Art history studies how visual art has changed over time and what it tells us about the people and cultures that created it.

Prehistoric Art (before 3000 BCE)

The earliest known art includes cave paintings found in Lascaux, France and Altamira, Spain. These paintings of animals and humans were made using natural pigments like charcoal and ochre.

Ancient Egyptian Art (3100 BCE - 30 BCE)

Egyptian art followed strict rules for over 3,000 years. Figures were painted in a flat, profile view with the head sideways and the body facing forward. Art was made for religious purposes and to honor the pharaoh.

Ancient Greek and Roman Art (800 BCE - 476 CE)

Greeks moved toward realistic human figures (naturalism). They created sculptures that showed the ideal human form. Romans continued this style and added portrait sculptures of specific real people.

The Renaissance (1300 - 1600 CE)

The Renaissance ("rebirth") began in Italy. Artists rediscovered Greek and Roman techniques and combined them with new ideas about perspective and light.

• Leonardo da Vinci — Mona Lisa, The Last Supper
• Michelangelo — the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the sculpture David
• Raphael — The School of Athens

Key technique — Linear Perspective: a method of creating the illusion of depth on a flat surface by making objects appear smaller as they get farther away, all converging at a "vanishing point."