The purpose of the course is to form students' holistic ideas about the historical traditions and values ​ ​ of the artistic culture of the peoples of the world. The author selected from the works of foreign art and cultural facts what was in closest contact with Russian culture, nourished it, interacted with it, what is the current artistic heritage of our time. The textbook for grade 10 includes topics of the history of cultures of the Ancient and Medieval East, the formation of the European cultural tradition, the foundations of Russian national culture.