This course is an introductory survey of visual arts from the fourteenth-century to the present. The course covers a broad range of artwork including, but not limited to, sculpture, painting, ceramics and architecture. The course begins by exploring the art of Renaissance Europe and continues into the modern and contemporary periods with an examination of artistic movements from Impressionism to Abstract Expressionism. The course will also cover non-European visual culture such as South American architecture, African sculpture and Japanese woodblock prints. The major themes of this course include the social, political and religious contexts in which works of art are created as well as cultural notions of beauty and the function of the artist (and patron) in society. Students will develop an understanding of specific artistic movements, stylistic periods, and individual artists.