Before studying the history of foreign art, it is necessary to know about several major development stages and cultures of world history.

Before studying foreign art history, it is very helpful to understand the development stage and culture of world history. The following are the main stages of development and culture:

Ancient civilizations: ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, ancient Greece, Rome and other civilizations.

Middle Ages: After the fall of the Roman Empire, Europe fell apart, which was a period when Christianity was widespread and feudalism prevailed.

Renaissance: Renaissance is a period of European cultural and artistic renaissance, which marks the transition from the Middle Ages to the modern era in Europe. This period produced many outstanding artists and works, such as Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

Industrial Revolution: The industrial revolution was a historic change in Britain from the end of 18, which had a great influence and promoted the development of capitalist society.

Modernism: Modernism art movement is an anti-traditional artistic trend of thought that appeared in the early 20th century. It advocates getting rid of the traditional artistic expression and content and creating a brand-new artistic form. Its representative figures are Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky and so on.

By understanding the above development stages and cultures, we can better understand the artistic styles, characteristics and cultural background of different periods in foreign art history.