Web Links

Chapter 1 Art and You
Chapter 2 Developing a Visual Vocabulary
Chapter 3 Creating Art: Media and Processes
Chapter 4 Art Criticism and Aesthetics
Chapter 5 Art History
Chapter 6 Art of Earliest Times
Chapter 7 The Art of Ancient Egypt
Chapter 8 Greek Art
Chapter 9 Roman Art
Chapter 10 The Art of India, China, and Japan
Chapter 11 The Native Arts of the Americas
Chapter 12 African Art
Chapter 13 Early Christian, Byzantine, and Islamic Art
Chapter 14 Early Medieval and Romanesque
Chapter 15 Gothic Art Gothic
Chapter 16 The Italian Renaissance
Chapter 17 Fifteenth-Century Art in Northern Europe
Chapter 18 Art of 16th Century Europe
Chapter 19 Baroque Art
Chapter 20 Rococo Art
Chapter 21 New Styles in Nineteenth-Century
Chapter 22 Art of the Later Nineteenth Century
Chapter 23 Art of the Early Twentieth Century
Chapter 24 Modern Art Movements to the Present

Museum of International Folk Art
Why is art created? When is an object a fine art or applied art? Enter the permanent collection at this online museum to find contemporary, southwestern, hispanic, and international folk art objects. After browsing the exhibits, read about the artists who create these unique pieces. Choose one who interests you and create a display or presentation to share with classmates to demonstrate the role of art in cultures around the world.

Learn About the National Endowment for the Arts
Discover the work of the NEA, a national organization that encourages art and creativity. Begin by exploring who they are and how the National Council on the Arts functions. Then you can choose to investigate the Millennium Projects on the Welcome page, or go directly to NEA Home page and explore art resources, interviews, and artist galleries. What do you feel is the most important role of the NEA?

Museum Resource
This site is a gateway to museums all around the world and of all types, including art, archeology, natural history, children's, and photography museums. Locate museums near your home and plan a visit during a vacation or family trip. Use the information on the Web site to help prepare for your visit.

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Artlex Online Art Dictionary
Are you baffled when the teacher asks you what the Ashcan School is? This Web site provides definitions of art and art history concepts accompanied by full-color images. Find five terms that are new to you, learn their meaning, and see if you can stump a classmate. Have that person pick five other terms to test you.

Adventure in Color
Visit this clever, highly interactive site to learn about color theory, the moods of different colors, and how artists have used color to express emotion. Examine the effects and use of color and click on all the links on this page to gain an understanding of primary, secondary, tertiary, cool, warm, and neutral colors. Challenge yourself by reading about color symbolism in art and then adding more color symbols that you know about that are not included here.

Studying the Elements of Art
Visit the "Elements and Principles" section of this Web site to get great definitions accompanied by illustrations that help you understand the visual language of art. Use the time line to find an era and/or culture that you have recently been studying in history class. What kind of art was being made at that time and place? How did artists use the elements (line, shape, color, composition) to express themselves?

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The Colored Pencil Society of America
Colored pencils are often overlooked as a medium for creating serious works of art. This site shows you some amazing drawings made with this simple, easy-to-use tool. Visit the gallery and look for a work that you like. Do you like the subject, the colors, or the style? Create your own colored pencil drawing using your favorite aspect of the drawing as a starting point.

The Drawings of Leonardo Da Vinci
Da Vinci filled the pages of his notebooks with drawings that helped him understand human anatomy, the principles of the natural world, and scientific theories. Start a notebook of you own by drawing and writing about your life. What do you do each day? What do you want to be doing in five years? Pick one of Leonardo's drawings from this Web site and copy it into your notebook. Write about why you chose this one to copy.

Photography at the George Eastman House
The George Eastman House collection contains more than 400,000 photographs and negatives dating from the invention of photography to the present day. This site presents a great sample from the collection. Visit the online gallery to view photographs made using a variety of photographic processes. Check the time line to trace the development of the medium. Are you surprised to find out the date of the first experiments using light-sensitive materials?

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Aesthetics Online
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy that deals with theories regarding the nature of art. There are many viewpoints when it comes to discussing something as subjective as art. This site presents articles on a variety of topics by members of the American Society for Aesthetics. Read one article and consider whether you agree or disagree with the author's point of view.

Viewpoints: Exploring How You Understand Art
What kind of art do you really like? Why do you like it? How do your opinions compare to those of your friends and family? Take the fascinating self-test presented on this site to understand why you like the art you do. Consider reasons for appreciating a work of art and discover interesting viewpoints from other art critics.

