Art Studies: Normative Approaches

Introduction and Definition

The theoretical proposals that search for regularities, or “norms,” in different materials of the archaeological record have been very important since the beginnings of archaeology and are still foundations for current scientific research. Nevertheless, their success, failure, or relative advantages have been marked by the different interpretations that each theoretical approach has applied to the regularities found in the archaeological record.

For the archaeology of art, throughout the history of the discipline, various normative approaches have been developed, some with applications for portable art and others for rock art. These have varied according to particular situations in different academic contexts.

In the USA the normative approaches have been more linked to the general concepts of the “Culture-History School,” which in its North American trend adopted particular features which differentiated it from similar approaches in other parts of the...