Professor Garton specializes in Italian Renaissance art, but has also taught courses on the history of portraiture, curatorial studies, Latin American modernism, and the survey of art history from prehistoric to modern. Find out how he makes art history cool to his students and more in the Q&A below. He has been teaching at CIA since 2004.

Q: What drew you to CIA?
A: Three years ago I was living in Venice, Italy where I was on a fellowship to study Venetian painting with the intent of becoming a museum curator. However, I knew I loved to teach, and when I saw the CIA job posting I decided to apply. I thought it would be interesting to teach at an art college since I had studied studio art during my undergraduate years.

Q:What was it like living and working in Venice?
A: It was like waking up in a historical film everyday. When I was not in the museums or libraries, I spent a lot of time outside painting views of the city and the water. One of the things you realize as a painter in Venice is that everything you see has probably already been painted at least once by someone else. Still, it was a wonderful experience to live and work there.

Q:How did living in Venice change you or your art (if at all)?
A:By nature of the architecture, canals and waterways, you live in a place that is all about reflection. The city becomes a kind of mirror that allows you to reflect on who you are.

Q:How do you think the integration of art and culture in European society may be different from American Society?
A:Well I don’t know of any European expression that equates with “artsy fartsy”. Art in America is often equated with elite experience. What we lose by keeping art at arm’s length, or in the museum, is perhaps innovation in design. In Belgium or Holland, for example, a lot of people’s houses are architect designed. In America, you don't see that same level of design and detail. Most homes are quickly constructed, the usual cookie-cutter, builder homes.

Q:How did you get interested in art history?
A: My junior year in college I spent a semester in Milan, Italy, and that opened my eyes to art. However, I was actually in law school when I decided to change course and seriously pursue art and art history. Since then, I have discovered that there are several famous artists who left the law to study art. Matisse and Kandisky are two good examples.

Q:How do you connect the importance of art history to your students in a contemporary art world?
A: That’s the central question of my job. In Liberal Arts we try to make sure that the questions we ask of the classics are also questions that might be posed in modern terms of student work today. Art students connect well with discussions of techniques and style, but in art history we also focus on the historical context that might lead to a better understanding of how the mind of Leonardo or Michelangelo grappled with the big artistic problems of their day. If the discussions go well, the students help build bridges from old to new.

Q:How has having a world class art museum right across the street affected the way you teach?
A: Not many schools can boast of such a great museum so close by. Slides are generally a handicap to experiencing artwork. When I take students to the museum and we stand in front of a statue or painting, it demystifies the object and leads us to think about all sorts of things: how it was made, where it has been and how it might once have been used or displayed. It’s a good jumping off point for talking about how art is shown and how ultimately a museum may or may not be suitable for the type of art the students make.

Q:Do you see any similarities between studying to be a lawyer and studying to be an artist?
A: There is real rigor in the method of both.

Q:Who are some of your favorite artists and why?
A:Contemporary: Rachel Whiteread. Through simple means, her sculpture reverses the standard notions of space and object. Italian Renaissance : Paolo Veronese. He’s a painter’s painter. He also painted with a joy of life and you can see that joy in every piece of art he created.

Q: What’s in your MP3 player?
A: The song Carmelita by Flauco Jimenez & Dwight Yoakam. After that it’s Johnny & June Carter Cash and Bob Dylan.

Q:What do you like most about teaching at CIA?
A: Working with creative students who think visually. When their writing is good, it brings that visual language to life. I also like going to the BFA exhibitions and discovering how much students have grown during their time here.

Q: What would you be doing if you weren’t teaching art history?
A: I’d probably be painting but I’m smart enough to realize that I’m a much better art historian than I am a painter.

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