Most surveys of the history of art are divided into historic periods, artistic schools, and movements. In reality, movements and artists' careers overlap and intertwine, reacting to events in the world around them. By prioritizing a purely chronological approach, A Chronology of Art illuminates these relationships from a fresh perspective and places the developments of the art world into context with one another.

Structured around a central timeline covering Ancient & Medieval, Renaissance & Baroque, Rococo & Neoclassicism, Romanticism & Beyond, and The Modern Era, the book features lavish illustrations of artworks, together with commentaries, and lively "In Focus" features with information about the social, stylistic, technical, political, and cultural events of each period.

This approach reveals little- known connections: the most illustrious Neoclassical painting (David's Oath of the Horatii) was executed just a couple of years after one of the best-known Romantic scenes (Fuseli's The Nightmare); and American artist James Whistler, who had attended West Point Military Academy, was creating his finest work in Europe at the very time when his homeland was being torn apart by civil war.