Art history courses, grounded in the development of national art and culture, integrate artistic creation ideas, humanistic spirit, and artistic expression techniques with course teaching objectives, thereby fostering students’ national cultural pride and awareness of cultural heritage while empowering ideological and political education. Designing thematic learning tasks based on aesthetic elements within art history courses allows for detailed teaching steps from perspectives such as artistic exploration, cultural heritage, and thematic reflection, cultivating students’ enthusiasm for exploring art and ideological and political education. This paper analyzes the necessity of integrating ideological and political education into art history courses and explores practical methods to enhance course quality and promote ideological and political integration.