Kunstwissenschaftler

03:08 Feb 25, 2009 

Rephrase dep. on context, e.g. '... and specialises in / studied
humanities and the theory of art'. (if it applies, see Johanna's CH-sources)
Maybe it'd help to consider the study of art history one aspect of Kunstwissenschaft (theory of art, though it doesn't ring quite mot-juste. ARTISTIC theory (theorist)? or is that nit-picking?)
Re. scholar or not: we have no great context, and the student in the qn might well be an ex-student about to publish in a learned (online) journal... Also depending on context, yer general 'art historian' (in GB usage, I imagine but don't know whether US is the same) might well do the job. Helen's point re. studying VISUAL CULTURE rings highly useful, as studies of how art works are branching increasingly into studies of perception (so often but not always implied when writing says REception), symbols, "the" media and the knotty (specifically Austro-German?) Bildwissenschaft.*** Of course (just to dispel the last glimmer of clarity) historians can specialise in pretty recent phenomena and overlap with philosophers...
*** for which I'd offer "pictorial theory" but it's unlikely to be technoid-contemporary enough. That's another story..

23:25 Feb 24, 2009 

..."scholar" is not obscure in British English, as asserted by Andrew, and especially not in American English, as exemplified by this entry in the American Heritage Dictionary (4th edition, 2000):
scholar
1a. A learned person. b. A specialist in a given branch of knowledge: a classical scholar. 2. One who attends school or studies with a teacher; a student. 3. A student who holds or has held a particular scholarship.
http://www.bartleby.com/61/94/S0139400.html

That American definition may also (help) explain the apparent discrepancy in our interpretation of the word "scholar," Helen.
:)

21:13 Feb 24, 2009 

is not a specialist so the first meaning would not apply, and the last meaning refers to students who are in need and thus qualify for financial assistance. I am really sorry, I just don't think it appropriate here.

19:37 Feb 24, 2009 

Oxford dictionary provides the following definitions (note that only one of them is referred to as being--chiefly--archaic):
scholar
• noun 1 a specialist in a particular branch of study, especially the humanities; a distinguished academic. 2 chiefly archaic a person who is highly educated or has an aptitude for study. 3 a university student holding a scholarship.
http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/scholar?view=uk

19:29 Feb 24, 2009 

differs from discipline to discipline. I take your word for it that legal scholars term themselves that way. To call an undergraduate a scholar in any discipline, though, is strange to my ears and does sound rather old-fashioned. Someone who has contributed to a discipline for many years at the highest level might be justifiably described thus.

19:18 Feb 24, 2009 

I don't mind being corrected when I am wrong, but the assertion that the word "scholar" is obscure and no longer used in modern English--including British English--is unfounded and (in my humble opinion) ridiculous. Or do you really think "legal scholars," for example, are now calling themselves "legal theorists"? I would think the over 700,000 ghits for the words scholar+2009 just on UK sites alone would prove otherwise.

17:32 Feb 24, 2009 

In general 30 years ago, people studied art history (Kunstgeschichte) alone - even those who studied aesthetics are part of that would have termed themselves Kunsthistoriker. Then with the advent of literary theory, some of these theories were adopted and reworked for the visual. Courses in visual theory and cultural theory are related cousins. In general anyone who studies Kunstwissenschaft (the study of art) will call themselves an art historian, since one studies the history of art practice, theory and reception/market conditions. There is, however, a growing body of those working in this field who wish to differentiate themselves from historians. They tend to call themselves theorists (art theorists, visual theorists and such like). This person probably works in this way and wishes not to call her/himself an art historian. The most natural term would then be 'art/visual theorist' even if in general 'Wissenschaftler' is translated as academic or scholar.

17:00 Feb 24, 2009 

...that I really have no problem with "art theorist," except perhaps that it makes then wonder how you would differentiate between a "Kunstwissenschaftler" and a "Kunsttheoretiker"?
;-P

16:56 Feb 24, 2009 

theorist. I think I have stated my case quite clearly - and it really is something I do know about careerwise.

16:45 Feb 24, 2009 

...but my question refers to "Wissenschaftler."

16:43 Feb 24, 2009 

und Kunstgeschichte is a very often seen title of a degree, thus one must find something appropriate - hence 'Art Theory and Art History'.

16:40 Feb 24, 2009 

From the looks of it ( http://www.google.de/search?hl=de&q="lic. phil. I Kunstwisse... ), it seems to me that "lic. phil. I" is the actual academic title, as it is separated from "Kunstwissenschaftler" by a comma... just a thought.

15:42 Feb 24, 2009 

Would this be an undergraduate qualification as if it is it may be equivalent to a bachelor's degree - in the UK we have Bachelor of Arts (BA) and Bachelor of Science (BSc) degrees.