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ArtSpeak 101
Do you think you have a good understanding of how to look at art? This Web site will teach you some new approaches for looking at and talking about art. You can create your own virtual museum of your favorite objects or test your knowledge with the "Eyes on Art" quiz. Go to the "Double Vision" section and practice comparing one painting to another.

Exploring Style
Visit the "Style" section of this Web site to read about art styles from Greek and Roman to Pop and Op. Pick two art styles that interest you and, for each one, list the essential characteristics. Using a work of art already in your portfolio, try re-doing the piece in one or both of the styles you have researched on this site.

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Chauvet Discoveries
Travel to Chauvet Pont D'Arc in France to view the recent discoveries of ancient cave paintings said to be the oldest known to date. Explore a map of the caves, view stunning photographs, and follow the story of discovery and preservation of these cave paintings. Find out why the caves have been declared a national historical monument in France.

Cave Paintings of Lascaux
This site presents a sampling of the cave paintings of Lascaux, which can be enlarged and studied in detail. It also links to you to several sites about Lascaux and other caves. Pick one animal image from this site and try drawing it on a large piece of paper. Imagine what it must have been like for prehistoric artists to paint such large animals on cave walls.

British Isles Megaliths
Go beyond Stonehenge and study images of many other stone structures in the British Isles. Find detailed information about the associated folklore. Explore the site and find out how ancient British islanders tried to cure rickets, whooping cough and other diseases with the help of the stones.

Assyrian Art
The Web site of the Oriental Institute Museum gives you a fascinating glimpse into several ancient cultures. Visit "Highlights from the Collection" and click on "By Region and Subject" to get to Assyrian art. Compare the objects from Assyria with some from the other cultures represented in the museum. What are some similarities and differences that you find?

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Cleveland Museum of Art
Join "Rosetta Stone" as she guides you through this excellent site on ancient Egypt. Learn what the Egyptians ate and how they wore their hair. Ask the mummy questions about ancient Egypt and take a fun quiz to test your knowledge. You can link to "Sahara the Scarab" beetle's site to see animals from Egypt depicted in ancient art as well as in modern photography.

Carnegie Museum of Natural History
How do historians know about the everyday life of ancient Egyptians? They study the art objects and other artifacts they left behind. Explore the chronology and the sections on "Gods and Religion" and "Daily Life." Imagine that you lived in ancient Egypt and write a poem or short story describing your life. Try to include at least three references to things you found on this site.

Pyramids
Have you ever dreamed of exploring the pyramids of Egypt? You can at this Web site! You can also try to decipher some hieroglyphics or follow a team of archaeologists excavating an ancient bakery. You can even send an e-mail to the dig and ask them questions!

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The Greek World
Learn to think like an archaeologist on this site about ancient Greek art and culture. Read about dress, furnishings, religion, and many other aspects of daily life. Discover the two reasons why Greek vases are such an important tool in understanding Greek culture. Design your own vase, and imagine that someone in the future will uncover it. What would you want that person to know about your life? How would you communicate it on your vase?

The Parthenon Marbles
View striking images of these famous sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon in Greece. For the past 150 years, they have been owned by the British. The Greek government would like them back. Discover how the marbles came into the possession of the British in the first place, and read about the dispute over ownership. After researching this subject, what is your opinion on what should happen to the sculptures?

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Rome Reconstructed
Computer-generated reconstructions of ancient Rome show how various structures may have looked when Romans inhabited them. Move through the spaces for yourself. Imagine you are a reporter who has traveled back in time. What will you tell your readers about your experiences in ancient Rome?

Great Buildings of Rome
This site presents a number of important Roman buildings and other structures with accompanying descriptions. You can study the Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa, and the Library at Ephesus. If you were a Roman emperor, what type of building would you have built? Create a picture using architectural elements and details that you find on this site-and describe it's use.

Roman Art and History
This site provides a look at Roman sculpture, painting, and decorated vessels presented in the context of Greek and Roman history and culture. Choose several objects that you find on this site and describe how they might have been used and what importance they held in Ancient Roman culture.

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Arts of India
Five objects of Indian art from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art are examined in depth. Each one demonstrates some aspect of Indian art and has it's own historical time line. Pick one object and read about the theme associated with it. Name works of art from at least two other cultures that address the same theme. What are the similarities and differences between them?

