Art History Survey 2 is a course that traces major developments in art from the late medieval period and Renaissance through modern and contemporary art. It asks not only what artworks look like, but also how religion, politics, technology, and social change shaped them. Here’s a chapter-by-chapter guide to the subjects you can expect to study.
What is art history survey 2?
Art History Survey 2 is the later portion of a broad art history survey. Its scope varies by course, but a Renaissance-to-contemporary survey generally follows changes in painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, and newer forms of art.
Students practice looking closely. Formal analysis examines visual features such as composition, color, and light; iconographic analysis considers the subjects and symbols an image uses. Historical context helps explain why an artist or patron might have chosen them.
For a wider view of the periods before and after the Renaissance, see the complete history of art timeline.
What is the Renaissance to contemporary art timeline?
The following chapter guide follows the UPI Study Art History 2 course. The table lists every chapter, its lessons, and its estimated hours, along with the assignment and final exam.
| # | Chapter | Lessons | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction | What is Art? Form and Content; Iconographic Analysis: Understanding Iconography; Formal Analysis: Understanding Visual Form | 2 |
| 2 | The Proto-Renaissance: Giotto and Duccio | Chapter 2 Overview; Giotto's Arena Chapel; Duccio, Maesta | 1 |
| 3 | 1400–1500—Art in Northern Europe | Chapter 3 Overview; Introduction to Flanders; Campin's Merode Altarpiece | 1 |
| 4 | 1400–1500—Art in Italy | Chapter 4 Overview; Florence in the Early Renaissance; Early Applications of Linear Perspective; Contrapposto | 3 |
| 5 | 1500–1600—High Renaissance and Mannerism in Italy | Chapter 5 Overview; Art and Science in the Renaissance; Toward the High Renaissance; Leonardo da Vinci Introduced | 7 |
| 6 | The Age of Reformation: Northern Renaissance Art | Chapter 6 Overview; Cranach's Wittenberg Altarpiece | 1 |
| 7 | 1600–1700—Baroque Art in Italy | Chapter 7 Overview; Introduction to the Baroque; Baroque Art in Italy; Bernini's David | 2 |
| 8 | 1600–1700—Baroque Art in Flanders, Dutch Republic, Spain and France | Chapter 8 Overview; Rubens, Elevation of the Cross; Rubens, The Consequences of War; Vanitas Painting Explained | 2 |
| 9 | 1700–1800—The Age of Enlightenment | Chapter 9 Overview; Age of Enlightenment; Fragonard's The Swing; Introduction to Neo-Classicism | 6 |
| 10 | 1800–1848: Industrial Revolution Part I | Chapter 10 Overview; Introduction to Romanticism; Liberty Leading the People; Understanding Delacroix's Painterly Techniques | 4 |
| 11 | 1848–1907—Industrial Revolution Part II | Chapter 11 Overview; Becoming Modern; Introduction to Early Photography; Louis Daguerre | 3 |
| 12 | 1907–1960—Age of Global Conflict Part I | Chapter 12 Overview; Introduction to Fauvism; Matisse, Bonheur de Vivre; Matisse, The Red Studio | 5 |
| 13 | 1907–1960—Age of Global Conflict Part II | Chapter 13 Overview; Man Ray, The Gift; Dali, Metamorphosis of Narcissus; House of Art | 4 |
| 14 | 1960-Now—Age of Post-Colonialism Part I | Chapter 14 Overview; Louise Bourgeois; Warhol, Gold Marilyn Monroe; Donald Judd | 3 |
| 15 | 1960-Now—Age of Post-Colonialism Part II | Chapter 15 Overview; Understanding Installation Art; Vito Acconci; John Baldessari | 3 |
| ASSIGNMENT | 5 | ||
| FINAL EXAM | 2 |
- Introduction: Learn to distinguish form from content and practice formal and iconographic analysis.
- The Proto-Renaissance: Study Giotto’s Arena Chapel and Duccio’s Maestà, two works that help introduce the transition toward Renaissance art.
- Northern Europe, 1400–1500: Explore Flanders and the symbolism of Campin’s Mérode Altarpiece.
- Italy, 1400–1500: Examine Florence, linear perspective, contrapposto, Alberti, and Venice.
- High Renaissance and Mannerism: Study Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Venetian painting, and architecture including Saint Peter’s Basilica.
- The Reformation: Consider Northern Renaissance art through Cranach’s Wittenberg Altarpiece.
- Italian Baroque: Explore dramatic movement and emotion in works by Bernini and Caravaggio.
- Baroque art across Europe: Look at Rubens, vanitas painting, and the court culture of Louis XIV and Versailles.
- The Enlightenment: Compare works such as Fragonard’s The Swing and Jacques-Louis David’s Neoclassical paintings.
- Industrial Revolution, part I: Study Romanticism and works by Delacroix, Goya, Constable, and others.
- Industrial Revolution, part II: Examine early photography and Realism, including Courbet’s The Stone Breakers.
- Global conflict, part I: Explore Fauvism, Cubism, Futurism, and works by Matisse, Picasso, Braque, and Höch.
- Global conflict, part II: Study artists including Man Ray, Dalí, and Hopper, alongside Abstract Expressionism and architecture.
