Seeing art, shaping perception: Students at Witten/Herdecke University publish art literature

It's like detective work: students rummage through slides, pore over thirty-year-old lecture transcripts and consult handwritten notes. It's worth the effort, because these documents contain the life's work of art historian Michael Bockemühl. Together with their lecturer Dr David Hornemann v. Laer, himself an art historian and member of staff at the WittenLab. Zukunftslabor Studium fundamentale at Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H), they are publishing two art volumes on Bockemühl's lectures. These will be published by INFO3 Verlag on 3 December 2024.

In the 1990s, Bockemühl regularly filled the Wittener Saalbau with his public lecture series "KUNST SEHEN". His original approach of introducing people to art through seeing inspires students, Witten citizens and art experts alike. The tenor: in order to understand and enjoy art, you need a keen eye and in-depth perception. Students at the UW/H are still fascinated by Bockemühl's ideas today. They are actively involved in the publication of the book series and record their own impressions in the epilogue.

"We need to regain the ability to trust our perception and judgement."

The two publications focus on Bockemühl's comments on the works of the Franco-German painter and sculptor Hans Arp and those of the English sculptor and draughtsman Henry Moore. The new volumes are part of a collection of 19 published works. "The project began ten years ago," reports Dr Hornemann v. Laer. "I brought notes from Bockemühl's lectures to my seminar. The students agreed that we should not withhold this great work from the public. We were also able to quickly win over some benevolent supporters for our project, such as the Software AG Foundation, the Rudolf August Oetker Foundation, the Werner Richard - Dr Carl Dörken Foundation, the Damus Donata Foundation, the Wittener Universitätsgesellschaft e. V. and the Integrated Curriculum for Anthroposophic Medicine at Witten/Herdecke University." Dr Hornemann v. Laer worked with Bockemühl for many years as an assistant and doctoral student. Today, he passes on his method to students and is certain that Bockemühl's approach is more relevant than ever: "In times of information overload and AI, it is increasingly difficult for us to get through to reality. The unfiltered knowledge available to us is like a plank in front of our eyes. We need to acquire the ability to pull this board away so that we can concentrate on our perception and thus sharpen our judgement."

Studium fundamentale: more than just a degree programme

Dr Hornemann v. Laer's course is part of the Studium fundamentale (Stufu) at Witten/Herdecke University. Stufu brings students from different degree programmes together in courses where they can try things out and look beyond their actual discipline. The change in perspective and the training in perception provide them with valuable skills that will not only benefit them in their everyday lives, but also in their future careers.

Further information:

Prof Dr Michael Bockemühl (1943-2009) was an art historian, university lecturer and speaker. He was appointed to Witten/Herdecke University in 1990. There he held the Chair of Art Studies, Aesthetics and Art Education and was Dean of the then Faculty of Studium fundamentale from 1994 to 1998 and 2007 to 2009, in the conception and founding of which he played a key role.

Further information on the "KUNST SEHEN" project can be found here.