Dr. Rebecca Jeffrey Easby

Biography

Today we live in a very visual culture and learning how to interpret images is an important skill. Studying art history involves understanding both the creative act and the time in which a work of art was created. It is impossible to truly comprehend a painting or a sculpture unless you know why an artist was drawn to a specific subject, technique or style. In the classroom, it is my job to help the students see the "why." Art history isn't just about names and dates; it's about what motivates artists to create. In class, my goal is to try to help students make these connections between the larger historical picture and individual works of art. Only by understanding what motivated the artists of the past can we truly understand the meaning behind their works and how they evolved into what we call art today.

Research Interest

19th century art in England and the US Victorian exhibition practices Historical thought and the use of historical subjects in art