Northern Indian Folk Art
This online exhibit of folk paintings by women artists in India provides social and cultural information about artists and their artworks. The bright colors and geometric patterns are part of an established style that is centuries old. Subjects include animals, humans, gods, and goddesses. See if you can find depictions of snakes, a lion, Rama, and Durga and learn something about their significance.

National Palace Museum
One of the oldest museum collections in the world, The National Palace Museum was begun in the tenth century by Northern Sung emperors who wanted to accumulate the treasures of China. Search the collections for a jade cabbage, an Emperor's helmet, and a silver cup in the shape of a raft.

The Shin'enKan Collection
View paintings in a private collection of Japanese art grouped by subject, time period, or artist to learn about the history of Japanese painting. Find out what Shin'enKan means. Why do you think the collectors gave their collection this name? Look for the section on artist's seals and invent a symbol to be the seal for your own artwork.

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The Museum of the Native American
The Museum of the Native American contains approximately one million objects. Cultures from the Arctic to Tierra del Fuego are represented. Click on "Conexus" to access interviews with four contemporary Native American artists. What are some similarities that you find among the four artists? What are some of the differences?

Northwest Coast Virtual Museum
Explore Native American and Northwest Coast art, history, and culture in this online virtual exhibition. Visit an exhibit on the artwork of the Inuit community or on North American Landscape art. Examine images of Native American totems, masks, kayaks, and canoes.

Olmec, Mayan, and Aztec Cultures
An extensive look at three major Pre-Columbian cultures. Enter each one to read about art, architecture, religious beliefs, and other aspects of daily life. Examine objects from each culture and compare them. Identify several items in your own life that relate to some of the objects you see created by these cultures and explain the connection.

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National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is a wonderful resource for the study of African art traditions. This site allows you to explore present and upcoming exhibitions. Look for the Images of Power and Identity exhibition. Study the objects displayed here and identify three things that are images of power and identity in African society today.

Africa: The Art of a Continent
Created to accompany a 1996 show of African art at the Guggenheim Museum in New York, this site takes a geographic and geographic look at African art. Click on the continent of Africa to investigate the art of each region. What factors described on this site explain why particular materials or symbols are used in different places?

African Odyssey Interactive
The Kennedy Center for the Arts has compiled an extensive collection of information about the arts of Africa. This site provides you a glimpse of African art in a broader cultural context including music, dance, and theatre. Go to the Interactive Opportunities section to ask a question of an artist, performer, or scholar of African culture.

Art and Life in Africa
This site includes a list of more than 20 African cultures. Clicking on each one gives you information on the art, history, economics, religion, and geography of that group. Find out which cultures are neighbors and look for similarities in their art forms.

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Early Christian Catacombs
This site describes the history of the Roman catacombs, ancient underground burial sites used by the early Christians. Go to the section on symbols and read about the significance of various images that decorate the catacombs. Find out the meaning of the fish, dove, anchor, and phoenix.

History of Hagia Sophia
The Hagia Sophia is one of the earliest churches and has a long history involving many changes. This site is a concise explanation of the building's transformation from a church to a mosque to a museum. Research a building in your community that has had its use changed over the years. Why did the building's function change?

The Glory of Byzantium
This interactive virtual exhibition was created in conjunction with a 1997 exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art called "The Glory of Byzantium." Explore Byzantine art by individual artwork or by theme at this online exhibit. You may also explore artworks in the context of Byzantine history.

The Taj Mahal
Read all about this incredible example of Islamic architecture that was built in honor of a shah's wife. Study the floor plan and look at close-up views of interior decoration. If you could build a structure to honor someone, who would it be, and what would you build? Draw a floor plan and a frontal view of the building in your sketchbook.

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Art Medieval Manuscript Sampler
This site presents several excellent examples of medieval manuscript illumination from the collection of the Getty Museum. The works range in date from 1025 to 1596. Click on the images to see an enlargement or to read background information about the piece. Scroll down the page and select "Making Manuscripts" to view a video about how these ancient manuscripts were created.

Romanesque Art
View detailed examples of architecture in the Romanesque style. Listed by location, the site takes you through each structure, pointing out typical Romanesque features. Design a building façade in your sketchbook using the characteristic Romanesque forms found on this Web site.

Aachen Cathedral
Charlemagne hoped to fulfill his dream of creating a "new Rome" when he built a palace fit for an emperor at the end of the eighth century. Read about the history of Aachen Cathedral and the current efforts to preserve it for future generations. Why is it important that structures like this be preserved?

