AP Art HistoryAP
Global artistic traditions and analysis.
Overview
AP Art History explores global artistic traditions through ten content areas and 250 required works.
Why it matters
Builds visual literacy, contextual analysis, and comparative reasoning about art across cultures.
Skills you’ll build
- Visual/formal analysis
- Contextual analysis
- Comparison
- Argumentation
Topic Breakdown (Units)
Global Prehistory
- Prehistoric art
- Materials & functions
Ancient Mediterranean
- Greek & Roman
- Near East
- Egypt
Early Europe and Colonial Americas
- Medieval
- Gothic
- Colonial
Later Europe and Americas
- Renaissance to modern
Indigenous Americas
- Mesoamerica
- Andes
- North America
Africa
- Sub-Saharan traditions
West and Central Asia
- Islamic art
- Persian traditions
South, East, and Southeast Asia
- Hindu & Buddhist
- East Asian
The Pacific
- Oceania
Global Contemporary
- Globalization
- Identity & politics
Lessons & Notes
Global Prehistory
Origins of art-making and symbolism.
- ritual
- portable art
Ancient Mediterranean
Classical ideals and power.
- canon of proportions
- contrapposto
Early Europe and Colonial Americas
Religious art and transatlantic exchange.
- iconography
- syncretism
Later Europe and Americas
Changing patronage and styles.
- humanism
- avant-garde
Indigenous Americas
Art and identity across the Americas.
- cosmology
- lineage
Africa
Form, function, and performance.
- masquerade
- power objects
West and Central Asia
Sacred space and text.
- calligraphy
- arabesque
South, East, and Southeast Asia
Religion, empire, and aesthetics.
- mandala
- ukiyo-e
The Pacific
Art, navigation, and ritual.
- mana
- tapua
Global Contemporary
Pluralism and new media.
- appropriation
- installation