Art history in 30 steps
From the cave paintings to today: every period, the basics of looking, and a glance at Sweden, Japan and China.
The grand overview. You begin by learning to look, then go through the periods of Western art one at a time, and finish with colour, light, perspective and the other basics, three glances further afield and the questions of aesthetics.
Read the page at each step, then do the short exercise: three questions. Two right answers complete the step. You can repeat the exercise as often as you like.
The steps
- Step 1: Looking at art
- Step 2: Prehistoric art
- Step 3: The ancient civilisations
- Step 4: Antiquity: Greece and Rome
- Step 5: Early Middle Ages and Romanesque art
- Step 6: The Gothic
- Step 7: The Renaissance
- Step 8: Mannerism
- Step 9: The Baroque
- Step 10: Rococo
- Step 11: Neoclassicism
- Step 12: Romanticism
- Step 13: Realism
- Step 14: Impressionism
- Step 15: Post-Impressionism and Symbolism
- Step 16: The avant-garde
- Step 17: The interwar years
- Step 18: The post-war era
- Step 19: Contemporary art
- Step 20: Perspective and depth
- Step 21: Light and shadow
- Step 22: Colour
- Step 23: Composition
- Step 24: Subjects and symbols
- Step 25: Techniques and materials
- Step 26: Buildings and objects
- Step 27: Swedish art and design
- Step 28: Japanese art
- Step 29: Chinese art
- Step 30: Aesthetics: what is beauty?
- Looking at art
- Prehistoric art
- The ancient civilisations
- Antiquity: Greece and Rome
- Early Middle Ages and Romanesque art
- The Gothic
- The Renaissance
- Mannerism
- The Baroque
- Rococo
- Neoclassicism
- Romanticism
- Realism
- Impressionism
- Post-Impressionism and Symbolism
- The avant-garde
- The interwar years
- The post-war era
- Contemporary art
- Perspective and depth
- Light and shadow
- Colour
- Composition
- Subjects and symbols
- Techniques and materials
- Buildings and objects
- Swedish art and design
- Japanese art
- Chinese art
- Aesthetics: what is beauty?