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World Art History Certificate: Electives

Studio Arts Course

Surrealism: Hands-On History of Photography

Saturday, June 3, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET

Art historian and photographer Patricia Howard introduces the world of the photo surrealists and explores how they pushed the boundaries of photographic imagery in the 1920s to 1940s. Create your very own surrealist collage as part of the experience. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Hokusai’s Career in Prints

Monday, June 5, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Internationally renowned for iconic works such as Under the Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai designed popular woodblock prints on a range of subjects for more than five decades. National Museum of Asian Art curator Kit Brooks examines his print works. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Renoir: The Gift of Joy

Thursday, June 8, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s work reflected one central tenet: “To my mind, a picture should be something pleasant, cheerful and pretty. …There are too many ugly things in life as it is without creating still more of them.” He reveled in lush color that can be seen in his sensual nudes, family portraits, landscapes, and genre depictions such as The Luncheon of the Boating Party. Art historian Bonita Billman showcases selections from his more than 4,000 works as she illustrates why Renoir is one of the most highly regarded—and joyful—artists of his time. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Studio Arts Course

Exploring the Visual Foundations and Traditions of Art

Thursday, June 8, 2023 - 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET

Through lectures and drawing exercises, learn how Renaissance artists used the Golden Ratio, the Rule of Thirds, three-point perspective, and the Fibonacci spiral—as well as how these elements can provide dynamic visual interest to your own compositions, no matter the medium. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

The Elgin Marbles Controversy

Monday, June 12, 2023 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Did Britain’s Lord Elgin rescue ancient Greek marble sculptures and architectural fragments—including a 24-foot marble frieze—from the Parthenon in the early 19th century or did he steal them? Greece's position is clear: The country wants them back from the British Museum. Join art historian Joseph Cassar in an exploration of these ancient sculptures made under the supervision of architect and sculptor Phidias and the controversies that have swirled around them since they left Greece. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Studio Arts Course

Hands-On History of Photography: The Cyanotype 

Saturday, June 17, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. ET

Art historian and photographer Patricia Howard introduces the world of cyanotypes, a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue and white print. Create your own in this unique studio arts program. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Philip Johnson and the Glass House: A Life in Art

Thursday, June 22, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

The Glass House, the iconic former Connecticut home of architect Philip Johnson, is now a National Trust for Historic Preservation site that serves as a center for art, architecture, and culture. Hilary Lewis, chief curator of the Glass House, examines it as a signature work of modern architecture, its roles as a laboratory for architecture and a salon for the arts, and the extraordinary and complex figure behind it. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Discovering the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation Art Collection

Friday, June 23, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

William Louis-Dreyfus (1932–2016) was a poet, businessman, and committed art collector whose collection of close to 4,000 works represents over 50 years of discovery and dedication. Shaped by curiosity, an open mind, and a lifelong fascination with the power of visual media, Louis-Dreyfus’s collection remains remarkable today for its depth and diversity. Get an introduction to this one-of-a-kind collection in a program that begins with a recorded message by actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus about her late father’s passion for art. Then, Paul Glenshaw (of Smithsonian Associates’ Art+History series) hosts a live-streamed illustrated lecture about this extraordinary and fascinating collection presented by Mary Anne Costello and Christina Kee, the curators at the William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Course

The Intersection of Art and Literature: Walker Evans and James Agee

Sunday, June 25, 2023 - 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

The notion that a picture is worth a thousand words is meant to convey the power of imagery. But what of the power of words at the intersection of art and literature? In this summer series, David Gariff, senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, examines the collaboration of photographer Walker Evans and writer James Agee. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Tour

Andrew Wyeth and the Brandywine Valley

Saturday, July 1, 2023 - 7:15 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. ET

Andrew Wyeth had a lifelong link to the rural beauty of Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley, with connections to both family and art. A full-day visit to the Brandywine Museum of Art led by art historian Bonita Billman brings that personal landscape to life and offers an opportunity to view the Andrew Wyeth: Home Places exhibition, which includes artworks that have not been displayed before.


