Art in History

Walking through the European Art Exhibit felt like walking through history; my presence had to be minimal in order to preserve the past. As I exited the European Art section of the museum, it felt like I had walked out of a silent bubble. A bubble where I felt like I was supposed to hold my breath and walk on tiptoes. Natural light washed over me, pulling the tension out of my chest as I entered the Antioch Court. I tipped my head up and around staring at beige marble and tall windows. Compared to the pristine gold frames and varnished floorboards I creaked over earlier, the tall ceilings and sunlight felt like being outside.

         My gaze soon shifted to the map in my hands. The word “Antioch” felt uncomfortable in my mouth. The sharp “t” and “ch” poked around, trying to assemble themselves into a word. I scanned over the words, and my impatient brain could only take away “old mosaics” from the entire paragraph. Eager to see the works from the past, I quickly found my way to the nearest artwork, ready to absorb information.

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Human writing has been around for over 5,000 years and has developed into complex alphabets and languages. Through history, people have written various works, all with different purposes, yet all made to communicate ideas. As more and more of these written works were preserved, they have also acted like a lens for historians to see the past. This has allowed people to learn more about the past and see how this written work might have impacted it. As someone who is interested in both history and literature, the question of “What books have had a large impact in history?” interests me. It makes me wonder about how many famous books today may be forgotten in a century, but some will remain afloat and be considered classics in the future. What books have shaped our history, and how?

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You need to step back a little. Was the first thing I realized. I had been expecting something large, perhaps my height. I expected to see simple patterns and basic visages. Oddly, I had expected the works to be slightly crudely made. In my mind there might have been odd quadrilaterals for tiles and basic subjects depicted. When I read about these mosaics being from the third century, it had lowered my expectations of grandeur and prepared me to see something on a different scale than the meticulously drawn landscapes and portraits from the Renaissance.

         In the last aspect, my expectations were right. These mosaics were completely different. They often required walking to see the whole thing and quite a few more steps backward. From afar, I saw the stories, the head of Tethys and Oceanus or animals fighting in a forest. Up close, I saw all the work and care. For example, I saw how each stripe on the tiger would have taken hours and how each lock of hair works with the tangent ones to create a sea swept beard. These portraits and animal depictions alone were enough to steal my breath yet make me gasp, to force me into the dilemma of either further examining the mosaic I was looking at or continuing where my breath would be stolen again.

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Books that talk of governance and politics directly impact how countries or states are controlled, which has both immediate impact and long-term impact. One example is Republic by Plato. It was written around 375 BC, and speaks of justice in the government. This book impacted how Greece was governed and how people saw the political system. The height of Greece’s power was also around this time period, so how Greece was governed had an impact on a large part of the world at that time. In addition, this book shows an image of what the Greek government looked like in the past, teaching historians about this ancient civilization. This has changed our ability to understand history as well.

         Another example of writing shaping history is Common Sense written by Thomas Paine to encourage the American Revolution. Common Sense, a 47-page long pamphlet, includes heavily persuasive writing, advocating for independence from Britain. This inspired not only the public to be more patriotic, but also put pressure on the leaders of the Revolution. With more public sentiment for revolution, these leaders were pushed to declare independence as quickly as possible. This work clearly had a significant impact on the course of the American Revolution, but since then, has also indirectly impacted other important events. After the revolution, the United States flourished, slowly becoming a powerful country dominating the middle of North America. The United States has become a global superpower, impacting wars and the development of countries. The work of Thomas Paine pushed for America’s independence, as thus indirectly impacted the many things that followed in U.S history.

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The artisans of the second to sixth century tipped the scales on both difficulty and execution. Behind and around the main subject was either a background, smaller images, or both. The bust of Tethys is surrounded by fish and serpent-like eels. Behind the tigress and boar are luscious trees allowing the fight to happen in the shade. However, the artistry did not end. In the background are even smaller subjects. Each mosaic was surrounded by a border. Some were ribbon-like and others rope-like; some were diamonds and others were sea waves. These borders acted as the ornate golden frame for the times when it had not been invented yet.

