ART HISTORY

why study art of the past?

Common questions about dates

How long has our calendar been around?
As per the example below, the date is 12/26/12 or Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Traditionally understood as two-thousand and twelve years (give or take a few) after Jesus Christ is believed to have been born. But if Jesus used a calendar, it would not have been the one we use.  ​Our calendar is called the Gregorian calendar and was instituted by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582. There are many other calendars. Quite a few societies have used calendars linked to the years their kings ruled. And there are numerous calendars, beyond the Gregorian calendar, that are still in use today. For example, 2012 equates to 1434/35 in the Islamic calendar and 5772-73 in the Jewish calendar (both are lunar, based on the cycles of the moon).
Picture
B.C. or B.C.E.?​
​Many people use the abbreviations B.C. and A.D. with a year (for example, A.D. 2012). B.C. refers to “Before Christ,” and the initials, A.D., stand for Anno Domini, which is Latin for “In the year of our Lord.” This system was devised by a monk in the year 525.
A more recent system uses B.C.E. which stands for “Before the Common Era” and C.E. for “Common Era.” This newer system is now widely used as a way of expressing the same periods as B.C. and A.D., but without the Christian reference. According to these systems, we count time backwards Before the Common Era (B.C.E.) and forwards in the Common Era (C.E.).

Circa?
Often dates will be preceded with a “c.” or a “ca.” These are abbreviations of the Latin word “circa” which means around, or approximately. We use this before a date to indicate that we do not know exactly when something happened, so c. 400 B.C.E. means approximately 400 years Before the Common Era.

Why 2012 is in the 21st Century
We live in the 21st Century, that is, the 2000s. Similarly when we say “20th Century,” we are referring to the 1900s. All this because, according to the calendar we use, the 1st Century included the years 1-100 (there was no year zero), and the 2nd Century, the years 101-200. Similarly, when we say 2nd Century B.C.E. we are referring to the years 101-200 B.C.E.
​
Within our calendar, we also have a tendency to find portentous meaning in the millennial years, that is, in the years 1000 and more recently, 2000.

ART HISTORY TIMELINE

CHAPTER 1: Global Prehistory (30,000–500 B.C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Paleolithic Art, an Introduction
The Neolithic Revolution
Neolithic Period in China, an Introduction
IMPORTANT WORKS:
GREAT HALL OF BULL (c. 16,000–14,000 B.C.E., France)​
STONEHENGE (c. 2550–1600 B.C.E., Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire, England,  circle 97 feet in diameter, 24 feet high)

CHAPTER 2: Ancient MIDDLE EAST (3,500 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Ancient Near East: Cradle of Civilization
Sumer, an Introduction
Babylonia, an Introduction
Assyria, an Introduction
IMPORTANT WORKS:
PERSEPOLIS: THE AUDIENCE HALL OF DARIUS AND XERXES  (c. 520–465 B.C.E., Apādana, Persepolis, Fars, Iran)​
LAMASSU (c. 720–705 B.C.E., Citadel of Sargon II, Dur Sharrukin [now Khorsabad, Iraq], Neo-Assyrian, Gypseous Alabaster, 4.20 x 4.36 x 0.97 m, Excavated by P.-E. Botta in 1843–44, Musée du Louvre, Paris)
​LAW CODE OF STELE OF KING HAMMURABI​ (1792–50 B.C.E., Basalt, Babylonian, Musée du Louvre, Paris)​​
THE STANDARD OF UR​ (c. 2600–2400 B.C.E., Shell, Limestone, Lapis Lazuli, and Bitumen, 21.59 x 49.5 x 12 cm, British Museum)​
SUMERIAN VOTIVE FIGURES​ (c. 2900–2350 B.C.E. [Early Dynastic Period], Square Temple at Eshnunna [Modern Tell Asmar, Iraq], Iraq Museum, Baghdad)
​​ANTHROPOMORPHIC STELE​ (4000–3000 B.C.E., El-Maakir-Qaryat al-kaafa near Ha’il, Saudi Arabia, Sandstone, 92 x 21 cm, National Museum, Riyadh) 
BUSHEL WITH IBEX MOTIF​ (4200–3500 B.C.E., Painted Terra-Cotta, 28.90 x 16.40 cm, Necropolis, Susa I Period, from the Acropolis Mound, Susa, Iran, Musée du Louvre, Paris)
WHITE TEMPLE OF URUK (c. 3517–3358 B.C.E., Archaeological site at Uruk [Modern Warka], Iraq)

