Presents an overview of the history of art, from prehistoric cave painting, to the Middle Ages to Pop Art, providing brief descriptions of major works of art, explanations of different art techniques, and photographs. Includes illustrated time line.

Includes indexes.

37000 BCE-CE 1 -- Harrappan artisans are among the first to combine words and images, c. 2700 BCE -- The Chinese perfect the art of bronze casting, c.1200 BCE -- In Ancient Greece artists create ideal human figures, c.430 BCE -- The Buddha is carved for the first time in human form, c.CE.1 -- CE 1--1000 -- Roman painters master a naturalistic approach to painting, c. CE 50 -- Early Christians depict Christ as a Good Shepherd, c.300 -- The Teotihuacan civilization develops outstanding ritual sculptures, c. 400 -- The style of the ancient Celts influences Northern European artisans, c. 600 -- Calligraphers usr their artistic skills to communicate the Word of God, c. 910 -- 1000-1500 -- The Chinese paint landscapes for spiritual inspiration, c. 1020 -- Italian artists develop and master the use of the rules of perspective, c. 1420 -- Oil provides artists with a magnificient new type of paint, c. 1430 -- Printing makes art accessible to a wider audience, c. 1490 -- 1500-1600 -- Queen Idia of Benin is commemorated in an idealized African sculpture, c. 1500 -- Italy witnesses an explosion of artistic excellence, c. 1505 -- 1600-1700-- Dutch art reflects the society's joy in everday life, c. 1620 -- Using a camera obscura enables artists to represent reality as never before, c. 1670 -- 1700-1800 -- In Britain, satirical art is used to comment on social behavior, 1733 -- Japanese color woodblock prints depict the real world with great technical expertise, c. 1760 -- 1800-1900 -- The invention of photography changes the role of the artist, c. 1830 -- The Impressionists change the way artists paint the world around them, 1872 -- 1900-1960 -- The emergence of Cubism marks a revolution in Western art, 1910 -- The new science of psychoanalysis inspire artists to paint from their imaginations, 1930 -- Pop Art deflates the pretensions of the art world, 1964 -- Portraiture -- Family Portraits -- Self-Portraits -- Portraits of Couples -- Capturing the Famous -- Portraits of Power -- Portraits in Action -- Eyes -- Domestic Life -- Motherhood -- Entertaining -- Women at Home -- Leisure -- Playing Games -- Ancient Sports -- Music -- Entertainers -- Still Life -- Flowers -- Fruit -- The Modern Still Life -- The Body -- The Reclining Female -- The Ideal Male -- The Body in Motion -- Landscapes -- Water -- The Four Seasons -- The Power of Nature -- Figures in the Landscape -- Rural Life -- Farm Work -- Village Life -- Poverty -- The City -- Venice -- Cityscapes -- Urban Life -- The Street -- Stores-- Working -- Animals -- Dogs -- Animals in Ritual -- Horses -- Birds -- Religion -- Sacred Icons -- The Old Testament -- The Birth of Christ -- Parables -- The Death of Christ -- The Last Judgement -- Saints -- Angels -- Mythology -- Venus -- Beasts -- Icarus -- Eastern Mythology -- Allegory -- Civic Allegory -- Personal Allegory -- Fantasy -- Surrealism -- Death -- Murder -- Literature -- William Shakespeare's Plays -- Nineteenth-Century Images of Literature -- History -- Victims fo History -- Recording Historic Events -- Ancient History -- Politics -- Royalty -- Politicians -- People in Politics -- War -- Soldiers -- Social Protest -- Nineteenth Century -- Twentieth Century -- Abstraction -- Painting -- Sculpture -- Reference.