Studio Arts Course

Techniques in Modernist Painting

Thursday, July 13, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET

Experiment with painting styles such as Cubism, Suprematism, and Abstract Expressionism to learn practical applications of the concepts and techniques of Modernism. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Schiaparelli and the Surrealists: The Art of Fashion

Tuesday, July 18, 2023 - 6:45 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. ET

Fashion designer Elsa Schiaparelli never considered herself a dressmaker. Instead, she saw herself as an artist working in the medium of fabric, often in tandem with the subversive artists and photographers of the 1930s. Historian and curator Elizabeth Lay examines how Schiaparelli and the Surrealists experimented with new materials and a new artistic expression as Europe moved closer and closer to war. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Course

The Intersection of Art and Literature: William Blake, Poet and Painter

Sunday, July 23, 2023 - 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

The notion that a picture is worth a thousand words is meant to convey the power of imagery. But what of the power of words at the intersection of art and literature? In this summer series, David Gariff, senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, examines William Blake’s roles as poet and painter. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Frida Kahlo: Her Art and Life

Thursday, July 27, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

Labeled a Surrealist because of the fantastical, often nightmarish quality of her paintings, Frida Kahlo always countered that she didn’t paint dreams: She painted her own reality. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines the brief, often-difficult life that shaped that reality and examines Kahlo’s work, looking beyond the famous self-portraits to include landscapes, still lifes, and other distinctive subjects.(World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Art Nouveau: New Style for a New Century

Saturday, July 29, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET

Noted for its organic, sinuous, and seductive styles, the Art Nouveau movement in modern art and design—called the New Style—developed out of the arts and crafts and aesthetic movements. In a richly illustrated seminar, art historian Bonita Billman explores the style’s origins, identifying characteristics, and chief creators in England and France. Though it flowered for only a decade or so, Art Nouveau has had a long-lasting influence and popularity. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)


Tour

Objects of Devotion: The Buddha Across Asia

Thursday, August 3, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET

Buddhism—and the art it inspired—helped shape the cultures of Asia. Today, its extraordinary art is a source of beauty and contemplation for audiences across the world. Join Robert DeCaroli, an art historian and specialist in the early history of Buddhism, to spend a day exploring Buddhist and other Asian works of art at the National Museum of Asian Art and the Walters Art Museum. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Studio Arts Course

Composition

Monday, August 7, 2023 - 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

This course examines fundamental concepts of composition and their practical application in studio-art practice, offering participants tools to enrich their work as well to analyze and appreciate visual art in general. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Course

Stepping Forward: Women Designers 1900–1950

Monday, August 7, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

Apart from a few “design heroines,” many of the women who gained prominence in the world of design in the first half of the 20th century are lost to the traditional narrative. In a two-part course, design historian and curator Elizabeth Lay brings them to light as she focuses on two generations of women working as skilled design professionals in the modern era—some of whom you might know and others whose work may be new to you. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Cave Art: Where it All Began

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. ET

Forty thousand years ago, humans began to paint animals, mysterious symbols, and even people on cave walls. For over a century, researchers have been interested in how these images were created and what they might have meant. Paleolithic archaeologist April Nowell explores cave art and related objects and how cutting-edge technology is leading to a new understanding of the lives of Ice-Age peoples. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Humor and Humanism

Friday, August 11, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET

The great 16th-century Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder may be best remembered as one of the pioneers of genre scenes in Renaissance art. However, this master of the ordinary, especially of scenes inspired by peasant life, was steeped in the humanist culture of his era. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine explores how Breugel’s wonderful inventiveness and wit are reflected throughout his oeuvre—where almost every painting becomes a point of departure for a deeper philosophical consideration. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Course

