Dear Students,

I created this website for you, and I hope that at least some of you will find it interesting, or at least a little more enjoyable than studying from a textbook alone! As you can see, the website is still a work in progress, but everything you need for our classes and tests is already here.

The lessons are based primarily on your school art history textbook, with additional reference to H. W. Janson's History of Art. You may notice that the material focuses mainly on Western art and that women artists are not represented as fully as they deserve to be. This reflects, in part, the traditional approach of many art history textbooks, which have often given greater attention to Western European traditions and male artists. I have followed these sources as the framework for our course, but that does not mean they tell the whole story of art. There are many other artistic traditions and remarkable artists whose work deserves to be known, and I hope we can discover some of them together.

How the Course Is Organized

The website is divided into four main sections:

The Ancient World (first year, first semester)
The Middle Ages (first year, second semester)
From the Renaissance to Rococo (second year, first semester)
The Modern World (second year, second semester)

During the first year, we will study The Ancient World in the first semester and The Middle Ages in the second semester.

During the second year, we will cover From the Renaissance to Rococo in the first semester and The Modern World in the second semester.

Preparing for Tests

At the end of each lesson, you will find review questions with answers already provided. These questions and answers are the only material that will be included in your tests, so make sure you scroll all the way to the bottom of each lesson.

I would really like all of you to do well. If you are not satisfied with your result on a lesson test, you will have an opportunity to improve it by preparing and presenting a presentation about an artist who is not included on this website. It would be especially interesting if you chose an artist from your own country. That way, we can all learn something new and discover artists we might not otherwise encounter in our lessons.

If you have any questions, suggestions, or ideas, feel free to ask me. This website is for you, and I hope it will become a useful resource throughout our course.

Good luck, and I hope you find something here that surprises you, inspires you, or makes you look at art a little differently!

Explore the Art History Atlas

The ancient world

Uncover monumental architecture and classical ideals across Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome.

The Middle Ages

Explore illuminated manuscripts, soaring Gothic vaults, and sacred Byzantine mosaics.

From the Renaissance to Rococo

Examine revolutionary linear perspective, dramatic Baroque chiaroscuro, and delicate Rococo elegance.

The modern world

Trace the evolution of avant-garde movements, impressionism, cubism, and contemporary digital art forms.