Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Dante's Divine Comedy in Late Medieval and Early Renaissance Art
Because of Dante's image-driven descriptions in "Divine Comedy", many artists have sought to illustrate his text through a wide variety of media. This essay will look at two outstanding examples of how Dante's words fed the creative...
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Khan Academy: Pyxis of Al Mughira
The Pyxis of al-Mughira, now in the Louvre, is among the best surviving examples of the royal ivory carving tradition in Al-Andalus (Islamic Spain). View pictures and read a description of this pyxis in this essay.
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Khan Academy: Mimar Sinan, Mosque of Selim Ii, Edirne
Elegant stacked domes, reaching to the heavens, and towering, slender pencil minarets characterize Ottoman mosque architecture. Few mosques, however, are as visually stunning and architecturally significant as the Selimiye Complex in...
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Khan Academy: The Great Mosque of Cordoba
Known locally as Mezquita-Catedral, the Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus. View pictures and read descriptions of this example of Islamic architecture in this...
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Khan Academy: The Alhambra
The Alhambra in Granada, Spain, is distinct among Medieval palaces for its sophisticated planning, complex decorative programs, and its many enchanting gardens and fountains. View pictures and read descriptions of this example of Islamic...
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Khan Academy: Miguel Gonza Lez, the Virgin of Guadalupe
Some of the most remarkable images of the Virgin of Guadalupe are created not entirely in paint, but also include mother-of-pearl, or enconchado. View pictures of this type of artwork by Miguel Gonzalez and read descriptions in this essay.
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Khan Academy: Frontispiece of the Codex Mendoza
The Codex Mendoza, commissioned by Viceroy Mendoza, contained information about the lords of Tenochtitlan, the tribute paid to the Aztecs, and an account of life "from year to year." Read descriptions and view pictures of the codex in...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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