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Manuscript Illumination
Where did the pigments come from used in making medieval manuscripts? Describe a typical day in the life of a scribe. Find the answers on this site that examines illuminated manuscripts before the development of printing. Learn what was involved in creating a completely handmade book. Describe what clues we have that tell how books were valued in those days. Do you think we still value books as highly today? Why or why not?

The Age of King Charles V
This site presents 1000 illuminations from the Bibliothèque Nationale in France to tell the story of the life and times of King Charles V. As you read through the history, there are clickable areas that take you to pictures describing the events. You can also search the illuminations by the manuscript they come from, or by theme, including hunting, music, and religion. Choose three of your favorites, print out the pictures, and describe why you chose them.

Gothic Cathedrals
Choose the various links on this site to view images of Gothic cathedrals from all over Europe. Click on "Gothic Field Guide" in the left-hand index and read about the elements that characterize Gothic architecture. Select "Feature Articles" and learn interesting facts about Gothic art and history. Select an image from the site and list the Gothic elements you see.

Fresco History and Technique
This site describes the history and development of fresco painting in Western art from the cave paintings of Lascaux to the experiments of Leonardo da Vinci. Learn the difference between true fresco and fresco secco. Which technique would you use to decorate an important building?

Giotto di Bondone
Read an in-depth biography of this important transitional artist. Find out what the Renaissance biographer, Giorgio Vasari, had to say about Giotto. Make a list of at least three aspects of Giotto's art described on this site that distinguish it from the art that preceded it.

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Exploring Leonardo
This site offers some theories on why Leonardo might have written in mirror writing. Check out "Leonardo: Right to Left" and see what you think. You can type in a phrase and the computer will write it for you as he would have. Visit "The Inventors Workshop" section to read about his many inventions. This site also offers an excellent glossary of terms.

The Art of Michelangelo
Discover this gallery containing works of this Renaissance master. You can scroll through sculptures, paintings, frescoes in the Sistine Chapel, drawings, and architectural works. The site also includes an excellent in-depth biography. Discuss what you find about Michelangelo's art that represents Renaissance ideals.

Thirteen Renaissance Artists
At this site, you can access concise biographies of several Renaissance artists including Masaccio, Donatello, and Brunellesci. In each section, links take you to images that show works by that artist. Pick two artists who work in different styles and do a comparison. What makes them different?

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Jan van Eyck
Read an in-depth biography of the man who, in the 1400s, brought the use of oil paint to new heights. No one before Jan van Eyck had exploited the medium in quite the same way. Imagine you could go back in time and meet van Eyck. What would you ask him about his innovative use of oil? How do you think he would respond?

Northern Renaissance Painting at the National Gallery of Art
Explore the collection at the National Gallery of Art and get a closer look at the art of Rogier van der Weyden, Dirck Bouts, and others. If you were going to publish an art book, which four or five works of art from this Web site would you include to emphasize the spirit of Netherlandish painting in the 1400s?

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Venice and the North in the 1500s
Take a tour of Venetian and Northern European art in the 1500s at the National Gallery of Art site. Design your own installation for the artworks on this Web site. Would you use the same groupings as the museum (based on time and place)? What are some other ways you could organize and display the collection?

Mannerism
This site provides an overview of Mannerism with links to Mannerist artworks in galleries around the world. Why did High Renaissance art evolve into Mannerism? Which style of art do you prefer? Why?

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Baroque Art and Architecture
This site provides an overview of Baroque art with links to Baroque artworks in galleries around the world. Select a baroque painting to examine by a French, Dutch, and Italian artist. What are some similarities in the three pieces? What are some of the differences you can identify?

Women Artists of the Baroque Age
Study the art of Clara Peters, Judith Leyster, and Maria Sibylla Merian, whose botanical drawings recently appeared on first-class U.S. postage stamps. What were some obstacles faced by women artists in the 1600s? Click on "Permanent Collection" to access a selection, organized by century, from the holdings of the National Museum of Women in the Arts.

The Art of Vermeer
Look at a number of works by Vermeer with detail views and commentaries. In the lower left corner of the screen, you can access a World Events feature. Pick one year during Vermeer's life and find out what was going on in Rome, Madrid, Paris, and his hometown of Delft.

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The Age of Enlightenment
This is a great site from the French Ministry of Culture that provides historical background, a genealogy of the royal family, and an index of paintings and artists. Why was this period called the Age of Enlightenment? If you gave a name to the late twentieth century, what would you call it? Why?

Rococo Painting
Study the work of Boucher, Fragonard, Watteau, and Chardin in the National Gallery of Art. Look for the characteristics of Rococo art in the paintings on this site. What is it about Chardin's art that makes it different from his contemporaries?

