Seeing Comics through Art History

This book examines how Art History methodologies can enhance Comics Studies, providing new perspectives on comics and their aesthetic dimensions. Seeing Comics through Art History is a significant contribution to both fields.

This book delves into the intersection of Art History and Comics Studies, exploring how various methodologies from Art History can illuminate overlooked aspects of comics, such as aesthetics, form, materiality, perception, and visual style. Seeing Comics through Art History not only examines what Art History can contribute to comic scholarship but also challenges some of the established categories and practices within the field. By doing so, it opens up a dialogue about what comics can reveal about the art historical narrative.

The volume brings together a diverse group of international scholars who apply art-historical methodologies to analyze a variety of comic forms, including strips, books, cartoons, graphic novels, and manga. These contributors are not just researchers; they also include educators, artists, designers, curators, librarians, editors, and writers, many of whom engage in practice-based research. While some contributors are trained art historians, others come from fields such as Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, and Visual Studies, creating a rich tapestry of perspectives that enrich the discourse.

One notable chapter is by Bruce Mutard, which won the Martin Schüwer Publication Prize for Outstanding Comics Research. Titled 'From Giotto to Drnaso: The Common Well of Pictorial Schema in ‘High’ Art and ‘Low’ Comics,' this chapter exemplifies the innovative approaches that Seeing Comics through Art History promotes, offering fresh insights into both disciplines.