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Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, one of the most important and multifaceted Baroque painters, revolutionized European painting with his stark naturalism and dramatic use of light and shadow. Notorious for his violent temper, culminating in exile after a fatal brawl, he was both criticized and admired. Art historian Joseph Paul Cassar examines Caravaggio’s life and the stylistic innovations and thematic complexity that made his paintings celebrated and controversial. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Few books are so often quoted as Democracy in America, French writer Alexis de Tocqueville’s seminal assessment of both the American experiment and the implications of burgeoning conditions of social equality for the future of democracy. Georgetown University professor Joseph Hartman examines Tocqueville’s impressions of 19th-century America and considers what he means for us today.

Ancient Greek echoes through our culture in unexpected ways—sometimes with humor, sometimes with beauty. The word for actor, “hupokrites”, gave us “hypocrite,” while “astronaut” translates poetically to “sailor of the skies.” With humor and fascinating etymology, classical scholar John Davie of Trinity College, Oxford, leads an insightful and entertaining journey through the world of the ancient Greeks, their extraordinary language, and how it still shapes modern minds.

Drawing on one of the greatest Post-Impressionist and early modern art collections in the world, Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen guides a five-part series of online tours that examine the paintings of artists who helped shape a revolutionary period in the history of art. High-definition Deep Zoom technology provides close-up views of their canvases. This session highlights Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, and Georges Seurat.

The Declaration of Independence paints King George III as a notorious villain and justifies the Revolution as necessary to sever ties with him. In reality, says historian Patrick Allitt, he was a sober, conscientious man, serious about his limited role in Britain’s constitutional monarchy—and eager to prevent the colonial rebellion, then to defeat it when it began. Allitt revisits the story of why he failed.

Discover the power of reflective writing guided by the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, Mary Hall Surface. Inspired by 20th-century artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s paintings of the New Mexican desert, participants slow down, look closely, and reflect on the transformative power of place in our lives.

The layers of history are vividly felt on Sicily. A crossroads of civilizations, it has been shaped over millennia by Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, and Normans, each leaving a distinctive mark on the island’s art and architecture. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo leads a journey through Sicily’s extraordinary artistic heritage, revealing how each era left its mark across the island. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

In the late 19th century, American artists studied in Paris, embracing Impressionism’s bright palette and broken brushwork. Returning home to exhibit and teach, they formed “The Ten,” exhibiting for 20 years. By 1918, shifting art movements and global events rendered Impressionism outdated. In a four-part series, art historian Bonita Billman explores these artists’ defining style, subjects, and masterpieces that contributed to American art history. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Discover how visual art can inspire creative writing and how writing can offer a powerful way to experience art. Join Mary Hall Surface, the founding instructor of the National Gallery of Art’s popular Writing Salon, for a course of three online workshops that explore essential elements of writing and styles through close looking, word-sketching, and imaginative response to prompts. The sessions spotlight a diverse range of visual art chosen to inspire writers of all experience levels to deepen their process and practice. This writing session is inspired by The Mother and Sister of the Artist by Berthe Morisot.

Between 350 and 750, western Europe underwent a profound transformation. The Roman empire, which had dominated the ancient world for more than half a millennium, collapsed. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476, while new peoples competed with the Roman population and with each other. Historian David Gwynn traces the entangled stories of the Goths, Huns, Franks, and Anglo-Saxons, who interacted in different ways with the Roman empire and its legacy and together shaped the history of Christian Europe and Western civilization.