CHAPTER 3: Ancient EGYPT (3,500 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Ancient Egypt, an Introduction
Ancient Egyptian Art, an Introduction
Predynastic and Early Dynastic Egypt, an Introduction
Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period Egypt, an Introduction
Middle Kingdom and Second Intermediate Period Egypt, an Introduction
New Kingdom and Third Intermediate Period Egypt, an Introduction
IMPORTANT WORKS:
PALETTE OF KING NARMER (c. 3000–2920 B.C.E. Hierakonpolis, Egypt, Predynastic, Slate, 6.4m, Egyptian Museum, Cairo)
KING MENKAURA (MYCERINUS) AND QUEEN (2490–2472 B.C.E., Greywacke, 142.2 x 57.1 x 55.2 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
SEATED SCRIBE​ (c. 2500 B.C.E., c. 4th Dynasty, Old Kingdom, Painted Limestone with Rock Crystal, Magnesite, Copper/Arsenic Inlay for the eyes and wood, found in Saqqara, Louvre-Lens, France)
TUTANKHAMUN'S COFFIN​ AND DEATH MASK (c. 1323 B.C.E., New Kingdom, 18th Dynasty, Gold with Inlay of Enamel and Semiprecious Stones, Egyptian Museum, Cairo)
GREAT PYRAMIDS & SPHINX, GIZA​ (c. 2520–2494 B.C.E. Cairo, Egypt)
TEMPLE OF AMUN-RE, KARNAK​ (c. 1250 B.C.E., 18th and 19th Dynasties, New Kingdom, Sandstone and Mud brick, Karnak, at Luxor, Egypt)
MORTUARY TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT (c. 1479–1458 B.C.E., New Kingdom, Egypt)

CHAPTER 4: Ancient GREEK (3,500 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Introduction to Ancient Greek Art
Kouroi and Korai, an Introduction
Greek Vase-Painting, an Introduction
Contrapposto Explained
Greek Architectural Orders
The Etruscans, an Introduction
IMPORTANT WORKS:
ANAVYSOS KOUROS​ (c. 530 B.C.E., Marble, 2m, National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
PEPLOS KORE​ ( c. 530 B.C.E., Marble, 1.2 meters, Acropolis Museum, Athens)
DORYPHOROS (Polykleitos, Known as the Spear-Bearer, Roman Marble copy after a Greek Bronze Original, c. 450–440 B.C.E., 2.12 m, Museo Archaeologico Nazionale, Naples)
GRAVE STELE OF HEGESO​ (c. 410 B.C.E., Marble and Paint, from the Dipylon Cemetery, Athens, 1.6 m, National Archaeological Museum, Athens)
NIKE OF SAMOTHRACE​ (Also know as Nike Winged Victory of Samothrace, Lartos Marble and Parian Marble, c. 190 B.C.E. 3.28 m, Hellenistic Period, Musée du Louvre, Paris)
BOXER AT REST​ (Apollonius, Also know as Seated Boxer, c. 100 B.C.E., Bronze, Hellenistic Period, Palazzo Massimo, Museo Nazionale Romano, Rome)
NIOBID KRATER​ (470 to 450 B.C.E., Louvre Museum, Paris)
THE PARTHENON​ (ktinos and Kallikrates, 447–432 B.C.E., Acropolis, Athens)
TEMPLE OF ATHENA NIKE​ (421-05 B.C.E., Marble, Acropolis, Athens)
THE ATHENIAN AGORA​ (600-500 B.C.E., Acropolis, Athens)
PERGAMON ALTAR (c. 200-150 B.C.E., 35.64 x 33.4 meters, Hellenistic Period, Pergamon Museum, Berlin)

