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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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 ArtConstantinople, Its History, Walls and Monuments
A Roman emperor's new capital became the heart of a Greek-speaking empire for a thousand years. What survives of it in Istanbul?
Byzantine ArtByzantine Art: A Beginner’s Guide, From Icons to Mosaics
Byzantine art grew from Constantinople's court and church between 330 and 1453, and its icons and gold mosaics define the style.
Ancient RomeHadrian Visited Jerash. What Did the City Build for Him?
A provincial city marked an emperor's winter stay with an arch, which shows how towns courted Rome and its favour.
Ancient RomeThe Library of Celsus Is Also a Tomb. Whose?
Burying someone inside a Roman city was rare, so a tomb under a library was an exceptional honour.
Ancient RomeWhy Did Romans Build a Temple Around a Hot Spring?
The spring was sacred before Rome came, so the Romans did not invent the cult; they renamed and rebuilt it.
Ancient Rome