Left: Woman with wax tablets and stylus, c. 50 C.E., fresco (National Archaeological Museum, Naples; photo: Meidosensei, CC BY-SA 2.0); right: Justinian (detail), Justinian and Attendants, mosaic, north wall of the apse, San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy, c. 547 (photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Introduction to art historical analysis

We can approach an artwork as a physical object, a visual experience, a cultural artifact—or as all three.

Smarthistory