Like a disaster movie, Turner’s painting transforms a natural catastrophe — with death a near-certainty — into entertainment. A-level: J.M.W. Turner, Snow Storm by Matthew Wilson
How would you paint a picture of something that’s not quite representable… like the sound of voices chanting, a spiritual vision, a childhood memory, or a dream that you can’t remember? A-level: Ibrahim El-Salahi, Reborn Sounds of Childhood ... by Dr. Allison Young
Sheltered by the sea, a study in place and feeling A-level: Sheltered by the sea, Barbara Hepworth’s ... by Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker
How to impress your courtiers: a lesson from the Kingdom of Benin A-level: Benin Plaques by Dr. Kathryn Wysocki Gunsch and Dr. Beth Harris
In the suburbs, Parisians escaped the pressures of modern life. Monet painted their sun-drenched pleasures. A-Level: Monet, The Basin at Argenteuil by Dr. Steven Zucker and Dr. Beth Harris
With its almost sculptural surface and dazzling range of textures, this painting once reduced van Gogh to tears. A-Level: Rembrandt, The Jewish Bride by Dr. Saskia Beranek
What lies beneath the surface? Research into a “crusty” buildup of paint reveals Rembrandt’s editing process. A-Level: Rembrandt, Aristotle with a Bust of ... by Jim Coddington and Dr. Beth Harris
Whether responding to events in ancient Rome or contemporary Iraq, these artworks all take war as their theme. A-Level: Sample set of works for War by Smarthistory
Made for a sultan, this unusual automaton emblematizes the fierce hostility between British and Indian rulers. A-Level: Tipu’s Tiger by Dr. Jocelyn Anderson
These works explore questions of divinity, gender identity, ethnicity, and the urban environment. A-Level: Sample set of works for Identities by Smarthistory
Artists throughout history have engaged with the natural world, whether capturing coastlines or planting landfills. A-Level: Sample set of works for Nature by Smarthistory
These expressive funerary objects evolved from simple clay cylinders into animal, human, and building forms. A-Level: Haniwa Warrior by Dr. Yoko Hsueh Shirai
Complete mayhem! The violent scenes of this remarkable handscroll meld grisly horror with morbid humor. A-Level: Night Attack on the Sanjô Palace by Dr. Hannah Sigur
Britain was at war, and its artists and writers represented a broad range of experiences. A-Level: British Art and Literature During WWI by Dr. Fiona Robinson
The Nazis organized two exhibitions in 1937: one glorified “Aryan” art, and the other condemned everything else. A-Level: Art in Nazi Germany by Dr. Nausikaä El-Mecky
A sinister tale of bloodlust and nepotism led to the tragic events Goya depicts in “the first modern painting.” A-Level: Francisco Goya, The Third of May, ... by Christine Zappella