- 1960 to now, part I: Consider Pop art, Minimalism, and performance through artists such as Warhol, Judd, and Beuys.
- 1960 to now, part II: Explore installation and twenty-first-century art, including work by Mary Kelly, Robert Smithson, and Ai Weiwei.
Which colleges have matched Art History 2? 1 college confirms UPI Study's Art History 2 (ART 102, 3 credits), according to its equivalency page on UPI Study. Here they are, with the course it counts as at each:
| College | Course it counts as | Credits | How it counts |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of the People | General Elective (UoPeople) | 3 | Transfers (Elective) |
See Art History 2 on UPI Study →
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Each college confirms the course when it evaluates your transcript.
What is art history chapter 2?
Chapter 2 in the guide above focuses on the Proto-Renaissance, particularly Giotto and Duccio. Its two featured works are Giotto’s Arena Chapel and Duccio’s Maestà.
A useful study question is how each artist presents sacred figures and stories. Look at gesture, expression, and the arrangement of figures, then connect those observations to the work’s religious purpose. Chapter numbers differ between courses, so check your own syllabus before using someone else’s notes.
The Complete Resource for Art History
UPI Study has a full resource page built specifically for art history — covering which courses count and how to get started at $250 per course with no deadlines. Your college decides how credits transfer.
See Art History 2 →Renaissance vs modern art: What is the difference?
Renaissance art is not usually classified as modern art: the Renaissance began in Italy centuries before the movements commonly called modern. Renaissance artists often drew on classical antiquity and explored human anatomy, naturalism, and perspective. Modern artists took many approaches, including abstraction and experiments with color, materials, and representation.
These are broad tendencies, not rules for every artwork. Picasso’s Cubist work, for example, can present a subject from multiple viewpoints rather than organizing it around a single, consistent perspective.
For examples and context, read Renaissance Art Explained and Modern Art Explained.
Is art history 2 hard?
Art History 2 can be challenging if you are new to visual analysis or to keeping periods and artists straight, but it is manageable with a consistent study method. The goal is to explain what you see and why it matters, not just recognize a picture.
- Make a timeline that places each movement alongside relevant historical events.
- For each work, note the artist, title, medium, subject, visual features, and context.
- Compare two works: identify a visible difference, then explain what it might reveal.
- Practice writing a short interpretation supported by details from the artwork.
For example, rather than simply labeling a painting “Baroque,” point to its dramatic lighting or movement and explain how that feature affects the scene.
Why is art important to history?
Art offers evidence of what people valued, represented, and wanted others to see. An altarpiece can illuminate religious practice, while a royal palace can show how a ruler presented power.
An artwork is not a neutral record of its time. Ask who made it, who paid for it, who was meant to see it, and whose perspectives may be missing. Those questions help you use visual evidence carefully.
Which colleges list Art History 2 on an equivalency chart?
These colleges show Art History 2 (ART 102) on their equivalency charts with UPI Study. Open a college for its full chart.
| College | Equivalent course | Credits | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| UoPeople | General Elective (UoPeople) | 3 | Elective credit |
| CSU | Humanities and Fine Arts | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Crestpoint | General Education – Humanities | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Dunlap-Stone | General Education Humanities | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Gracelyn | General education: Broad Knowledge and Intellectual Skills (Humanities) | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Indiana Tech | General Elective (Indiana Tech) | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Maestro | UPI Recommended | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
| Newlane | Arts & Humanities GE | 3 | Recommended by UPI Study — the college confirms on evaluation |
See the rest of the equivalency on the Art History 2 course page, or open a college above for its full chart. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
Frequently Asked Questions about Art History
Art History 2 is generally a survey of art from the Renaissance or late medieval period through modern and contemporary art. Exact periods, artists, and assignments depend on the course.
No. Renaissance art and modern art are generally treated as different historical periods. Renaissance artists worked centuries before modern movements such as Cubism and Abstract Expressionism.
Renaissance art is art associated with a period of renewed interest in classical antiquity and human experience, beginning in Italy. Its artists explored approaches such as naturalistic anatomy and linear perspective, although their work varied by place and time.
Renaissance art was influenced by classical Greek and Roman culture, Christianity, humanist thought, and the interests of patrons. Artists also developed and applied new approaches to perspective and the study of the human body.
Its difficulty depends on your background and the course’s assessments. Regularly comparing artworks and practicing visual analysis can make the material easier to organize.
Renaissance art gives modern artists a source of techniques, subjects, and conventions to borrow from or challenge. For example, an artist might reconsider traditional perspective or reinterpret a familiar religious image.
A broad timeline runs from the Renaissance through the Baroque, Enlightenment-era art, nineteenth-century movements, modernism, and contemporary art. These labels describe overlapping developments rather than clean breaks that happened everywhere at once.
Art can reveal beliefs, social relationships, technologies, and ideas about power. It is most useful as historical evidence when viewed alongside questions about its maker, patron, audience, and context.
Final Thoughts on Art History
Start by looking at the syllabus and identifying the periods or methods that are least familiar. Then choose two works from different chapters and practice describing how their visual features relate to their historical settings.
The way this actually clicks
Skip step 3 and the whole thing is wasted.
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