The life of Eleanor of Aquitaine is the stuff of legend. But what’s true? Tudor and Renaissance scholar Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger considers some of the stories—such as going on a Crusade dressed as an Amazon—that have grown from the real life of the ambitious and powerful woman who managed to become queen consort of England and France and shaped the reigns of two of England’s most famous kings: Richard the Lionheart and King John.
Forgotten after the 17th century, Johannes Vermeer’s work was slowly rediscovered in France in the 1860s. Within years, some of his distinctive characteristics, including his taste for intimate, psychologically charged interiors and a sensitivity to light and color, found reflections in works by artists such as Whistler, Degas, and Vuillard—and later, Edward Hopper. Art historian Aneta Georgievska Shine examines the facets of the "Vermeer effect" among French painters, those in other parts of Europe, and in the United States. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, or Cathedral Museum, in Siena, Italy, houses works of art and architectural fragments that were formerly in, or a part of, the Duomo of Siena (Siena Cathedral). These include a number of Italian Gothic sculptures by Giovanni Pisano and his school from the façade of the cathedral; the Maestà of Duccio di Buoninsegna, which was the altarpiece for about 200 years; and works by Ambrogio and Pietro Lorenzetti. Italian Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero highlights this lesser-known museum and its treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Over the past five years, the world has struggled to grapple with the realities of living with a global pandemic and its aftermath. COVID-19 has an historical precedent in the Black Death, the hemispheric pandemic that ravaged the 14th-century world. Medievalist Paul B. Sturtevant explores the people and societies who faced it, drawing parallels between the individual and collective experiences of people seven centuries apart.
As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved as decisive as the battles of Lexington, Concord, and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain. Journalist and author Andrew Lawler offers a new perspective on the roots of the American Revolution as he describes the impact of the actions of Lord Dunmore, the royal governor of Virginia.
Karl Gercens, Longwood Gardens’ conservatory manager, explores the world of container garden design, showcasing its wide range of opportunities for decorative container use and displays. He surveys container materials; the wealth of plants that thrive in varied conditions; and offers tips on watering, fertilization, and pest and disease prevention. Photos of displays at Longwood Gardens provide inspiration for your own container gardening adventure.
The psychology of nostalgia and similar forms of mental time travel is the focus of a lecture by Jeffrey Green, professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. Green tackles questions such as what nostalgia is and whether it is a dysfunctional, maladaptive denial of the present or a healthy, adaptive emotion.
After months of contentious negotiations among American, British, and French delegates, the Treaty of Paris was signed in November 1783, formally ending the War for Independence and creating the United States of America. Historian Richard Bell examines the complex diplomatic evolution of one the most important founding documents in this country’s history—as well as the least well-known and the most misunderstood.