         I stood unmoving, awestruck for either longer than the mosaic creators intended, or not nearly long enough. Not only was I amazed at the beauty, detail, and unimaginable effort, but I was also surprised. Besides the slightly irregular tiles, all my expectations had been defied. The subjects were anything but basic. They told the stories of Greco-Roman mythology and majestic beasts. Despite being an accent, the repeating patterns on the edge found a way to tie the pieces into a cohesive, wondrous piece of art. Grandeur lived in every nook and cranny.

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Religious texts have just as heavily impacted the world. Today, the most common religion in the world in Christianity, and the sacred text in Christianity is the Bible. It consists of the Old and New Testament; the former was written between 1200-165 BC and the latter in the first century AD. Because of how common Christianity is, the Bible has molded so many people’s worldviews, and thus how those people would go about their lives. Similar to the Bible, the Quran is another sacred text. It is the sacred text of Islam and was written from 610 to 632 AD.

         Due to how personal one’s religion is to one identity, religion can often spur large changes in history, whether it be wars or colonization. One’s religion is partly what one believes is the truth. When multiple people have different truths and try to dismiss what they do not believe, this can cause heavy conflict. For example, the Crusades were a series of religious wars which lasted over a century. On the other hand, religion can also spur change which cannot always be categorized as good or bad. The colonization of Plymouth was driven by religious freedom and has also had a sizable impact on the course of history.

Stories, just like non-fiction, can also impact how we think and understand the world. Reading stories and immersing oneself in a new world is often an act of empathy; readers must understand the protagonists to get the most meaning from the book. One book which has shaped how we see the world is 1984 by George Orwell. This book dwells on the complicated topics of surveillance and censorship. In the book, the government actively attempts to shift people’s perception of the world and the past, forbidding alternate ideas. However, this book does more than just follow the protagonist in the story. It warms what a future world can look like where the government becomes totalitarian. In its warnings, it has shaped how we see these ever-present topics of censorship and surveillance. At what point does control become overbearing? At the same time, how much control is too little?

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Looking back, it was completely irrational to expect anything crude in Antioch art. Back then, art was a luxurious good for wealthy kings and government officials to adorn their homes with. Even without that knowledge, I knew that these civilizations had created beautiful pottery that was itself covered in paintings. These same civilizations undeniably could have created similarly stunning mosaics. Seeing my surprise at that moment seems like an accident. However, it was one that made me more appreciative of the hard work. As I kept staring, taking in the magnificence, I realized that the creators had a story to tell. The story was that of the great gods, or of amazing animals. Today, though, the story also includes how these works have been preserved, and what we think of them. With each coming person, the story changes, fitting the eyes of the beholder.

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Many texts have impacts on the world which students will read about in history textbooks, but even more have impacts that will never be seen and have already been forgotten. Those impacts often do not seem real because they have been forgotten. It seems that we should remember more of them to create a complete picture. It seems that society plays a big part in what books are remembered. How does society choose what deserves notoriety? I hope my favorite books will live on to tell the tales of today. I hope the ones that tell of injustice will be remembered so the same injustices do not repeat. Some will be the lucky chosen ones, but some will be lost to time. Luckily, for the many people who will never reach widespread fame, art of any kind does not need to reach a wide audience to be meaningful. It impacts the lives of the creators, and that may just be enough.

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Pictures rarely can grasp our emotions of how we feel in the presence of greatness, whether an alluring painting or colossal towers. This can at times prime our expectations incorrectly, but that only accentuates the feeling of wonder and awe. Sometimes I feel the same with books. I am rarely ever prepared for how much a book will make me think and question my world. However, the questioning leads to discovery, leads to learning, leaving me slightly grateful for my previous innocence.