artist do you love most\u2014or in your line of work, are you not allowed to play favorites?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My all-time favorite is Leonardo da Vinci, because his work is so diverse and because he amalgamated science and art. If I could meet one artist, that&#8217;s who it would be. I\u2019d love to get to know him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"rkv-gutter-bottom-quarter\"><strong>Lastly: if you could abscond with one work from any museum without fear of prosecution, what would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My first answer would be the <em>Mona Lisa<\/em>, for her fame and because I want to be able to look at her, contemplate her expression, and try to figure out what she was thinking. But no\u2014what I really want is Leonardo&#8217;s<em> Last Supper<\/em> for my dining room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top image: Illustration by Cornell University.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size\">Published April 5, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Janetta Rebold Benton \u201967 wrote the book\u2014literally\u2014on how to understand art<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":68,"featured_media":6942,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[225],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[451],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-6931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ask-the-expert","cornell_year_post-451"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>\u2018I Want to Open People&#039;s Eyes\u2019: Tips From an Art Historian - 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