Art history basics

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First things first
Smarthistory: Art History on Khan Academy: First things firstWhat is art history?: First things firstWhy look at art?: First things firstA brief history of Western culture: First things firstCommon questions about dates: First things firstThe five major world religions: First things firstA brief history of religion in art: First things first
What made art valuableโ€”then and now: First things firstWhat maps tell us: First things firstIs there a difference between art and craft? : First things firstThe Case for Museums: First things firstA brief history of the art museum: First things firstMuseums and politics: the Louvre, Paris: First things firstWhat is Cultural Heritage?: First things firstThe changing social functions of art museums: First things first
Tools for understanding art
Introduction to art historical analysis: Tools for understanding artHow to do visual (formal) analysis in art history: Tools for understanding artArt historical analysis (painting), a basic introduction using Goya's Third of May, 1808: Tools for understanding artA Brief History of Women in Art: Tools for understanding artA brief history of representing the body in Western painting: Tools for understanding artA brief history of representing of the body in Western sculpture: Tools for understanding artWhat is contrapposto?: Tools for understanding artWhat is foreshortening?: Tools for understanding artWhat is chiaroscuro?: Tools for understanding artHow one-point linear perspective works: Tools for understanding art
What is atmospheric perspective?: Tools for understanding artThe classical orders: Tools for understanding artGreek architectural orders: Tools for understanding artHow art can help you analyze: Tools for understanding artThe Power to Look: Tools for understanding artSurface and Depth: Tools for understanding artLight and Shadow: Tools for understanding artThe Case for Copying: Tools for understanding artLooking at paintings: Tools for understanding artHow museums shape meaning: Tools for understanding art
Art 1010
Ancient Near Eastern and ancient Egyptian art: Art 1010Ancient Greek and Roman art: Art 1010Medieval and Byzantine art: Art 1010Renaissance art: Art 1010
Baroque and Rococo: Art 1010Nineteenth-century art: Art 1010Introduction to Twentieth-Century Art: Art 1010Introduction to Contemporary Art: Art 1010

Recommended

Smarthistory: Art History on Khan Academy
What is art history?
Why look at art?
A brief history of Western culture
Common questions about dates

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First things first

Brought to you by Smarthistory. 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!
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