CHAPTER 5: Ancient ROME (3,500 B.C.E.–300 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Introduction to Ancient Rome
Introduction to Ancient Roman Art
Introduction to Ancient Roman Architecture
Pompeii, an Introduction
Roman Wall Painting Styles
IMPORTANT WORKS:
THE TEMPLE OF MINERVA ()
APOLLO BELVEDERE​ (2nd century C.E., Marble, 2.24 Meters, Vatican Museums) )
SARCOPHAGUS OF THE SPOUSES​ (c. 520-510 B.C.E., Painted Terracotta, Etruscan, Louvre Museum, Paris)
TOMB OF TRICLINIUM​​ (c. 470 B.C.E., Etruscan Chamber Tomb, Tarquinia, Italy)
HEAD OF A ROMAN PATRICIAN​ (c. 75–50 BCE, Marble, Palazzo Torlonia, Rome)
AUGUSTUS OF PRIMAPORTA​ (1st century C.E., Marble, 2.03 Meters, Vatican Museums) 
LUDOVISI BATTLE SARCOPHAGUS​ (Also known as the Battle of the Romans and Barbarians, c. 250-260 C.E., Museo Nazionale Romano-Palazzo Altemps, Rome)
THE COLOSSEUM​ (Includes the Flavian Amphitheater, or Amphitheatrum Flavium, c. 70-80 C.E., Rome)
THE FORUM OF TRAJAN​ (c. 112 C.E., Rome)
THE PANTHEON​​ (c. 125 C.E., Rome)
THE HOUSE OF VETTII​ (Around c. 62 C.E., View of the Forum with Mount Vesuvius in the distance, Pompeii)​
THE ALEXANDER MOSAIC​ (c. 100 B.C.E., Hellenistic Period, Roman copy of a lost Greek painting, House of the Faun, Pompeii, Archaeological Museum, Naples)

CHAPTER 6: EARLY CHRISTIANITY, Medieval Europe AND Byzantium (200–1300 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
An Introduction to Iconography and Iconographic Analysis
Who’s Who? How to Recognize Saints…
Christianity, an Introduction
Architecture and Liturgy
Introduction to the Middle Ages
A New Pictorial Language: the Image in Early Medieval Art
Medieval Manuscripts, an Introduction
Byzantine Art, an Introduction
Icons, an Introduction
Anglo-Saxon England
Jewish History to the Middle Ages
Gothic Architecture, an Introduction
Introduction to Late Gothic Art
The Medieval and Renaissance Altarpiece
IMPORTANT WORKS:
THE BASILICA OF SANTA SABINA​ (c. 422–432 C.E., Rome)
THE CATACOMB OF PRISCILLA​​ (2nd-4th Century, Rome)
THE VIENNA GENESIS​​ (Early 6th century, Tempera, Gold and Silver on Purple Vellum, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Vienna)
MEROVINGIAN FIBULAE​​ (Mid-6th century, silver gilt worked in filigree with inlaid garnet and other stones, Musée des Antiquities Nationales, Saint-Germain-en-Laye)
THE LINDISFARNE GOSPELS​​ (c. 700, Northumbria, 340 x 250 mm, British Library)
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY​​ (c. 1070, embroidered wool on linen, 20 inches high (Bayeux Museum)
THE RELIQUARY OF SAINTE-FOY​​ (late 10th to early 11th century with later additions, gold, silver gilt, jewels, and cameos over a wooden core, 33 1/2 inches)
THE CHURCH OF SAINTE-FOY​​ (c. 1050–1130, France)
CATHEDRAL OF NOTRE DAME OF CHARTRES (c.1145 and 1194-c.1220, Chartres, France)
BIBLE MORALISÉE (Also know as Moralized Bible)​​
THE RÖTTGEN PIETÀ​​ (c. 1300–25, painted wood, 34 1/2″ high, LVR-Landes Museum Bonn)
THE GOLDEN HAGGADAH​​ (c. 1320, Spain, British Library)
ARENA CHAPEL AND LAMENTATION FRESCO​​ (Giotto, c. 1305, Arena Chapel, Also known as Scrovegni Chapel, Padua)
HAGIA SOPHIA​​ (Architects Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, 532–37 C.E., Istanbul)
BASILICA OF SAN VITALE IN RAVENNA (Begun c. late 520s, consecrated 547, mosaics date between 546 and 556. restored 1540s, 1900, 1904, and in the 1930s, Ravenna, Italy)
THEOTOKOS AND CHILD ICON (6th or early 7th century, encaustic on wood, 68.5 x 49.5 cm, Saint Catherine’s Monastery, Sinai, Egypt)

