In 'n tyd wat 'n mens aanhoudend dwing om standpunt in te neem, is daar behoefte aan gesprekke oor tendense. Sulke besinnings is hulpmiddels om tot 'n posisiebepaling te kom binne die netwerk van verhoudings waarin 'n mens staan. Dit geld ook vir verhoudings tot 'n vakgebied soos Kunsgeskiedenis. Met die doeI om groter helderheid te kry oor die huidige benaderings in die vak en die waarde van die beroep wat ons beoefen, het die Kunshistoriese Werkgemeenskap van Suid-Afrika (KWSA) op 7 Oktober 1989 'n werkseminaar met die bostaande titel by die RGN in Pretoria gereel. 'n Sestal departementshoofde is gevra om enkele pertinente stellings oor die tema voor te berei (waarvan die tekste vooraf in die Vlugskrif van die KWSA aan die seminaargangers versprei is) en kortliks tydens die seminaar toe te lig. Die sprekers was Dirk van den Berg, Elizabeth Rankin, Peter Engel, Karin Skawran, Muller Ballot en Alec Duffey, terwyl Gerhard-Mark van der Waal die tema met enkele inleidende gedagtes aan die orde gestel en Leoni Schmidt die diskussie gelei het.
[In a time when one is continuously forced to assume a point of view, the need exists to discuss trends. Such reflections would facilitate the attainment of a position within the network of relationships in which one stands. This also applies to relationships to a subject such as Art History. With the aim of gaining more clarity concerning the current approaches to the subject and the value of our profession, the Art Historical Work Group of South Africa (AHWG) arranged a working seminar with the title "Trends of the eighties; theories and practices in art history" on 7 October 1989 at the HSRC in Pretoria. Six heads of department were requested to prepare pertinent statements on the theme (the texts of which were distributed beforehand in the flysheet of the AHWG to attendees of the seminar) and to elucidate these during the seminar. The speakers were Dirk van den Berg, Elizabeth Rankin, Peter Engel, Karin Skawran, Muller Ballot and Alec Duffey, while Gerhard-Mark van der Waal raised questions on the theme with some introductory thoughts and Leoni Schmidt led the discussion.]