French Decorative Arts
Explore decorative arts from the collection of the Getty Museum. Look especially at the Corner Cupboard by Dubois and the Wall Light. How do these objects reflect the Rococo style? In your sketchbook, design an everyday object (like a chair, desk, or lamp) that displays Rococo decorative elements.

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Art Painting in the 1800s
This site provides a great selection of images. You can get a close look at paintings by David, Ingres, Gericault, Delacroix, Courbet, and others. You can view many paintings by Monet. When you look at the nineteenth century as a whole, what would you say is the most important change that occurred in art during this time?

The Art of Rodin
You can view many of Rodin's sculptures here and also see some of the clay models he made in preparation for the final sculpture. Look for the Burghers of Calais and find the models. Think of all the ways that making a clay model is helpful when making a sculpture in a more permanent medium like bronze or marble.

Women Artists
Study the art of Rosa Bonheur, Mary Cassatt, Camille Claudel, and others. Does it seem that things had gotten any easier for women artists since the Renaissance? What barriers did they still have to overcome? What were some of their achievements? Do you think women artists still have a harder time than men?

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The Post-Impressionists
Scroll down to the Post-Impressionists to access the work of Seurat, van Gogh, Gauguin, and others. Each Post-Impressionist artist has a very individual style. Try an experiment with an existing painting or drawing in your portfolio. Create two or three other versions in the style of your favorite Post-Impressionist artists.

Vincent van Gogh
This is a large site that is organized by types of pictures (portraits, places, for instance), and also has excerpts of Vincent's letters. There are examples of works done by van Gogh when he was a teenager (and as young as nine!) Why do you think van Gogh has become so popular when he only sold one painting in his lifetime? Why do you think the public's opinion of art can change so much over time?

Winslow Homer Online
This site brings together 160 works in an online exhibition of this American master. Click on the Online Exhibition and keep clicking on "next" to view Homer's works. Pick one painting that you like and use it as a starting point for writing a poem. Think about what you would hear, smell, feel, see, and taste if you could be inside the painting and include all these sensations in your poem.

Henry Tanner as Storyteller
Learn more about the story of Daniel in the Lion's Den and more about Tanner's life. Scroll to the bottom of the page and try to answer the "Questions about the Artwork."

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The Fauves
View artworks by Matisse and by other Fauve artists on this site. An introduction to the Fauve movement is provided along with a brief biography of the artists featured. Describe the characteristics of Fauve art that you identify in the various artworks exhibited.

Diego Rivera
This virtual gallery offers a number of the greatest of Rivera's paintings and murals as well as a good biography. You can access film clips of Rivera at work and with his wife, the artist Frida Kahlo. Study Rivera's work and conduct a treasure hunt. Identify images in his artwork that has an association with each of the following: The Italian Renaissance, Cubism, and Pre-Columbian Art.

Julia Morgan Center for the Arts
This 1908 building designed by Julia Morgan as a Presbyterian Church has since been turned into a performing arts center. At this site, you can access Julia's Story, as well as learn more about her architecture. Click on " The Building to see Morgans elevation drawings. Design a floor plan for house that you would like live in. How many rooms need? What does area surrounds your look like?

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Butler Institute of American Art
Many important American artists are represented in this online collection. Click on a name and view one or more works by the artist of your choice. Look for Helen Frankenthaler, Edward Hopper, and others represented in this chapter.

African American Artists
This site introduces you to many of the important African American artists of the twentieth century. Link to information on the Harlem Renaissance and other important literary and historical figures. Look for the work of Jacob Lawrence. Try creating a series of image that tell a story as Lawrence did.

Abstract Expressionism
Explore the historical events leading to the development of Abstract Expressionism. Then after reading through the first page, click on several artists of the period, including Piet Mondrian and Jackson Pollock. Study one of the images that interests you, and write a paragraph to express what you see in the image or how it makes you feel.

Pop Art: Andy Warhol
Did you know that Andy Warhol started his art career designing window displays for a New York department store? Find out more interesting tidbits about this quintessential Pop Artist. Pick an everyday object (as Warhol did with the Campbell's soup can) and create a painting or drawing.

Art and Technology
The time line on the George Eastman House site provides a wealth of information on photography. Click on the 1998 end of the time line to access the last 10 years of technological developments. What do you think the use of digital cameras and computers will do to the creation of art? Outline some of the issues that are involved and work with your teacher and other classmates for a debate on the future of art in the age of technology. What do you think is coming next?

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