In his work "The Open Society and Its Enemies," Austro-British philosopher Karl Popper argued that "there is no history of mankind, only many histories of all kinds of aspects of human life." Art is a means of recording every aspect of life, from famous battles (e.g., "1870 Battle of Mars-La-Tour" by Pierre-Georges Jeanniot) to images of everyday routines ("The Milkmaid," by Johannes Vermeer). In this way, art can be incorporated to clarify a written account of a past event for students.
Artists are eyewitnesses of historic events, even when the topic is not considered important. For example, the depictions of everyday life on ancient Greek pottery have value to historians, even though the original artists were unaware of their work's importance. Art is by no means inferior in describing past events or ways of life; in some cases, written accounts are based solely on artistic designs (cave paintings, for example). By examining artistic creations themselves, instead of studying texts based on them, students can have a more accurate image of historic events.
The term art history refers to the academic study of artistic creations in terms of techniques used. Art historians examine the design and look of every piece of art and group them accordingly into periods and/or movements. However, history through art is the concept of examining --- as well as teaching --- events using art as guide. The works of art can originate from the historic event's era or even from a later period, as is the case with Jacques Louis David's painting "Leonidas at Thermopylae," which was created in 1814.
A visit to an art museum is the traditional and most accurate way to come into contact with art. Students can see the paintings, sculptures or carvings up close, examine the colors and techniques used and get a feel for the work of art. However, art history guides and the Internet give teachers the opportunity to bring art into the history classroom, which is more convenient if field trips are not possible.