How Does Art Tell Stories?
August 10, 2025 – Los Angeles: This segment from the Crash Course Art History series explores how art serves as a powerful medium for storytelling and historical record-keeping, starting with prehistoric cave paintings, with some researchers believing they depicted shamanic ceremonies.
The video highlights several artworks to demonstrate how art enriches our understanding of history by providing personal perspectives and challenging conventional narratives. Key examples include:
- Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute (15th century China): This 39-foot-long silk scroll tells the emotional story of Lady Wenji, a poet who was abducted and had to leave her family to return to her homeland. The artwork reveals the emotional realities of individuals during wartime, a perspective often missing from traditional historical texts.
- Migration Direction Map (1996) by Julie Mehretu: This non-representational piece challenges the idea of rigid, unchanging borders seen on traditional maps. Its wavy, intersecting lines and arrows reflect the complex and non-linear reality of migration and how people’s relationships and identities shift over time.
- Relief sculptures from the Akkadian and Lullubi civilizations: The video contrasts two sculptures depicting what might be the same battle. Each civilization’s artwork portrays their own king as the victor, demonstrating how art is always told from a particular point of view and how historical narratives can conflict.
- The Great Relief at Mamallapuram (7th or 8th century India): This massive sculpture showcases how a single artwork can contain conflicting stories. While scholars debate whether it depicts “Arjuna’s Penance” or “Descent of the Ganges,” they agree its purpose was to show the king’s commitment to protecting his subjects by intentionally including elements from both narratives.
- Murals by Aaron Douglas (1934): Created during the Harlem Renaissance, this series of murals tells a chronological story of Black American history, including emancipation, political progress, and the ongoing struggles against hate groups. The art amplified a historically overlooked narrative, demonstrating the importance of acknowledging the contributions of Black artists.
In conclusion, art enriches our understanding of the past by showcasing multiple perspectives, preserving memories, and highlighting the experiences of all people — not just those in power. The video also explains that although no record is entirely unbiased, storytelling through art brings us closer to a more comprehensive truth.