Art history and art travel guides
Learn to read art, one work at a time.
Most art writing gives you too much or too little. The Art Newbie gives you the part that matters: what you are looking at, why it was made, and what to notice when you stand in front of it. Every term is explained, and nothing is called unmissable unless it is.
Everything on this page has a guide.
The two sections
Two ways in
Art History
The story of art, one question at a time.
Periods, works and ideas in plain English. Every term is explained the first time it appears, so you can start anywhere.
Art Travel
Where the art is now, and how to see it well.
The museums, the monuments and the routes, with how long you need and what to look at first.
Recently added
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Byzantine ArtBasilica of San Vitale: History, Plan and Mosaics
San Vitale in Ravenna is an eight-sided church begun around 526 and consecrated in 547, with mosaics of Justinian and Theodora.
Byzantine ArtHagia Sophia, Its History, Dome and Mosaics
Built for Justinian between 532 and 537, Hagia Sophia was the largest interior in the world; its first dome fell in 558.
Byzantine ArtWhy Was Ravenna the Capital of the Western Roman Empire?
Rome was the empire's symbol, yet its emperors chose a town in the marshes. What did Ravenna offer that Rome could not?
Early Christian ArtSaint Catherine’s Monastery, Its Burning Bush and Icons
Founded under Justinian in the 6th century at the foot of Mount Sinai, the monastery keeps some of the oldest surviving icons.
Early Christian ArtBasilica Cistern: Its History, Columns and Medusa Heads
Justinian's engineers built the Basilica Cistern in 532 to store water for the palace, with 336 columns under brick vaults.
Early Christian ArtThe Holy Sepulchre, From Constantine to the Crusaders
Built by Constantine in the 4th century, the church over the traditional tomb of Jesus was rebuilt by the Crusaders in 1149.
Early Christian ArtRome’s Catacombs Hold Some of the Oldest Christian Paintings
They were cemeteries, not hiding places, and their paintings borrow Roman styles to carry Christian meanings.
Early Christian Art