(cross-leveled with ARH_VS 7710). This course explores European Art from approximately 1710 to 1770, focusing on art associated with two different social sectors: The early modern aristocratic court culture whose artistic predilections had formed the European norm, and the increasingly powerful merchant classes whose newfound wealth enabled new artistic genres and styles to proliferate. Our inquiry begins with an exploration of the rococo as an ornamental style; we examine its origins in Italian garden architecture and subsequent transformation into a decoration for both French palatial interiors and German Churches. We then launch a succession of case studies of important artists, media, and objects in order to assess the varied ways that diverse social identities were deflected through the periods’ art an architecture. Students will pursue a research topic on rococo art for their semester project. Prerequisites: instructor’s consent.