“What a Small World”: Interpreting Works of Art in the Age of Global Art History

Abstract

How many times have we heard the phrase “what a small world”? We exclaim this expression during specific moments in our lives when we suddenly discover a personal connection in an unexpected context. In this moment, not only does the unexpected and unpredictable present itself in a space where we did not anticipate it but what previously seemed distant and remote appears, all of a sudden, extremely near and incredibly close, so relevant and related. Our wide and bewildering world abruptly turns small and comprehensible, as if it can easily be discerned, and all that was once claimed to be mysterious or isolated instantly becomes accessible. In this article, I call on the small-world notion and experience, focusing on this moment of surprise and collapse in how it relates to our visual experience of finding hidden connections in art. Using Raimundo de Madrazo y Garreta’s painting Reverie—The Letter (1870) as a case study and drawing on social theories of degrees of separation, I argue that the core of global art history as a valuable methodology might be anchored precisely in this specific short-lived sensation and impression.