Key words: art historical discourse; art criticism; peculiarities of art texts; English language media

This study examines English-based texts exploring artistic pieces of various origin. The research topic’s relevance is underscored by the rising popularity of discourse analysis in contemporary Linguistics. The focus on art historical discourse can be attributed to art’s pervasive position in society, as it penetrates the lives of many individuals, regardless of their background. The factual materials comprising the database of art historical discourse are abundant and diverse, reflecting the varied nature of such texts. [Bilozub et al, 2023: 170]. Various sources provide examples and comprise the illustrative foundation of the paper, including «Art and Architecture of Ireland» by C. Marshall, «The Art Atlas of Britain and Ireland» by B. Arnold, «BBC Culture» domain, and J. Payne’s online project entitled as «Great Art Explained». This research employs content analysis as its primary methodological approach. Art criticism is inherently subjective, which extends to biographical and historical works as well. Some passages appear noticeably opinionated while being generalized and presented as public sentiment: «We need public works like this. We need excitement in our lives, and we need to be overwhelmed, astounded and confused» [Payne, 2021]. Journalistic publications ordinarily employ more emphatic constructions in an effort to maintain readers’ engagement. However, as it is evident in the BBC Culture articles, this is not universally applicable across all issues. Excepting occasional epithets, texts appear to be quite ascetic and pragmatic. More formal writings generally prioritize conciseness and terseness. A thorough inspection of art-related works reveals a trend toward increasingly anthropocentric perspectives, whereby critics become more aware of art’s societal value and its influence on individuals. Appraisal increasingly supplants description. To sum up, it is crucial to mention that art historical discourse is rather homogenous in nature. It implies texts that vary both in terms of lexis and syntactic structures. Furthermore, art historical discourse appears to be a remarkably subjective domain, depending on the type of text it is manifested through. Lastly, nowadays, art history tends to acquire a social perspective. Combining the aforementioned points, we can conclude that art historical discourse can serve as a reliable source of authentic materials for learners. Moreover, its versatility enables students to be more involved and prompts discussion.

Reference:

Bilozub L., Tymoshenko M., Bedrina N., Voronova N., Andrushchenko T. Art History Research in Scientific Discourse // Revista Eduweb, 17 (1), 2023. P. 167—175.