Beginning in the late 13th century, a prominent feature of European art is an interest in producing images that took on the appearance of the world around them. A simple word like �realism� barely suggests the great variety of approaches and
purposes of this new imagery. The late 13th through the 18th centuries reveal many
different �realism,� and many different motivations for its use.What types of realism have we seen? Why is it such an important mode of expressing ideas after the Middle Ages? How does the use of realism reflect the great
changes in Western culture we have traced? How is realism more than just making an accurate, photo-like image of the world around us? How does the use of realism reflect the interactions of the artists� contemporary worlds with inherited cultural traditions?
This is your topic. In a critical essay, explore the issue of �realism� in European art from c. 1400-1800. Select good examples that demonstrate the varieties of the use
of realism, and use them as the focal points for drawing out the larger issues we have studied throughout the term.