The course is an in-depth study of the styles and characteristics of Western painting from 1400 to 1900, running from Renaissance through Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassicism, Romanticism and Realism up to the dawn of Modern art, Impressionism. Students will be introduced to the methodological studies of the subject area, i.e. iconographical, technical, compositional and developmental analyses of the masterpieces from different countries and epochs, and will have the chance to apply their knowledge to a small scale research of a relevant topic.