CHAPTER 7: EARLY AND LATE RENAISSANCE  (1300-1500 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Why commission artwork during the renaissance?
Types of Renaissance Patronage
Female Artists in the Renaissance
The Role of the Workshop in Italian Renaissance Art
A Primer for Italian Renaissance Art
Humanism in Renaissance Italy
Humanism in Italian Renaissance Art
Introduction to Gender in Renaissance Italy
Sex, Power, and Violence in the Renaissance Nude
Confronting Power and Violence in the Renaissance Nude
How to Recognize Italian Renaissance Art
IMPORTANT WORKS:
BIRTH OF VENUS (Sandro Botticelli, c. 1483–85, tempera on canvas, 172.5 x 278.5 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence) 
DAVID​ (Michelangelo, 1501–04, marble, 517 cm high [17 feet], Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence)
PAZZI CHAPEL​​ (Filippo Brunelleschi, begun 1440s, completed 1460s, Santa Croce, Florence)
PALAZZO RUCELLAI​ (Leon Battista Alberti,  c. 1446–51, Florence, Italy)
CEILING OF THE SISTINE CHAPEL​ (Michelangelo, 1508–12, fresco, Vatican, Rome)
THE LAST SUPPER​​ ()
VENUS OF URBINO​ ()
ENTOMBMENT OF CHRIST​ ()
THE ANNUNCIATION TRIPTYCH​ ()
 THE ARNOLFINI PORTRAIT​ ()
THE ESENHEIM ALTARPIECE​ ()
ADAM AND EVE​ ()
ALLEGORY OF LAW & GRACE​​ ()
HUNTERS IN THE SNOW ()

CHAPTER 8: VICEROYALTIES OF SPAIN (1500C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
CODEX MENDOZA (c. 1541, Bark Paper, Aztec, Mexico)
THE SIEGE OF BELGRADE AND HUNTING SCENE SCREEN (c. 1697–1701, Oil on Wood, Inlaid with Mother-of-Pearl, Mexico)
PORTRAIT OF SOR JUANA INÉS DE LA CRUZ (Miguel Cabrera, c. 1750, Oil on Canvas, Mexico)
ANGEL WITH ARQUEBUS (c.1728, Oil on Canvas and Gilding, Peru)
THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE (Late 17th century, Oil Paint, Gilding, and Mother of Pearl on Panel, Mexico)
SPANIARD AND INDIAN PRODUCE A MESTIZO (Attributed to Juan Rodríguez Juárez, c. 1715, oil on canvas, Mexico)

CHAPTER 9: BAROQUE EUROPE (1600-1800 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
CALLING OF ST. MATTHEW (Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, c. 1599-1600, Oil on Canvas, Contarelli Chapel, San Luigi dei Francesi, Rome)
ECSTASY OF SAINT TERESA (Gian Lorenzo Bernini, c. 1647-52, Cornaro Chapel, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Rome)
FRUIT AND INSECTS (Rachel Ruysch, c. 1711, Oil on Wood, 44 x 60 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence) 
THE PRESENTATION OF THE PORTRAIT OF MARIE DE' MEDICI (Peter Paul Rubens, c. 1622–25, Oil on Canvas, 394 x 295 cm, Musée du Louvre, Paris) 
CHURCH OF ÍL GESU (Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and Giacomo della Porta, Consecrated 1584, Rome) 
LAS MENINAS (Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez, c. 1656, Oil on Canvas, 125 1/4 x 108 5/8″ Museo Nacional Del Prado, Madrid) 
PALACE OF VERSAILLES (Louis le Vau, André le Nôtre, and Charles le Brun, 1664–1710, France) 
SAN CARLO ALLE QUATTRO FONTANE (Francesco Borromini, Rome. Commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Barberini in 1634 for the Holy Order of the Trinity; construction began in 1638 and the church was consecrated in 1646.) 
SELF-PORTRAIT WITH SASKIA (Rembrandt van Rijn, c. 1636, Etching, 10.4 x 9.5 cm, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England)​. 
WOMAN HOLDING A BALANCE (Johannes Vermeer, 1664, Oil on Canvas, 16.7″ × 15″ National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.) 

