Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: World Myths and Legends in Art
Fully comprehensive site that dives into world myths and world cultures. View art that expresses mythological themes from various cultures around the world and learn about cultural similarities and differences. Key words for learning,...
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Look for the Symbol in the Sculpture
This websites answers the question, "What is a Symbol?" Click on the sculptures for a description of the symbols in each work.
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of African Art: Artful Animals
African artists commonly base their work on animals observed in their natural habitats. Artful Animals lets you view African art that takes animals as its subject and inspiration. Learn about animals as symbols in African art, the beauty...
University of Michigan
University of Michigan: Online Symbolism Dictionary
Great website where you can look up literary symbols in a searchable index. For each symbol there is a brief explanation of its significance and links to other related symbols.
Read Works
Read Works: Forms of Art Symbolism
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text on symbolism in art. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Other
Color Theory and Mixing: 16 Lessons in Color Theory
Complete site on using color in art. Includes the history of color, psychology of color, color perspective, and how color changes depending on the medium used. Includes activities to help understand how to use color in your art.
Metropolitan Museum of Art
Metropolitan Museum of Art: Symbolism
This websites provides a detailed article about symbolism in art.
The National Gallery (UK)
National Gallery, London: Festival of Light
Follow this museum trail and discover through seven paintings how different cultures have used light as a form of symbolism in their work.
Other
Medieval Bestiary: Animals in the Middle Ages
Bestiaries, illustrated volumes of animals and birds, were an expression of the intersection of the natural and religious worlds in medieval art and science. At this large database on the subject, you can learn about the symbolic content...
Yale University
Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Popular Mexican Arts
This site has a curriculum unit for high school students on popular Mexican art. Provides four lesson plans, links, a bibliography, and even video suggestions.
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College: Mqed: Geometry in Art and Architecture
Learners learn about art and mathematics. Topics include the golden ratio, platonic solids, and number symbolism. The learning resource includes a description, requirements, syllabus, and bibliography.
Minneapolis Institute of Arts
Minneapolis Institute of Arts: African Myths in Art
This site offers three African myth symbols and artwork, along with the stories and background information that go with them, plus discussion questions and answers.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Cave Art Discovering Prehistoric Humans
By studying cave paintings, students learn about prehistoric cultures and the stories and ideas they wished to communicate to others through art. The lesson plan presented on this website aims to show young students the significance of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Arts and Humanities: Art of Asia
A landing page for a course on the art history of Asia.
Arizona State University
Arts Work: Communicating Feelings Through Shape & Color
A lesson plan to help young scholars understand the use of symbols and images to express their feelings through their artwork. A great lesson plan to boost students' self esteem. Has a link to a site with examples of Kandinsky's work.
Arizona State University
Arts Work: Communicating Feelings Through Shape & Color
A lesson plan to help students understand the use of symbols and images to express their feelings through their artwork. A great lesson plan to boost students' self esteem. Has a link to a site with examples of Kandinsky's work.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Sf Mo Ma Art Think: A Personal Narrative
Find a matched set of activities--each with a slightly different disciplinary emphasis--that takes participants through a close examination of the work of contemporary California artists Joan Brown and Jay DeFeo. Their work often...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Art to Zoo Memorials: Art for Remembering
The lessons in this issue familiarize students with memorials in which they examine four memorials from around the world and examples in their own community. In a culminating activity, students identify and create a memorial for someone...
Cornell University
Cornell University: Art, Design, and Visual Thinking
Use the left-hand toolbar of this site to investigate an online textbook for the language of design. It provides visual examples and explanations of line, form, color, color psychology, texture, balance, proportion and many more...
National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art: The Quest for Immortality: Treasures of Ancient Egypt
An interesting site with examples of Egyptian art from the National Gallery of Art in Washington. This article discusses pharaohs, sphinxes, symbols, mummification, and much more. [PDF]
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Art Wonders
Can portraits talk? What's in a landscape? How do artists make furniture? ArtWonders helps young learners ask and answer the kinds of questions that make observing art an interactive experience.
Other
Coastal Arts Online Gallery
An interesting site filled with pictures of artwork from the Pacific Northwest coast. Great examples of masks, prints, paintings, carvings, totem poles, and much more!
Other
Rijksmuseum: Rembrandt's "The Night Watch"
A full-featured exploration of Rembrandt's "The Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch," better known as "The Night Watch." Learn who is in the painting, the symbols in it, what makes "The Night Watch" innovative,...
Smithsonian Institution
Chant Avedissian: A Contemporary Artist of Egypt
When we think of Egypt we typically think of ancient mummies and hieroglyphics. This contemporary artists mixes both the ancient art of Egypt with modern everyday life. See his work and the symbols he likes to use.