All upcoming Seminars

The age of the Baroque roughly coincides with the 17th century, one of the most transformational periods in European history. Despite the many variants of this style, its most salient features include emphasis on sensual richness, drama, movement, and emotional exuberance. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine discusses the main currents of Baroque art in Italy, Spain, France, and Holland and how they reflected significant social and cultural developments sparked by forces including religion, government, global exploration, and science. (World Art History Certificate core course, 1 credit)

Barbara Kingsolver’s Pulitzer Prize–winning Demon Copperhead is an adaptation of the beloved 19th-century novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, shows how Kingsolver updated the concerns of David Copperfield to deal with issues of contemporary American life such as the opioid crisis, rural poverty, and the schisms in an increasingly divided country. He also compares style, character creation, and plot development in the two books.

A master of light and color, Johannes Vermeer creates a timeless world where the smallest actions take on a sense of beauty and meaning beyond their commonplace settings. His gloriously lit, serene, and exquisitely rendered masterpieces continue to speak to us through their ability to capture some of the most universal ideas in human experience. Art historian Aneta Georgievska-Shine discusses Vermeer’s place within the artistic culture of Holland and examines some of his favorite themes and their possible meanings. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Two centuries of archaeological excavation and exploration have revealed that ancient Israel’s neighbors—Egypt, Canaan, Aram, Assyria, and Babylonia—all contributed significantly to its history, from its origins through the Babylonian exile and beyond. Biblical narratives reflect connections to these ancient cultures. In an illustrated all-day program, biblical scholar Gary Rendsburg explores how the people who left us the Bible were informed by other civilizations and how these influences are reflected in its books.

Five days after the Declaration of Independence was finalized, a crowd of American soldiers and sailors tore down a statue of King George III raised by grateful New York colonists. Its precious lead became 42,088 musket balls to fire at the king’s army. Historian Richard Bell explores the tumultuous years between 1763 and 1776 and the extraordinary events that turned loyal British colonies into a united confederation willing to go to war to achieve independence.

Virginia Woolf famously said that George Eliot’s monumental Middlemarch from 1872 was “one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.” Joseph Luzzi, professor of literature at Bard College, examines how Eliot used innovative literary techniques and delves into her treatment of political issues, key transitions in English social and cultural life, and the characters’ emotional lives.

The names of Austerlitz, Trafalgar, Leipzig, and Waterloo all hold prominent places in the standard histories of the Napoleonic Wars. But also significant are Buenos Aires, New Orleans, Ruse, Aslanduz, Assaye, Macao, Oravais, and Alexandria. Historian Alexander Mikaberidze tells the story of the wars and explains how European affairs did not unfold in isolation from the rest of the globe.

From forbidding fortresses to charming châteaux and castles, the splendid structures of the Loire Valley reflect lives of opulence and intrigue. Ornamented with paintings and sculptures and surrounded by reflecting pools and perfectly manicured gardens, they make the mansions of today’s rich and famous seem austere by comparison. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton showcases these sumptuous and elegant historic residences and sets them in the context of French history. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)

Many consider Leo Tolstoy’s epic 19th-century War and Peace, the story of the Napoleonic Wars in Russia, to be the greatest novel ever written. Joseph Luzzi, a professor of literature at Bard College, leads participants through an in-depth consideration of the themes, historical issues, literary elements, and cultural conditions that give Tolstoy’s work its legendary aura.

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a dominant influence in visual and decorative arts and architecture in the decades leading up to and after the turn of the 20th century, offering an artistic and philosophical reaction to the florid, overdecorated, and industrialized designs of the high-Victorian era. Art historian Bonita Billman explores the rich flowering of the movement in Britian and America, as well as its enduring legacy. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1 credit)