Art History = Fancy Gossip?

Lately, I've been on a kick to holistically revisit my interest in Art. I am once again making Art and re-reading my old Art History books; I even rented Simon Shama's "The Power of Art", a BBC series that focuses on the work and life of eight renowned artists: Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Bernini, David, Van Gogh, Picasso, Turner, Rothko. My friend Megan and I watched the episode on Bernini in bed last night, and while deep in giggles and amusing commentary (we couldn't help it, the episode focused on Bernini's Santa Teresa, and her "orgasmic ecstasy", I know very mature, but you should've been there, I swear!) Megan said something really interesting "Art History is just fancy gossip, think about it, it is all stories and hearsay". Although my art loving self hates to admit it, Megan is right, Art History and all History for that matter is gossip...hearsay. Now, I am not saying that these are not stories based on fact, but isn't every kind of gossip based on something?

Her comment got me thinking. If past artists are the equivalent of modern rockstars/actors (insert argument on what is considered art? here) then the way we react to their fame is equal. Right? We are fascinated by their "genius", by their craft, by their passion, and it is this somehow super human talent that propels our fascination with their lives. A, how did you get so great? how are you different or similar to me? How can I be like you?

The Lives is the Renaissance Version of US Weekly

Giorgio Vasari followed the great Italian artists of the Reinaissance and documenting every aspect of their lives and work. His resulting book, "The lives", which is considered one of the founding texts of Art History is full of gossip. Bernini slept with X, Giotto was the rival of Y, Raphael hated Z. Gossip!

The word gossip has such negative connotations, that comparing it to something considered intellectual is sacrilegious, but what I argue is that at its core some things are the same, just fancier, that it is human to enjoy gossip, that it is ok to be curious, that we need gossip and that things will evolve to satisfy this need.

Personally I believe people are drawn to people, what draws us initially to a work might be its is beauty, but what holds our interest is the artist, the people. What made Vasari's work so interesting was not only that he wrote about the art and ideas associated with this amazing group of people, but also the way he wrote about them: The story.

I guess history is a pretty much a collection of stories; and story is just a fancier way to say gossip. Now on to part two...Rembrandt