CHAPTER 10: ROCOCO, "NATURAL", & NEOCLASSICISM (18th CENTURY)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
THE SWING (Jean-Honoré Fragonard, Oil on Canvas, 1767, Wallace Collection, London)
THE PHILOSOPHER GIVING A LECTURE AT THE ORRERY (Joseph Wright of Derby, c. 1766, Oil on Canvas, 147.2 x 203.2 cm, Derby Museums and Art Gallery, England)
MARRIAGE A-LA-MODE (Also know as The Tête à Tête, William Hogarth, 1743, Oil on Canvas, National Gallery, London) 
SELF-PORTRAIT WITH HER DAUGHTER JULIE (Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun, 1789, Oil on Canvas, 130 x 94 cm, Musée du Louvre)
OATH OF THE HORATII (Jacques-Louis David,  1784, Oil on Canvas, 3.3 x 4.25 m, Painted in Rome, Exhibited at the Salon of 1785, Musée du Louvre)
MONTICELLO (Thomas Jefferson, 1770–1806, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1770–1806)
LANSDOWNE PORTRAIT OF GEORGE WASHINGTON (Gilbert Stuart, 1796, Oil on Canvas, 96 × 60″ / 243.8 × 152.4 cm, National Portrait Gallery, Washington DC)

CHAPTER 11: ROMANTICISM AND REALISM (19th CENTURY)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
GRAND ODALISQUE ()
LIBERTY LEADING THE PEOPLE ()
Y NO HAI REMEDIO ()
SLAVE SHIP ()
THE OXBOW ()
 STONE BREAKERS ()
STILL-LIFE IN STUDIO ()
PLACE OF WESTMINSTER ()

CHAPTER 12: IMPRESSIONISM, POST-IMPRESSIONISM AND SYMBOLISM (19th CENTURY)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
SAINTE-LAZARE TRAIN STATION (Claude Monet, Also know as the Interior View of the Gare Saint-Lazare, the Auteuil Line, 1877, Oil on Canvas, 75 x 104 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris)
THE COIFFURE (Mary Cassatt, 1890–91, Color Drypoint and Aquatint on Paper, 43.2 x 30.7 cm, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.)
STARRY NIGHT (Vincent van Gogh, 1889, Oil on Canvas, 73.7 x 92.1 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
MONT SAINTE-VICTOIRE (Paul Cézanne, 1902–04, Oil on Canvas, 73 x 91.9 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art)
WHERE DO WE COME FROM? WHAT ARE WE? WHERE ARE WE GOING? (Paul Gauguin, 1897–98, Oil on Canvas, 139.1 x 374.6 cm, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
THE SCREAM (Edvard Munch, 1910, Tempera on Board, 66 x 83 cm, The Munch Museum, Oslo)
THE KISS (Gustav Klimt, 1907-8, Oil and Gold Leaf on Canvas, 180 x 180 cm, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna)
HORSE IN MOTION (Eadweard Muybridge,  Also know as Sallie Gardner, Owned by Leland Stanford, 19th June 1878), 1878, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division)
NADAR ELEVATING PHOTOGRAPHY TO THE HEIGHT OF AN ART (Honoré Daumier, 1862, lithograph from Souvenirs d’Artistes, 44.8 × 30.9 cm, National Gallery of Art)
BURGHERS OF CALAIS (Auguste Rodin, Bronze, 1884–95, Musée Rodin, Paris; this cast at Soldat Inconnu, Calais, France)
LOUIS SULLIVAN, CARSON, PIRIE, AND SCOTT BUILDING  (1899 and 1903–04, Chicago)

CHAPTER 13: 20th CENTURY I (1900-1930)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
THE STEERAGE (Alfred Stieglitz, 1907, Photogravure, 33.3 x 26.5 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
LES DEMOISELLES D'AVIGNON (Pablo Picasso, 1907, Oil on Canvas, 243.9 x 233.7 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York)
THE PORTUGUESE (Georges Braque, 1911, Oil on Canvas, 116.8 x 81 cm, Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland)
GOLDFISH (Henri Matisse, 1912, Oil on Canvas, 146 x 97 cm, Pushkin Museum of Art, Moscow)
IMPROVISATION 28 (Vasily Kandinsky, 1912, Second Version, Oil on Canvas, 111.4 x 162.1 cm, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York)
 SELF-PORTRAIT AS A SOLDIER (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, 1915, Oil on Canvas, 69 x 61 cm, Allen Memorial Art Museum, Oberlin College)
THE KISS (Constantin Brancusi, 1916, Limestone, 58.4 x 33.7 x 25.4 cm, Philadelphia Museum of Art)
THE FOUNTAIN (Marcel Duchamp, 1917/1964, Porcelain Urinal, Paint, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art)
MEMORIAL SHEET FOR KARL LIEBKNECHT (Käthe Kollwitz, Gedenkblatt für Karl Liebknecht, 1919–20, Woodcut Heightened with White and Black Ink, 37.1x 51.9 cm, Museum of Modern Art, New York)
VILLA SAVOYE (Le Corbusier, 1929, Poissy, France)

