Our favorite moments in films never leave us. In a fall series, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and writer Sara Lukinson revisits more of our favorite movies and characters, the people who dreamed them up, and the lasting memories they made in our lives and our myths. This session showcases these films: Broadcast News and Network.
Art historian Joseph Cassar examines important masterworks within selected genres and offers a new way to understand and appreciate the cultural norms that influenced artists’ choices. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
The aesthetic appeal of the images created by Maria Sibylla Merian (German, 1647–1717) has led history to label her as an artist who painted and etched natural history subjects. Kay Etheridge, a professor emeritus of biology at Gettysburg College, draws on Merian’s own words and art to reveal she was as passionate a naturalist (biologist in modern terms) as Charles Darwin or Carl Linnaeus.
Michelangelo’s artistic audacity extended far beyond his heroic men to encompass an amazing cohort of authoritative, prophetic, nurturing, and active women. Art historian Elizabeth Lev looks at Michelangelo’s life and work to reveal how the Florentine master turned the tables on old tropes and stereotypes in his portrayals of women in daring, innovative, and empowering imagery. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
The Chesapeake & Ohio Canal covers over 20,000 acres along the Potomac and is one of the nation’s most diverse national parks in terms of both natural species and historical significance. Aidan Barnes of the C&O Canal Trust surveys its colorful history, near demise and rescue, and its emergence as a true national treasure.
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 Claude Monet’s The Magpie and two winter poems by Mary Oliver, you’ll explore the lessons that the season offers us when we slow down, look closely, and reflect.
From Roman villas to Hollywood films, ancient Egypt has been a source of fascination and inspiration in many other cultures. Christina Riggs, professor of the history of visual culture at Durham University, examines its history, art, and religion to illuminate why ancient Egypt has been so influential throughout the centuries—revealing how the past has always been used to serve contemporary purposes.
In April 1944, Rudolf Vrba became the first Jew to break out of Auschwitz, driven to reveal the truth of the death camp to the world and to warn the last Jews of Europe what fate awaited them. Though too few—including world leaders—heeded his warning, Vrba helped save 200,000 Jewish lives. Author Jonathan Freedland recounts the extraordinary story of a man he feels deserves to take his place as one of a handful of individuals whose experiences define our understanding of the Holocaust.
The Barnes is often considered the greatest post-impressionist and early-modern art collection in the world. Join Barnes Foundation educator Penny Hansen as she covers its history and uses unique high-definition Deep Zoom technology to offer closeup looks at masterpieces that reveal their surfaces and details in ways that bring the art and the artists to vivid life. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Our favorite moments in films never leave us. In a fall series, Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker and writer Sara Lukinson revisits more of our favorite movies and characters, the people who dreamed them up, and the lasting memories they made in our lives and our myths. This session showcases these films: Moonstruck and Notting Hill.
The spice we love in apple pie, tagines, and churros has been treasured across cultures since ancient times, and used for culinary, medicinal, and spiritual purposes—even including ancient Egyptian embalming methods. Christine Rai explores cinnamon’s fascinating origins, history, and variety, and shares tips on using the spice in your own kitchen.
Whether it was partnering with Ginger Rogers, Rita Hayworth, Cyd Charisse, or a hat rack, Fred Astaire on film made everything appear easy and elegant. In a delightful program illustrated with video clips, media expert Brian Rose surveys the sweep of Astaire’s remarkable career, looking at his work both as a soloist and as the most romantic dance partner in Hollywood history.
A technical master, Donatello broke new ground in the methods he used and the forms he chose to develop, leaving behind a legacy of creations that seem startlingly modern. Art historian Elaine Ruffolo highlights the life and work of this artist who embodied the ideas of the Renaissance in sculpture. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
From its start in the early 1950s, the talk show has been one of television’s most versatile and durable formats. Media expert Brian Rose surveys its changing appeal from decade to decade and examines how the talk show—and its hosts—continue to provide viewers with a lively mix of entertainment, information, and compelling conversation.
