Art from the Four Corners of the Early Modern World

Between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, new encounters between Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Africa challenged traditional worldviews as people, objects, and ideas traveled to explore the “four corners of the world.” Efforts to spread artistic ideas across the globe resulted in distinct works of art such as classical architectural facades featuring carvings of Chinese peonies in Macau or Dutch cabinets made from African ebony. In this course, we will consider how artistic styles and practices spread between Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.