Early modern art is a scholarly concept and field of inquiry focused on the visual and material culture produced primarily in Europe and its expanding global spheres from approximately the mid-15th through the late 18th centuries. This academic domain investigates artistic production, circulation, and reception within its complex historical contexts, including the influence of humanism, religious reform, state formation, scientific advancements, and global encounters. Key characteristics examined include the development of new genres and techniques, the rise of academies and art markets, shifting patterns of patronage and viewership, and the formation of discourses surrounding art, highlighting a period of significant transition from medieval modes towards paradigms associated with modernity. Its significance lies in understanding the foundational shifts in artistic practice, theory, and social function that shaped subsequent visual culture and the discipline of art history itself.