Andy Warhol's World History

Monday, August 14, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET

Join Grace Marston, arts educator at the Andy Warhol Museum, as she delves into how historical events affected Andy Warhol’s art and life. Marston presents artworks from the museum’s permanent collection, including works that are rarely on public display. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit per session)


Lecture/Seminar

The Golden Age of Vienna: The Art of Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele

Wednesday, August 16, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was the capital of a great empire ruled by the Hapsburgs. The city was a center of political power as well as avant-garde culture, home to some of the world’s greatest composers, architects, writers, and artists. Two who helped define this age of glamour, elegance, and decadence were artists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele. Art critic and advisor Judy Pomeranz explores the lives and art of these extraordinary individuals, examines how they were influenced by their time and place, and illustrates how powerfully they reflected them in works both beautiful and shocking. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

The Hudson River School: Art, History, Science, and National Identity

Friday, August 25, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

The paintings of the Hudson River School artists define our image of early 19th-century America. Works by Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Frederic Edwin Church, and other lesser-known artists synthesize the spirit of European landscape masters with the distinctly American view of nature, science, and spirituality reflected in Thoreau and Emerson. Art historian Heidi Applegate examines why the Hudson River School artists were so popular, how they fell out of favor, and why their art has generated renewed interest. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Course

The Intersection of Art and Literature: Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein

Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

The notion that a picture is worth a thousand words is meant to convey the power of imagery. But what of the power of words at the intersection of art and literature? In this summer series, David Gariff, senior lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, examines the multifaceted relationship between Pablo Picasso and Gertrude Stein. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Private Art Collections of Rome, Part 2: The Borghese Gallery

Monday, August 28, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET

In 17th-century Rome, Cardinal Scipione Borghese, nephew of Pope Paul V, assembled one of the greatest art collections in history, which is still displayed today in the Borghese Gallery. Renaissance art expert Rocky Ruggiero examines the history of the Borghese Gallery and its collection of artistic treasures. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Edward Hopper: American Modernist

Thursday, September 14, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET

Edward Hopper is widely regarded as one of the great American realists of modern art. His works capture a quintessential view of New York City that became part of our cultural fabric. Indeed, many noir films of the 1940s and 1950s reflect Hopper’s vision of city life reflected in his paintings: austere, silent, moody, and lonely. Art historian Bonita Billman explores the highlights of Hopper’s career and examines the sociopolitical and cultural contexts in which he lived and worked. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

The Ganges: River and Goddess

Tuesday, September 19, 2023 - 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. ET

Since ancient times, the Ganges has been embodied as the goddess Ganga, and her reach stretches well beyond the riverbanks. Art historian Robert DeCaroli traces the Ganges from its origins in the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, exploring historic and sacred locations along the way. He also examines the art and architecture used to enhance and replicate access to Ganga’s sacred waters. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

The Great Cathedrals and Basilicas of Italy

Saturday, September 30, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET

The churches of Italy are renowned for their artistic treasures, from Giotto’s 14th-century frescoes in Florence, Padua, and Assisi to Giacomo Manzu’s great 20th-century bronze doors for St. Peter’s in Rome. In a splendidly illustrated seminar, art historian Sophia D’Addio of Columbia University explores churches that represent some of Italy’s greatest repositories of sacred art. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)


Lecture/Seminar

Exploring the Cluny Museum in Paris

Monday, October 23, 2023 - 12:00 p.m. to 1:15 p.m. ET

Step from the bustling sidewalks of the Left Bank in Paris into a veritable treasure house: the Cluny Museum. The remains of ancient Roman baths and the Gothic Paris residence of the abbots of Cluny provide the fairy-tale backdrop for marvels of medieval art. Barbara Drake Boehm, a curator emerita of The Met Cloisters, explores the museum, renovated and reopened last year. The masterpieces inside include the Lady and the Unicorn tapestries, sculpture from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame that was buried during the French Revolution, and a Jewish wedding ring hidden by its owner during the Black Death. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)