ABSTRACT
This chapter argues a close relation between a work of art and the history of its making. It begins by taking up some thoughts about style properties offered by Kendall Walton, and generalises to other art-appreciative properties. It examines the relation between the work’s history of making and its “context”, a more general notion, arguing that the limits of context are set by what it is important to understand in order to assess what the artist has achieved. While the work’s history is central to its appreciation, the chapter argues that there is no metaphysical close relation between the work and its history. In particular it is affirmed that a work in the art of painting is the canvas or other physical object – the thing seen.
