Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Introduction to the Chimu Culture
The Kingdom of Chimu flourished in the Moche River Valley until conquered by the Inca. Their massive adobe architecture is the only reminder of the might of the Chimu kings. View pictures and descriptions of their architecture, jewelry,...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Complexity and Vision: The Staff God at Chavin De Huantar & Beyond
The artistic style seen in stone sculpture and architectural decoration at the temple site of Chavin de Huantar, in the Andean highlands of Peru, is deliberately complex, confusing, and esoteric. View pictures and descriptions of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Parish of San Sebastian, Procession of Corpus Christi
Inca, Spanish, and Christian traditions come together in this 17th-century painting of a religious procession in Cuzco. "Parish of San Sebastian" is part of a series of eighteen canvases. View pictures and read descriptions of this...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Mirror Pendant in Form of a Bat Human From Grave 5, Sitio Conte
Bat-human imagery in ancient Central American art is often linked to religious beliefs and practices. View pictures and read descriptions of a pendant in the form of a bat-human found in a grave near Panama City in this essay. A video...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Doe Shaman
An important visual theme in many ancient American art styles is that of transformation: one thing changing into another. Most shamans have spirit alter egos who help them in this world and in the spirit world, and these alter egos are...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Inka Stone Vessels
From their capital, Cuzco, in the central Peruvian Andes, the Inca created a huge empire reaching over 2,400 miles along the length of the Andes. View pictures and descriptions of Incan ritual vessels in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Moche Culture, an Introduction
Moche architects and artists raised spectacular adobe platforms and pyramids and created exquisite ceramics and jewelry. View pictures and read descriptions of Moche artwork and culture in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Sargent, Madame X (Madame Pierre Gautreau)
John Singer Sargent considered his painting Madame X "the best thing I have done.". View pictures of this painting and read a description in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Bodhisattva Maitreya
This statue depicts the bodhisattva Maitreya. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who postpone their own salvation in order to help all sentient beings. View a picture of this statue and read a description in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: 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 means "Lord who looks down with compassion." View an image of a bodhisattva...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Hindu Deity Vishnu
This stone stele depicts the Hindu god Vishnu - the god of Preservation. View a picture and read descriptive details in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Brahmani
The goddess portrayed in this sculpture is the female version of Brahma. View a picture and read a short description in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Scenes From the Tale of Genji
This pair of screens illustrates scenes from four chapters of Japan's classic literary work, "The Tale of Genji", written by Murasaki Shikibu in around the tenth-eleventh centuries. View pictures of these scenes and read a description of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Convento of San Nicolas De Tolentino, Actopan, Hidalgo
After the Conquest, Spanish colonizers' first task was to convert the indigenous peoples to Christianity and eliminate their religious beliefs. Painted murals within their missions demonstrate the great fear and urgency of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Biombo With the Conquest of Mexico and View of Mexico City
The influence of Asian art on colonial Latin America is particularly evident in viceregal textiles, ceramics, and furniture. Some examples are the resplendent biombos, or folding screens, made in Mexico beginning in the seventeenth...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Atrial Cross at Acolman
The Atrial Cross at Acolman offers a fascinating look into the interactions between Spanish friars and Nahua converts in the years directly following the conquest of Mexico. View pictures and descriptions of the cross and the Augustinian...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Courbet, the Stonebreakers
"The Stonebreakers" by Gustave Courbet seems to lack the basics of art (things like a composition that selects and organizes, aerial perspective and finish) and as a result, it feels more "real". View a picture and read a description in...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Bernardino De Sahagun and Collaborators, Florentine Codex
The Florentine Codex contains an unparalleled wealth of information regarding the people and culture of central Mexico immediately preceding the Conquest and its discussion of the Conquest itself. View pictures and descriptions of the...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Featherworks: The Mass of St. Gregory
View pictures and read descriptions of the oldest surviving featherwork from colonial Mexico in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: The Medici Collect the Americas
Across Europe, many powerful individuals sought to acquire objects taken from the Americas, as a way to know the unknown, to exert some control over the colonial processes underway, and to possess exotic and rare things. The Medici...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Dog Chasing
The painting "Dog Chasing" depicts the activity of dog chasing which was one of three archery drills popular during the Edo period. View the picture and read a description in this essay.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Military Camp Jacket
The military camp jacket in Japan not only offered protection from the elements but were also personalized fashion statements. Each jacket showed the wearer's status, clan affiliations, and wealth. View pictures of these jackets and read...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Military Leader's Fan
Objects used by military leaders in Edo, Japan were often an insignia of the owner's rank. This military fan had multiple uses and was decorated to show the military power of the owner. View a picture of this fan and read a description...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Correggio, Assumption of the Virgin
In the sacred architecture of the Roman and Byzantine empires, domes were viewed as symbols of heaven. Correggio merged this symbolism with the Renaissance's fascination for three-dimensional illusion. He transformed the dome of the...
Other popular searches
- Descriptive Essay Writing
- Descriptive Essay Examples
- Descriptive Essay Rubric
- Descriptive Essay Organizer
- Descriptive Essay Topics
- Descriptive Essay Outlines
- Writing a Descriptive Essay
- Descriptive Essay Prompts
- Writing Descriptive Essays