Olana, the Hudson Valley home of 19th-century landscape artist Frederic Church might be his most enduring masterwork. Sean Sawyer, president of the Olana Partnership, provides an overview of Church’s creation and leads a virtual tour of the landscape and main house, with its rich collection of fine and decorative arts that reflect the global reach of Church's travels and vision.
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 five online workshops that 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 Kenjiro Nomura’s The Farm.
For centuries, women were conspicuously underrepresented in—and indeed almost absent from—art history books. Art historian Judy Pomerantz examines the role women have played in Western visual arts from the Renaissance to the present through an exploration of the works and lives of female artists who made significant marks on the art of their time and on the course of art history. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)
He was the first of the true Romantic composers and possessed an effortless melodic gift that has stirred lovers of music for 200 years. Opera expert Saul Lilienstein provides a chronological overview of Franz Schubert’s life and great achievements.
The 17th-century Venice of Casanova endured a period of decline and decadence amid a spectacular cultural flowering. Using his story as a jumping off point, historian Monica Chojnack explores this tumultuous time and the ways in which Venetians responded socially, politically, and artistically to the end of the Renaissance and the birth of a new era.
The art and architecture of Spain as seen in the works of El Greco, Goya, Velazquez, Picasso, and Gaudi offer a window into the influences that define the country's history and national identity. Art historian Joseph Cassar highlights artists and structures that exemplify Spain’s distinctive cultural heritage. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)
There’s much more to the Mid-century Modern movement than just the iconic buildings it inspired. The style was spread by design principles and color palettes that saturated everything from kitchen appliances to advertising to airline paint schemes. Lecturer Bill Keene examines the architecture and the wider implications of the broad scope of Mid-century Modern design trends and developments.
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 five online workshops that 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 Antonio Martorell’s La Playa Negra I (Tar Beach I).
Florence nurtured an unceasing succession of great artists for centuries, but among its hundreds and hundreds of Renaissance masterpieces, which are considered the most significant? Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo offers an in-depth look at three paintings and why she considers them the most important in the city. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Ever since her triumphant debut in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, the Wife of Bath, arguably the first recognizably real woman in English literature, has obsessed readers. Learn the fascinating origin story of Chaucer’s favorite character and how she has been represented since the 14th century, both in literature, from Falstaff and Molly Bloom, to real social movements, such as #MeToo and Black Lives Matter.
While the early days of Jamestown were marred with struggle, conflict, and tragedy, the settlement would survive as the first permanent English colony in North America, from which the seeds of the United States grew. Unearth the tumultuous first century of Jamestown with Mark Summers, the public historian for the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project, in this lecture series. This session focuses on the beginnings of Jamestown between 1607 to 1618.
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 five online workshops that 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 a self-portrait of 19th-century French artist Suzanne Valadon.
While the early days of Jamestown were marred with struggle, conflict, and tragedy, the settlement would survive as the first permanent English colony in North America, from which the seeds of the United States grew. Unearth the tumultuous first century of Jamestown with Mark Summers, the public historian for the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project, in this lecture series. This session focuses on events between 1619 to 1662, including the first documented Africans being brought to Virginia.
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 five online workshops that 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 Edward Hopper’s People in the Sun.
While the early days of Jamestown were marred with struggle, conflict, and tragedy, the settlement would survive as the first permanent English colony in North America, from which the seeds of the United States grew. Unearth the tumultuous first century of Jamestown with Mark Summers, the public historian for the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project, in this lecture series. This session focuses on events between 1622 to 1646, including an uprising by the Powhatans.
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 five online workshops that 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 Alma Thomas’ colorful compositions, including Pansies in Washington.
Join Eleanor Ford, acclaimed food writer and author of The Nutmeg Trail: Recipes and Stories Along the Ancient Spice Routes as she explores ginger’s history, lore, science, and flavor, then turns to the kitchen where she shares how home cooks can use it to best effect.
