1. ORIENTAL ART
1.1. Orientalism
1.1.1. "Traveling writers and painters brought home accounts and images suggestive of a timeless way of life, reminiscent for some of biblical antiquity, of the luxury and decadence of Oriental despots and harems, and abandoned monumental ruins. Islam, despite prejudices about a history of pagan barbarism, gained respect for its solemn piety and the beauty of its religious architecture and art" (Burt, 40).
1.1.1.1. Europeans had this fantasy of East Asia. It portrayed them as exotic and mysterious. Also Europeans portrayed them as barbaric and violent and we still see that today in current media.
1.2. Colonial Perspective
1.2.1. "Europeans who thought their own painting the peak of artistic achievement despised imported Chinese painting for its lack of naturalism, yet seldom saw the artefacts made for the Chinese elite and knew nothing of their connoisseurial values" (Burt, 49).
1.2.1.1. European, specifically rich white men, believe that the Chinese lack naturalism within their artworks and made them also believe that European artwork was superior since it contained naturalism
2. PRIMITIVE ART
2.1. "Primitive" and Anthropology
2.1.1. "Some explained their exotic character in terms of primitive mentality or racial inferiority; others preferred fantasies of primal instincts unfettered by cultural control; but all agreed that primitive peoples represented less developed culture, were inherently conservative and resistant to change, and needed to be civilized in the European tradition" (Burt, 58).
2.1.1.1. Earlier views of indigenous societies were "primitive" and a need to be civilized into a more "advance" culture.
2.2. Diffusionism
2.2.1. "The most speculative and least plausible of these alternatives to evolutionist theories appear obsessed with explaining the culture of exotic peoples as borrowings by “diffusion” from more advanced cultures, in terms that denied their ability to develop on their own" (Burt, 58).
2.2.1.1. A theory that suggested that indigenous people can't create their own "advance culture" and borrowed from more "advance "ones.
3. PREHISTORIC ART
3.1. Politics of Prehistory
3.1.1. "While Euro-Americans trace cultural antecedents to ancient Greece, Native Americans seek to reclaim American history from those who colonized their land and seem intent on appropriating their identity and culture too.[...]This gave Native Americans rights in ancient sites and prevented archaeologists from treating human remains simply as “prehistory,” belonging to the discoverers, their nation, or humanity in general" (Burt, 79).
3.1.1.1. Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act gave Native American rights in historical sites and prevents archaeologists from mistreating artifacts.
3.2. Prehistoric Myths
3.2.1. "Cook’s research, reacting against these European male preconceptions, has shown that most of the female figurines represented pregnant or middle-aged senior women past childbearing age, rather than erotic images. She has suggested that they are as likely to have been made by and for women as by men, and could represent women’s self-perceptions of their bodies, as seen looking down at themselves" (Burt, 75).
3.2.1.1. Paleolithic sculptures were not for meant to sexualize the female figures but to honor them. Introduced the idea of paleolithic art was also made by women and not only by men.
4. The Origins of Art
4.1. Historical European View
4.1.1. "Thus, the artist who does perfect landscapes is superior to another who paints only fruit, flowers or shells....And as the human figure is God's most perfect work on earth, it is certainly the case that the artist who God by painting human figures, is more outstanding by far than all others" (Burt, 10).
4.1.1.1. Europeans prefer art that had realism and portrayed nature. Developed the idea that artist that were able to portrayed nature were superior to artists that didn't portrayed as inferior.
4.2. Art Classification
4.2.1. "Collectors tended to treat such artefacts as paintings, coins, and medals as illustrations of historical texts rather than as sources of historical evidence in their own right. They preferred to classify others typologically in order to make broad comparisons across humanity, rather than to distinguish cultural traditions geographically or historically" (Burt, 13).
4.2.1.1. Collectors didn't classify artefacts by their cultural significance but to compare them broad across time.
5. CLASSICAL ART
5.1. Ancient Greece
5.1.1. "In entrusting the sculptures to the British Museum, Parliament endorsed what was claimed to be the salvage of some of the greatest works of art of European antiquity from neglect by the barbarous Turks, in competition with the acquisitive French"(Burt, 23).
5.1.1.1. Ancient Greece artworks were seen as the greatest peak in art history. Europeans often use ancient Greece to compare other culture's art.
5.2. Euro-centrism
5.2.1. "When thirteenth-century Gothic artists began to experiment with naturalism once again, the better to represent “the sacred story,” Gombrich implied that this was a lesser aim than the Greek pursuit of the beauty of the body for its own sake. He regularly compared these ancient artists with those of his own time who worked in the Classical tradition: “We think of an artist as a person with a sketchbook who sits down and makes a drawing from life whenever he feels inclined”"(Burt, 33).
5.2.1.1. Euro-centrism placed still Greek as the peak of "art". Ancient artworks are still being compared to Greek art. Also criticized art works under classical views of art.