CHAPTER 14: 20th CENTURY II (1930-1950)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
COMPOSITION WITH RED, BLUE, AND YELLOW (​Piet Mondrian, 1930, Oil on Canvas, 46 x 46 cm, Kunsthaus Zürich)
 THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST FIVE-YEAR PLAN (Varvara Stepanova, 1932, State Museum of Contemporary Russian History, Moscow)
FALLINGWATER (​Frank Lloyd Wright, Also known as Edgar J. Kaufmann House, 1935–38, Bear Run, Pennsylvania)
 OBJECT (Meret Oppenheim, 1936, Fur-Covered Cup, Saucer, and Spoon, Cup 4–3/8 inches in diameter; saucer 9–3/8 inches in diameter; spoon 8 inches long, overall height 2–7/8 inches, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
 THE TWO FRIDAS (Frida Kahlo, Las dos Fridas, 1939, Oil on Canvas, 67-11/16 x 67-11/16″, Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City)
THE MIGRATION SERIES NO. 49 (Jacob Lawrence, 1940-41, 60 Panels, Tempera on Hardboard, even numbers at The Museum of Modern Art, New York, odd numbers at the Phillips Collection, Washington D.C.)
THE JUNGLE (​Wifredo Lam, 1942–43, Gouache on Paper Mounted on Canvas, 239.4 x 229.9 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
DREAM OF A SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN ALAMEDA CENTRAL PARK (Diego Rivera, Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central, 1947, 4.8 x 15 m, Museo Mural Diego Rivera, originally, Hotel del Prado, Mexico City)

CHAPTER 15: 20th CENTURY II (1950-)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
WOMAN I (Willem de Kooning, 1950–52, Oil on Canvas, 192.7 x 147.3 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York)
SEAGRAM BUILDING (Ludwig Mies van der Rohe with Philip Johnson, 1956–58, 375 Park Avenue, New York )
 MARILYN DIPTYCH (Andy Warhol, 1962, acrylic on canvas, 2054 x 1448 mm, Tate, London)
 THE BAY (Helen Frankenthaler, 1963, Acrylic on Canvas, 204.2 x 208.6 x 2.2 cm , Detroit Institute of Arts)
 NARCISSUS GARDEN (Yayoi Kusama, 1966, Installed in Venice Biennale, Italy)
LIPSTICK (ASCENDING) ON CATERPILLAR TRACKS (Claes Oldenburg, Originally installed at the Beinecke Plaza at Yale University, 1969, Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles)
SPIRAL JETTY (Robert Smithson, 1970, Great Salt Lake, Utah)
HOUSE IN NEW CASTLE COUNTY (​Robert Venturi, John Rauch, and Denise Scott Brown, 1978–83, Delaware)
 THE GATES (Christo and Jeanne-Claude, 1979–2005, Exhibit ran from February 12- 27, 2005, New York Central Park)

CHAPTER 16: AFRICA

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
APOLLO 11 STONES (c. 25,500–25,300 B.C.E., Quartzite slabs depicting animals, Namibia)
ELEPHANT MASK (20th Century, Kuosi Society, Bamileke Peoples, Grassfields Region of Cameroon, Cloth, Beads, Raffia, Fiber, 146.7 x 52.1 x 29.2 cm, Brooklyn Museum)
 ()
  • ABOUT THE WORK
  • Q
BYERI RELIQUARY FIGURE ()
FEMALE PWO MASK ()
GREAT ZIMBABWE ()
IKENGA SHRINE FIGURE ()
LUKASA MEMORY BOARD ()
MBLO PORTRAIT MASK ()
NDOP OF KING MISHE ()
NKISI N'KONDI (POWER FIGURE) ()
OPO OGOGA VERANDA POST ()
RUNNING HORNED WOMAN ()
SIKA DWA KOFI (GOLDEN STOOL) ()
WALL PLAQUE FROM OBA'S PALACE ()

