Europe 1300 - 1800

This course is a part of Art history, a 20-course Topic series from Khan Academy.

Brought to you by Smarthistory. 1300-1600: In part, the Renaissance was a rebirth of interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture. It was also a period of economic prosperity in Europe—particularly in Italy and in Northern Europe. In 1517 a German theologian and monk, Martin Luther, challenged the authority of the Pope and sparked the Protestant Reformation. By challenging the power of the Church, and asserting the authority of individual conscience, the Reformation laid the foundation for the value that modern culture places on the individual.

This course contains 10 segments:

Italy, 14th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. The art of Giotto and Duccio was once known as primitive, and useful only as a prelude to the Renaissance. However, recent scholarship allows us to study the brilliant artists of Florence and Siena in their own right.

Italy, 15th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. The engineering of Brunelleschi's dome, the naturalism of Donatello’s David, and the humanism of Botticelli’s Birth of Venus each help define the Early Renaissance in Italy.

Italy 16th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Michelangelo's Sistine Ceiling, Leonardo’s Last Supper, and Raphael's Stanza frescos shape our understanding of Western culture even today.

Northern Europe 15th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Northern Europe’s wealthy merchants and nobles supported the art of van Eyck, Bosch, Dürer, Bruegel, and Holbein; art that invites us back to their world.

Northern Europe 16th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Discover Grünewald, Bosch, Dürer, Bruegel, Holbein and other extraordinary artists from the Renaissance in England, Germany, Flanders, etc.

Spain 15th - 16th century

Reformation and Counter-Reformation

Baroque 17th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Stone becomes flesh and ceilings dissolve into the infinity of heaven—artists such as Bernini, Caravaggio, Rubens, Velazquez and Rembrandt were masters of drama and illusion.

Rococo and Neoclassicism 18th century

British art in the 18th century

Brought to you by Smarthistory. Britain and America were at war but shared a common artistic tradition. From Hogarth’s biting satire to Jefferson’s Monticello—here is invention, wit, nobility.