Learn to see form and color
Color → construction → frame → comparison
Open first topic ↗A space for your perspective
MANY HISTORIES. ONE WORLD OF ART.
Periods : art
Library of Fine Arts, Architecture and Visual Culture. Understand the eras, meet the artists and test your new knowledge with your own eyes.
68topics to explore
40 terms · 6 sections
0 of 68 articles readWHERE TO START
From materials to mass imagery
Experiment → design → replication
Open first topic ↗Start with the language of art
Observation → material → argument
Open first topic ↗Understand European chronology
Epoch context instead of date list
Open first topic ↗Go beyond one tradition
Compare while maintaining differences
Open first topic ↗From artwork to research
Form → history of the thing → own conclusion
Open first topic ↗All topicsPeriods 12Movements 14World cultures 10Media and techniques 10Artists 14Understanding art 8
Materials found: 12
Art before writing
Images appeared long before museums and the familiar concept of an artist.
Explore the topic ↗Ancient Egypt
The image supports order, power and ideas about life after death.
Explore the topic ↗Mesopotamia
Cities, gods and rulers create new forms of public image.
Explore the topic ↗Ancient Greece
Proportions and body movement become one of the central artistic tasks.
Explore the topic ↗Ancient Rome
The image of a person and a city works as an instrument of memory and public power.
Explore the topic ↗Byzantium and the icon
The image is revealed through worship, material and architectural surroundings.
Explore the topic ↗Romanesque art
The stone architecture and sculpture make the religious narrative part of the building.
Explore the topic ↗Gothic
Light, verticality and design transform the temple into a complex spatial system.
Explore the topic ↗Italian Renaissance
Ancient heritage, observation of nature and the new status of the artist.
Explore the topic ↗Northern Renaissance
Things, textures and details become carriers of observation and meaning.
Explore the topic ↗Baroque
Movement, contrast and viewer involvement - in different cultural contexts.
Explore the topic ↗Rococo and 18th century culture
Decorativeness, intimate scale and complex play of social roles.
Explore the topic ↗These are introductory overviews, not a complete encyclopedia. Dates and the boundaries of movements are approximate and vary by region. Article links lead to further reading; some sources are in English. Reinforce your reading by examining original works, comparing artworks and consulting catalogs.