Viewing the World Through an Artist's Eyes

This week we encountered the elements and principles of art in AP Art History class. The cover of the Scholastic Art Magazine features Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night. Ironically I read an article about Van Gogh from Mail Online this week that suggested he may be color blind.

This got me to thinking. We view history from the eyes of those creative people who have visually documented history. I have always contemplated bias that may be included in artwork, like in literature. I had not considered the idea that the artist LITERALLY may see differently than the general population. This makes me approach the art I see in the future with a different lens. I will now factor in this angle when I look at an artist's color choice. Perhaps this article will open up a discussion about other artists and artwork.

The line between art and science is often blurred. Artists understand optics and how the eye views colors, an understanding that helps them create visually and intellectually pleasing images. Artists understand the science of binders to get the most from the pigments they used. Today ... conservationists understand scientific processes to conserve/restore works from the past.