This course is an introduction to visual art in Europe and North America since the 14th century. “Covering” European art and its global legacy over the centuries would result in superficial attention to an overwhelming number of images without regard to their historical significance. Despite the sense of awe experienced by this encounter, the student would feel the same confused panic and exhaustion as the visitor wandering through room after room of displayed objects in a major museum such as the Louvre. This course is designed to introduce students with a diverse range of knowledge and skills to the relationship between art and society through the examination of select objects. In addition to providing a foundational history of a period of tremendous historical change, this course will attempt to provide visual skills that can be adapted to new situations, whether the visual object is historical or contemporary.