“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see,” wrote the French artist Edgar Degas in 1885. A century later, Heinz Kohut, the founder of self-psychology, maintained that the artist is “ahead of the scientist in responding to [humankind’s] unfolding needs. Through his work […] the artist prepares the way for the culturally supported solution of the conflict or for healing of the defect.” (Self Psychology, 1978, 88-89). 

As a cultural art historian investigating daily phenomena related to modern experiences, I believe images, other visual representations, and material objects function as pieces of history that conjointly reflect society and fashion it. Serving as both sources and records for the writing of history, images and artifacts enrich historical research by covering both presentations of history and reflections on history.

The ability to explore and decipher images enriches our world, contributes to our happiness, "comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” as asserted by the contemporary graffiti artist Banksy.

In our department, you will learn to recognize the beauty inherent in the complexity of images and acquire tools that allow you to decipher the society in which we live.

With warm wishes for exciting studies and fruitful research,

Gal Ventura