Renaissance to now — the movements, ruptures, and ideas that produced modern and contemporary art.
or Parkers Institute Pro subscription
97% Completion RateCourse completion rate
28–30 DaysAverage course completion
Save $650+vs. average community college cost
Self-Paced · Final Exam · ACE & NCCRS Recommended
What You'll Learn
A full semester of art history ii — completed at your own pace, with no deadlines or fixed class times.
Learning Outcomes
What You'll Be Able to Do
✓Remember fundamental concepts, movements, and terminology from the late medieval to contemporary periods, including the Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism, Modernism, and Postmodernism
✓Understand the principles of visual analysis — including formal elements, iconography, and contextual interpretation — as applied to artworks from 1300 to the present
✓Apply art historical methods to interpret stylistic developments and symbolic meaning in major works from the Renaissance through the contemporary period
✓Analyze how artistic techniques such as linear perspective, chiaroscuro, oil painting, and abstraction evolved and were used to express cultural, spiritual, and political ideas
Course Curriculum
Your path through the course
Work through each lesson at your own pace and build your understanding step by step.
✓Compare regional variations in artistic production across Italy, Northern Europe, Spain, France, the Netherlands, and the United States, considering factors such as religion, patronage, and social change
✓Evaluate how historical movements — such as the Reformation, Enlightenment, Industrial Revolution, and 20th-century global conflicts — shaped the themes, functions, and aesthetics of art
✓Interpret how modern and contemporary artists use new media, performance, and installation to challenge traditional art forms and engage with identity, activism, and the body
✓Demonstrate an increased ability to think critically about art, connect artworks to their cultural contexts, and articulate informed written interpretations
