Curious about the vibrant colors in Mughal paintings? Learn about the art of imperial painting here.
The J. Paul Getty Museum
How do you create perfectly straight edges in paint? See how Brazilian and Argentinian Concrete Artists did in this video from the Getty Museum
The Challenge of a Straight Line – ...
From the Getty Museum, discover how Brazilian Concrete Artists engaged with a rapidly industrializing culture by using the entire range of industrial paints developed in the 20th century
Painting in an Industrial Age – the ...
Discover how Argentine and Brazilian artists in the 1940s broke from linear perspective to create art in unique shapes, starting the Concrete Art movement.
Breaking the Frame – the Concrete Art ...
Curious about the vibrant colors in Mughal paintings? Learn about the art of imperial painting here.
Exploring Color in Mughal Paintings
How do you tell a story in a picture? How do you create depth on a flat surface? What role does color play?
A-level: Looking at paintings
Glassmakers create decorative vessels by blowing hot glass into an incised mold—again and again.
Mold-Blown Glass
Witness the weaving process at Gobelins Manufactory in Paris, where historical techniques are still practiced.
The art of making a tapestry
A restorer’s job is to make sense of a painting’s physical history and to stabilize its changeable materials.
Conservation of paintings
These wooden figures—often with glass eyes and wigs—appear incredibly lifelike. Discover what’s beneath their skin.
Making a Spanish polychrome sculpture
Watch a sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools as he carves a block of marble.
Carving Marble with Traditional Tools
When Jan van Eyck’s masterpiece started flaking paint, experts convened and drew up a plan for its conservation.
Ghent Altarpiece project overview
Renaissance painters often used underdrawings to guide their brushes, particularly when tackling hands and drapery.
Almost Invisible: The Cartoon Transfer Process
Old master drawings are particularly vulnerable since they are on paper and hundreds of years old.
Conserving Old Master Drawings
These charred wood pieces produce a range of tones. Easily reworked, they’re also easily lost without a fixative.
Drawing with Charcoal: Historical Techniques of 19th-Century ...
From scraping skin and cutting quills to painting and bookbinding, making a manuscript is a long, complex process.
Making manuscripts
Medieval experiments yielded vivid pigments like vermilion, mosaic gold, and verdigris—all found in these books.
Browse Smarthistory images for teaching & learning!