CHAPTER 17: SOUTH AND EAST ASIA I

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
GREAT STUPA AT SANCHI ()
LAKSHMANA TEMPLE ()
SHIVA AS LORD OF THE DANCE ()
 JAHANGIR PREFERRING A SUFI SHAIKH TO KINGS ()
TAJ MAHAL ()
BAMIYAN BUDDHA ()
TODAI-JI ()
RYOAN-JI ()
NIGHT ATTACK ON THE SANJO PALACE ()
 WHITE AND RED PLUM BLOSSOMS ()
THE GREAT WAVE ()

CHAPTER 18: SOUTH AND EAST ASIA II

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
JADE CONG ()
TERRA COTTA WARRIORS ()
FUNERAL BANNER OF LADY DAI ()
LONGMEN CAVES ()
JOWO RINPOCHE ()
TRAVELLERS AMONG MOUNTAINS AND STREAMS ()
DAVID VASES ()
FORBIDDEN CITY ()
CHAIRMAN MAO EN ROUTE TO ANYUAN ()
GOLD AND JADE CROWN ()
PORTRAIT OF SIN SUKJU ()
BOROBUDUR TEMPLE ()
ANGKOR WAT ()

CHAPTER 19: ISLAM (200–1750 C.E.)

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
Introduction to Islam
Introduction to Mosque Architecture
Arts of the Islamic World: The Early Period
Arts of the Islamic World: The Later Period
IMPORTANT WORKS:
PETRA ()
THE KAABA ()
THE DOME OF THE ROCK ()
GREAT MOSQUE OF GJENNE ()
GREAT MOSQUE OF CORDOBA ()
ALHAMBRA ()
GREAT MOSQUE (MASJID-E JAMEH) ()
MOSQUE OF SELIM II ()
FOLIO FROM THE QURAN ()
PYXIS OF AL-MUGHIRA ()
BAPTISTERY OF SAINT LOUIS ()
BAHRAM GUR FIGHTS THE KARG ()
COURT OF GAYUMARS ()
ARDABIL CARPET ()

CHAPTER 20: THE PACIFIC 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
​AMBUM STONE ()
LAPITA TERRA COTTA FRANGMENT ()
NAN MADOL ()
MOAI ()
'AHU 'ULA ()
​STAFF GOD ()
NUKUORO FEMALE DEITY ()
BUK MASK ()
TAMATI WAKA NENE ()
HIAPO ()
NAVIGATION CHART ()
MALAGAN DISPLAY AND MASK ()
PRESENTATION OF FIJIAN MATS AND TAPA CLOTHS TO QUEEN ELIZABETH II ()

CHAPTER 21: INDIGENOUS AMERICAS

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
CHAVIN DE HUANTAR​ ()
CITY OF CUSCO ()
MACHU PICCHU ()
ALL-T'OQAPU TUNIC ()
MESA VERDE CLIFF DWELLINGS ()
GREAT SERPENT MOUND ()
LENAPE BANDOLIER BAG ()
KWAKWAKA'WAKW TRANSFORMATION MASK ()
PAINTED ELK HIDE ()
BLACK-ON-BLACK CERAMIC VESSEL ()
CAMELID SACRUM IN THE SHAPE OF A CANINE ()
TLATILCO FEMALE FIGURINE​ ()
YAXCHILAN​ ()
TEMPLO MAYOR​ ()
HEADDRESS OF MOTECUHZOMA​ ()
THE VALLEY OF MEXICO FROM THE HILLSIDE OF SANTA ISABEL​ ()

CHAPTER 22: GLOBAL CONTEMPORARY

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS PERIOD:
IMPORTANT WORKS:
ANDROGYNE III ()
BOOK FROM THE SKY ()
DANCING AT THE LOUVRE ()
DARKYTOWN REBELLION ()
EARTH'S CREATION ()
ELECTRONIC SUPERHIGHWAY ()
EN LA BARBERIA NO SE LORA ()
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM BILBAO ()
HORN PLAYERS ()
LYING WITH THE WOLF ()
MAXXI NATIONAL MUSEUM ()
OLD MAN'S CLOTH ()
PINK PANTHER ()
PISUPO LUA AFE ()
PREYING MANTRA ()
PURE LAND ()
REBELLIOUS SILENCE ()
SHIBBOLETH ()
STADIA II ()
SUMMER TREES ()
SUNFLOWER SEEDS ()
THE CROSSING ()
THE SWING (AFTER FRAGONARD) ()
TRADE ()
UNTITLED #228 ()
VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL ()