Raphael, Portrait of Julius II—The Warrior Pope
The Renaissance artist Raphael depicted the powerful and controversial Pope Julius II in a portrait painted around 1511.
How to Do a Visual Analysis in Art History: A Formal Analysis of Painting
This video explains how to do a visual analysis (formal analysis) of a painting—Albrecht Dürer’s image of Saint Jerome.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Kanbara, Night Snow from the series “Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido”
This video explores a snowy scene from a famous Japanese woodblock print series titled Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido, published between 1832 and 1834 by print designer Andō Hiroshige.
What is a cartoon? | Leonardo da Vinci’s Burlington House Cartoon
A large drawing by Leonardo da Vinci shows an intimate grouping of figures: Saint Anne, the Virgin Mary, the infant Jesus Christ, and John the Baptist. The work is known as a “cartoon.”
What is a byobu? | Ogata Korin’s Landscape
A gorgeous Japanese byōbu by the 18th-century artist Ogata Kōrin helps explain what a byōbu is.
What is Neoclassicism?
Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Socrates is one of the best expressions of Neoclassicism paintings in Art History—find out why!
What is tempera paint? Explore with Paolo Uccello’s Battle of San Romano
Because tempera must be applied in many thin, quickly drying layers, its technique demanded precision and planning, helping explain the jewel-like detail and refined surfaces of Uccello’s work.
Eleanora di Toledo, Duchess of Florence
In a spectacular portrait of Eleonora di Toledo, the second Duchess of Florence, she sits beside her young son Giovanni.
Spooky Season in Art: Skeletons, Spirits, and the Supernatural
Around the world, artists have turned to skeletons, spirits, and strange creatures to wrestle with life’s biggest mysteries and to provide social and political commentary. From medieval Europe to ancient China to ancient Peru and 19th-century Mexico, we can look at images and objects that seem spooky, eerie, or gruesome today. But were they always meant to be understood this way?
Filippo Lippi's Madonna and Child with Two Angels
Italian Renaissance artist Filippo Lippi’s painting of the Virgin Mary with the Christ child supported by two angels (c. 1465) is an image rich in religious and social meaning.
Raphael, Portrait of Lady with a Unicorn
Learn to read the painting, “Lady with a Unicorn” (c. 1505), created by Raphael, the Italian renaissance artist.
The Aztec Sun Stone or “Calendar Stone”: The most famous Aztec artwork
The most famous Aztec artwork—the “Calendar Stone” or Sun Stone, today in Mexico City’s National Museum of Anthropology
Famous paintings everyone should know: Miguel Cabrera’s Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz
It's a painting everyone should know but probably doesn't! The portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was painted by the most famous artist of New Spain (colonial Mexico) in the 18th century.
Miguel Cabrera, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, c. 1750
It's a painting everyone should know but probably doesn't! The portrait of Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was painted by the most famous artist of New Spain (colonial Mexico) in the 18th century.