Glamorous, sophisticated, worldly, and wickedly funny, Marisol Escobar, better known simply as “Marisol,” was the most famous and successful female Pop artist. Art historian Nancy G. Heller examines Marisol’s major works and career, with particular attention to the difficulties of a female Latinx artist in a world dominated by white men. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
When the Cloisters—the branch of the Metropolitan Museum devoted to the art of the medieval world—opened in 1938, not a word was spoken about the threat of war looming over Europe. Yet ironically, the Cloisters’ very foundations stand in witness to the devastating impact of centuries of war and revolution on artistic heritage. Barbara Drake Boehm, curator emerita of the Met Cloisters, examines the museum’s finest works of art against the backdrop of history. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
While the early days of Jamestown were marred with struggle, conflict, and tragedy, the settlement would survive as the first permanent English colony in North America, from which the seeds of the United States grew. Unearth the tumultuous first century of Jamestown with Mark Summers, the public historian for the Jamestown Rediscovery archaeological project, in this lecture series. This session focuses on events between 1675 to 1699, including Bacon's Rebellion.
Join curator Elizabeth Lay as she hosts an image-rich series on decorative arts and design topics with guests. In this winter lunchtime program, Lay's guest is Rosemary Harden, senior curator and Fashion Museum Bath manager, who surveys the past, present, and future of this museum.
Geography, geology, wind and weather, legend and language: all play a role in shaping the artistic vocabulary of national identity, and none more so than the countries situated around the wild oceans of the Baltic, North, and Norwegian seas. Popular speaker and concert pianist Rachel Franklin draws on unique live piano demonstrations and fascinating film clips to explore both well- and lesser-known masterpieces by composers from this region.
After the sacking of imperial Rome by the army of Alaric the Goth in 410, three centuries of Gothic kings ruled over southern France, Italy, and Spain. The unity imposed by the Roman empire gave way to the divided kingdoms and peoples that shaped medieval Europe. British historian David Gwynn explores the dramatic histories of those kingdoms.
Gene Kelly, one of the most engaging and influential dancers to ever set foot in Hollywood, emerged as a star at a time when most movie dancing was basically a showcase for elegant partners in motion. In a program illustrated with video clips, Brian Rose, professor emeritus at Fordham University, surveys Kelly’s remarkable achievements and examines his enduring impact on Hollywood dancing.
Nineteenth-century artist Edmonia Lewis, the daughter of a Black man and a Native American woman, overcame poverty and racial and gender-based discrimination to become an enormously successful professional sculptor based in Rome. Art historian Nancy G. Heller discusses Lewis’s place within the broader context of American Neoclassicism and African American art history. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
Join curator Elizabeth Lay as she hosts an image-rich series on decorative arts and design topics with guests. In this winter lunchtime program, Lay's guest is textile historian Natalie F. Larson, who uses primary sources to look at the variety of sleeping arrangements from slave dwellings and Indigenous populations to the homes of middle-class and upwardly aspiring Virginians.
Anatolia’s colorful history has left a windfall of riches—ancient ruins, ornate Byzantine churches, supremely elegant mosques, and splendid Ottoman palaces. In an illustrated series, Serif Yenen, a Turkish-born tour guide and author, highlights the heritage and splendor of ancient Turkey through an examination of some of its cultural gems.
Join curator Elizabeth Lay as she hosts an image-rich series on decorative arts and design topics with guests. In this winter lunchtime program, Lay's guest is textile conservationist Julia M. Brennan, who has built cultural bridges to preserve textile heritage.
Brian Rose, professor emeritus at Fordham University, examines the many ways the internet has radically transformed the “old” media of newspapers, magazines, the recording industry, film, radio, and television. He traces how this digital revolution took place in such a short period of time, and what lies ahead in the continually changing era of “new” media.
Thomas Gainsborough, one of the most important British artists of the second half of the 18th century, was also one of England’s earliest homegrown geniuses. Art historian Bonita Billman examines Gainsborough’s lush painterly technique, iconic masterworks (especially those in America), and his influence on painting. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)
