Global Art Histories

Describe the key features and functions of ancient Egyptian art and architecture in relation to their religious beliefs.

Identify key characteristics of Mesopotamian art, focusing on Sumerian and Assyrian sculpture and architectural reliefs.

Describe the distinctive artistic traditions of the Indus Valley civilization, including its seals and pottery.

Describe the key features of ancient Greek and Roman art and architecture, highlighting innovations in naturalism and engineering.

Explain the significance of early Chinese art under the Shang, Zhou, and Han dynasties, including bronzes, jades, and the terracotta army.

Describe the monumental sculptural traditions of the Olmec civilization and their cultural significance.

Identify the key artistic achievements of the Maya civilization, including their architecture, sculpture, and mural painting.

Describe the origins and key forms of early Buddhist and Hindu art and architecture in India (e.g., Great Stupa at Sanchi, Gandharan sculpture, Hindu temples).

Explain how Buddhist art was transmitted and adapted in East Asia, with key examples from China and Japan.

Describe the characteristics of Byzantine art and its role in expressing Christian theology.

Describe the forms and cultural significance of early West African sculpture, focusing on Nok terracottas and Ife heads.

Explain the function and historical context of the Benin Bronzes as artworks and records of the Kingdom of Benin.

Describe the core aesthetic principles of Islamic art (e.g., calligraphy, geometry, arabesque) and identify them in major architectural examples (e.g., Great Mosque of Córdoba).

Identify the key features of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in medieval Europe.

Identify the key characteristics and philosophical concepts of Chinese landscape painting (shan shui) during the Song and Yuan dynasties.

Describe the principal artistic developments of the Heian and Kamakura periods in Japan.

Explain the key innovations of the Italian Renaissance (linear perspective, humanism) using examples from key artists.

Identify the major types and aesthetic characteristics of Ming dynasty porcelain and painting in China.

Describe the key artistic and architectural achievements of the Aztec and Inca empires, including the Templo Mayor and Machu Picchu.

Describe the key themes and stylistic features of Mughal art and architecture, including miniature painting and the Taj Mahal.

Describe the principal artistic developments of the Edo period in Japan, including ukiyo-e prints.

Explain how colonialism produced hybrid art forms in Latin America, such as the Cuzco School of painting.

Explain how Impressionism and Post-Impressionism challenged the traditions of 19th-century European academic art.

Describe the formal innovations and ideological aims of key early 20th-century avant-garde movements (e.g., Cubism, Expressionism, Surrealism).

Explain the significance of Mexican Muralism (Rivera, Orozco, Siqueiros) and its social and political dimensions.

Describe the emergence of Abstract Expressionism and its role in shifting the art world's center to the United States.

Identify key modernist art movements outside the West (e.g., Gutai in Japan, Concrete art in Brazil, Nsukka school in Nigeria).

Explain how postcolonial perspectives and contemporary practices (e.g., installation, performance, digital art) have reshaped the global art world.

Identify major contemporary artists from Latin America, Africa, and Asia and explain how their work engages with global and local narratives.