Art Institute of Chicago

About Art Institute of Chicago

The videos below can be seen on Smarthistory because the Art Institute of Chicago generously makes their videos available for distribution.

Works of art are special kinds of historical sources.

Art + History

Tanner, The Two Disciples at the Tomb — Whether setting the mood or celebrating the divine, artists play with light. Sometimes, they even sculpt with it.

Light and shadow

What makes paintings feel as deep as the view from a window or as flat as a wall?

Surface and Depth

Detail, Grant Wood, American Gothic — Artists use various strategies to set up a dynamic relationship between artwork, maker, and viewer.

The Power to Look

The three versions of this bedroom scene may look similar, but technical analysis reveals differences between them.

The Science of Van Gogh’s Bedrooms

Tesserae video still — […]

Ancient and Byzantine Mosaic Materials

Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique — From heroes and gods to everyday life, ancient Greek pottery depicted a variety of subjects.

Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure ...

Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure technique — From heroes and gods to everyday life, ancient Greek pottery depicted a variety of subjects.

Ancient Greek vase production and the black-figure ...

Tesserae video still — A mosaic is made up of hundreds or even thousands of individual tiles, called tesserae.

Ancient and Byzantine mosaic materials