
Architecture
Artists often depict the built environment. We can visit some of the world’s most magnificent buildings and architectural innovations through artworks.
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Article: Modernist Barns and Modern Farmers
How Grant Wood, Georgia O’Keeffe, and Thomas Hart Benton depicted the humble structures—and how they mask the struggles of farmers today.

Article: Who Is I. M. Pei? 10 Things to Know
Learn about the architect behind our iconic East Building.

Video: Miró's "The Farm," 100 Years Later
To celebrate, curator Harry Cooper and Joan Punyet Miró, Joan Miró's grandson, get together to tell the tale ofThe Farm from their perches at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and Miró's farm in Mont-roig del Camp, Spain.

Video: Claude Monet's Rouen Cathedrals (ASL)
This video provides an ASL description of two of Claude Monet's paintings of Rouen Cathedral.

Video: Five Byzantine Churches
Set to the music of Byzantine hymns and chants, the film evokes the original context of many works of art in the exhibition Heaven and Earth: Art of Byzantium from Greek Collections at the National Gallery of Art, on view from October 6, 2013, to March 2, 2014.

Video: Empire of the Eye: The Magic of Illusion: Introduction, Part 1
Al Roker guides us on a journey into the secrets of illusion, utilizing special effects to illustrate the artistic and visionary discoveries of the Renaissance.
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Decorative Arts
Decorative arts are windows into the culture and styles of their periods. More than just decoration, they tell stories about customs and values. The metalworkers, ceramicists, weavers, cabinetmakers, or glassblowers who created the works are often anonymous. But they left a mark on history through their technical skills and innovative styles.

Italian Renaissance
The Renaissance, or rebirth, was the cultural flowering in Italy from about 1400 to 1600. Using Ancient Greece and Rome as models, artists, writers, and thinkers studied the natural world, admiring the human body and mind. Florence, a center of craftsmanship, trade, and banking, led Italian cities, generating broad demand for art for churches and homes.