The difference between art history and history is often misunderstood. Art history is the study of art, its meaning, and its place in culture while history is the study of past events.
Although they are related, they are two distinct fields of study.
In art history, scholars examine works of art from various periods throughout history and analyze them from a variety of perspectives. They will consider the techniques used to create a work, the materials used, and any messages or themes that might be present. Art historians also look for connections between works from different time periods and cultures to try to understand how ideas have been expressed over time.
In contrast, historians look at past events in order to understand how societies have evolved and changed over time. They use primary sources such as documents and artifacts to reconstruct what happened in the past. Historians often focus on political or social history, but may also explore economic or cultural aspects of a given period.
Hence, it becomes clear that while art history looks at how art reflects society, culture and ideas throughout different time periods, history looks at the actual events themselves that have shaped society throughout time. Both fields are important for understanding how we arrived at our current state as humans but they take different approaches to do so.
To conclude, it is important to note that while art history and history may be related in some ways, they are two separate disciplines with their own distinct methods for understanding our world today. Art historians use works of art as their primary source material to examine cultural trends and explore ideas over time whereas historians rely on primary sources such as documents and artifacts to reconstruct past events.