Learn Art History
The best videos, books, apps, and other learning resources our members recommend:
AP Art History
High School |
Online class
Smarthistory is working to include each of the 250 required works of art. The new test will assess a student’s understanding of the methods used by art historians and familiarity with the cultural...
Free
Art 1010
College |
Online class
Art 1010 is a short series of fun (and funny) animations created for the Utah System of Higher Education that introduce the history of Western art.
Free
Art history
7th - College |
Online class
We understand the history of humanity through art. From prehistoric depictions of bison to contemporary abstraction, artists have addressed their time and place in history and expressed universal...
Free
Art history basics
7th - College |
Online class
New to art? This is a good place to start. Art gives us access to the way people at different moments in history have understood the world. Jump in and explore!
Free
Art in 19th century Europe
College |
Online class
Art in 19th century Europe Explore Table of contents Topics Introduction—Becoming Modern Romanticism Early photography Victorian art and architecture The avant-garde: Realism, Impressionism and...
Free
Art of Africa
High School - College |
Online class
African art, an introduction 0 of 13 complete Find here a brief introduction to the peoples and cultures of Africa. Peoples and cultures Historical overview: to the 1500s Historical overview: from...
Free
Art of Mexico in the 19th century
9th - College |
Online class
The landscapes of José María Velasco and the first art school in the Americas, the Real Academia de San Carlos
Free
Art of Oceania
College |
Online class
The islands of the eastern Pacific are known as Polynesia, from the Greek for “many islands.” Set within a triangle formed by Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the south, Hawaii to the north and Rapa Nui...
Free
Art of Southeast Asia
4th - College |
Online class
Discover the extraordinary art and architecture of this vast region which includes palaces, temples and mosques inspired by the Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic religions.
Free
Art of the Americas to World War I
College |
Online class
North America before European colonization South America before European colonization Spanish colonies in the Americas Native American art after 1600 British Colonies to the Early Republic Art of...
Free
Art of the ancient Mediterranean
7th - College |
Online class
Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians – no wonder we need an introduction!
Free
Art of the Islamic world
7th - College |
Online class
Early Period (c. 640-900 C.E.) From the rightfully guided caliphs who succeeded Muhammad, through the Umayyads’ Dome of the Rock and Great Mosque of Damascus, to the decline of Abbasids rule.
Free
Baroque, Rococo, and Neoclassical art in Europe
College |
Online class
Get a head start on the historical developments that shape Baroque art in the Catholic Italy, Spain, Flanders, France and in the Protestant north.
Free
British Colonies to the Early Republic
9th - College |
Online class
All content in “British Colonies to the Early Republic”
Free
Byzantine (late Roman Empire)
7th - College |
Online class
Constantinople (now Istanbul) was the capital of the late Roman empire, but its ethereal mosaics, ivories, and metalwork often depart from classical naturalism.
Free
Early Europe and Colonial Americas: 200-1750 C.E.
High School - College |
Online class
Medieval artistic traditions include late antique, early Christian, Byzantine, Islamic, migratory, Carolingian*, Romanesque, and Gothic, named for their principal culture, religion, government,...
Free
Expressionism to Pop Art
Pre-K - College |
Online class
Expressionism to Pop Art Explore Table of contents Topics A beginner’s guide to 20th century art Early abstraction: Fauvism, Expressionism, and Cubism World War I, Futurism and Dada Art between the...
Free
Greek art
High School - College |
Online class
Rio 2016, London 2012, Beijing 2008, Olympia 776 B.C.E. find out how the ancient pan-Hellenic games inspired our modern Olympiad. Then learn to identify the classical orders and you will never look...
Free
History of Graphic Design
7th - College |
Online class
This condensed survey course focuses on four major areas of design and their history: Typography, Image-Making, Interactive Media, and Branding. In each class, we’ll start by observing the factors...
Free
Indigenous Americas
College |
Online class
Art of the Indigenous Americas is among the world’s oldest artistic traditions. While its roots lie in northern Asia, it developed independently between c. 10,000 B.C.E. and 1492 C.E., which marked...
Free
Introduction to cultures and religions for the study of AP Art History
High School - College |
Online class
Explore Hinduism through clips of significant sites in South Asia and interviews with members of the Bay Area South Asian community. Learn more about Hinduism on t…
Free
Late Gothic art in Italy
College |
Online class
Italian art from the late 13th and 14th centuries was once known as primitive because it was seen largely as a transition from Medieval abstraction to the naturalism of the Renaissance (with a dose...
Free
Medieval period
High School - College |
Online class
Medieval Period (c. 900-1517 C.E.) The Fatimids (909-1171) ruled north Africa, and parts of Syria and the Seljuqs contolled eastern Islamic lands and eventually Iran, Iraq and much of Anatolia.
Free
Native American art after 1600
7th - College |
Online class
Native societies across North American developed diverse material cultures that reflect the character of their regions and respond to the universal issues of human and spiritual existence.
Free
Neolithic art
College |
Online class
The Neolithic Revolution was the most important development in human history. The way we live today—settled in cities, protected by laws, eating food from farms—dates from approximately 10,000...
Free
Paleolithic art
College |
Online class
Humans make art. We do this for many reasons and with whatever technologies are available to us. But can we really know what such ancient images originally meant?
Free
South, East, and Southeast Asia: 300 B.C.E. - 1980 C.E.
College |
Online class
Beliefs made visible: Buddhist art in South Asia Explore Buddhism through clips of significant sites in South Asia and interviews with members of the Bay Area South Asian community. Learn more...
Free
Study of Art & History - 180 Day Picture Study Journal Includes 90 Notable Paintings Dated 1700-1930
3rd - High School |
Book
This colorful workbook is excellent for a wide variety of ages, and not only introduces the student to some amazing works of art, but also helps the child discover the meaning, importance, history...
$46
The Pacific
7th - College |
Online class
The arts of the Pacific vary by virtue of ecological situations, social structure, and impact of external influences, such as commerce, colonialism, and missionary activity. Created in a variety of...
Free
The Virtual Window: From Alberti to Microsoft
College |
Book
As we spend more and more of our time staring at the screens of movies, televisions, computers, and handheld devices — “windows” full of moving images, texts, and icons — how the world is framed...
$22
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Add ResourceArt History: To truly know your art, you need to know its roots. Explore our resources to learn about the various art styles and where (and when) they came from.