NAHR: A Visual Representation of Social Networks as Support for Art History Research

Abstract

In the field of art history, the analysis of community dynamics can give researchers precious insight on the subjects of their studies. Data on genealogy and community bonds can provide a rich understanding of the functioning of a community. Traditional family trees are not designed to support extra-familial links and often lack the time-bound aspect of these relationships, and timeline-style tools miss the mark on representing the network dimension of such structures. We introduce NAHR (Networks in Art History Research), a tool that visualizes small networks of families connected through marriage, god-parenthood and professional relationships, and that provides insight in the change of these dynamics over time.