Learn why the human form is central to the understanding and appreciation of Greek art by considering nineteen works linked together in a thematic trail. Pieces can be enlarged for closer inspection, and description windows can be opened...

In the 5th century B.C., Greek artists perfected an idealized version of the human form, representing figures with youthful, serene faces and toned bodies in elegant, balanced poses. Painters and sculptors of later centuries were greatly...

A sculpture, poster, poem, and a painting that challenge black stereotypes in the early-twentieth century. Links to these precursors to the Harlem Renaissance are provided at the top of the page.

This resources illustrates how artist Augusta Savage (1892-1962) embodied the virtues of self-help, self-reliance, and close-knit cohesion of the black community in her sculpture Lift Every Voice and Sing (The Harp).

This article describes the history associated with the sculpture Black Unity, an image of African American community in 1968 by Elizabeth Catlett.

The artwork of four nineteenth-century free blacks expressed in portraits, landscapes, sculpture, and photography. Links to works from Joshua Johnson, Robert Scott Duncanson, Edmonia Lewis, and Augustus Washington are provided.

The temple known as the Parthenon was built on the Acropolis of Athens between 447 and 438 B.CE. It is decorated with marble sculptures representing scenes from Athenian cult and mythology. View pictures and read descriptions in this...

Easter Island's famous carvings, called moai, bear silent witness to the collapse of the Polynesian culture that once thrived there. View these massive artworks and read about the deforestation of the island. An excellent site for...

Etruscan temple design had a huge impact on Renaissance architecture and one can see echoes of Etruscan columns in many buildings of the Renaissance and later in Italy. View pictures and read the history behind these temples in this...

Another lesson on using the figure and the portrait as the subject matter. Yet, this one encourages you to be courageous and create using wire. Give it a try!

Media-rich module examines a terracotta figurine that embodies many characteristics of classical Greek sculpture. Expert commentary accompanied by animated overlays demonstrate details of the composition that give it harmony, balance,...

The Metropolitan Museum of Art image of Mesopotamian sculpture. Click on "Description," to get the full story. There are links to other information within the MET as well.

In this gallery you will encounter art of America in a completely new fashion. Taking a look at various paintings, sculpture, architecture, fine crafts, and photography provides an inside look at our nation's character and ideals. Learn...

As part of the Smithsonian Art Museum's database of artists, this site provides biographical information on Johnson Antonio. Antonio was a Navajo artist who, through carving secular human figures, went against traditional Native American...

A monumental tube of lipstick sprouting from a military vehicle appeared, uninvited, on the campus of Yale University amidst the 1969 student protests against the Vietnam War. Claes Oldenburg made this sculpture and it served as a stage...

"The Greek Slave" secured Hiram Powers's reputation as an American sculptor of the highest rank and it remains one of the most important and enduring works of American sculpture. It even inspired a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning....

The ndop statues might be the most revered of all Kuba art forms. The ndop (literally meaning "statue") are a genre of figurative wood sculpture that portrays important Kuba leaders throughout the eighteenth to twentieth centuries. View...

The Sarcophagus of the Spouses is a masterwork of terracotta sculpture and conveys a great deal of information about Etruscan culture and its customs, especially funeral customs. View pictures and read descriptions of the sarcophagus in...

Greek art became popular when Roman generals began conquering Greek cities. This work so impressed the Roman elite that studios were set up to meet the growing demand for copies. The Doryphoros was one of the most sought after, and most...

Verism can be defined as a sort of hyperrealism in sculpture where the naturally occurring features of the subject are exaggerated, often to the point of absurdity. Roman portraiture used this artistic preference to show leaders as...

The art of medieval India, like the art of medieval Europe, was primarily in the service of religion. The supple and expressive quality of the dancing Shiva is one of the touchstones of South Asian, and indeed, world sculpture. View...

Pre-Columbian sculpture.

Basic information about the Renaissance. Looks at Early Renaissance, High Renaissance, painting, and sculpture. Touches upon humanism.

This is an image of the compassionate and merciful bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who are destined to become buddhas but postpone that final state in order to help humanity. The name Avalokiteshvara...