All upcoming Art & Architecture programs

What can a painted vase tell us about the lives and beliefs of the ancient Greeks? A lot, actually. The human activities and mythological subjects depicted on vessels from the 7th through the 5th century B.C.E. provide invaluable insights into this civilization. Art historian Renee Gondek explores the stories illustrated and highlights the artistry of the best-known painters. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio is best known for his majestic villas scattered throughout the Veneto countryside. Ranging from working farms to country residences, these structures reflect contemporary views that spending time away from the chaos of the city was a path to moral betterment. Art historian Sophia D’Addio explores the architecture of a series of stunning villas, linking them to Palladio’s influential writings on design in his The Four Books of Architecture. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa has sparked countless theories—from the well-established to the far-fetched. But a set of 16th- and 17th-century copies, scattered in collections from Russia to Spain, complicate the mystery of the world’s most famous painting. Art historian Laura Morelli opens the strange and wondrous world of these "other Mona Lisas," which have made collectors, museum professionals, and art historians question everything they think they know about the world's most famous portrait. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Discover landmarks, art, and other projects from the New Deal period with author David Taylor during a walking tour in Washington, D.C. Sites visited include Judiciary Square to see the public sculptures and dramatic courthouse bas reliefs there; the Henry F. Daly Building, constructed in the Classical Moderne style; the Federal Trade Commission Building, which features monumental Art Deco sculptures; and the National Mall and Washington Monument, both of which were renovated during the New Deal period.

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)

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 contemporary works by American artist Margaret Boozer, poet Jane Hirshfield, and other sources, explore the bowl as a metaphor for our lives and the world.

John James Audubon—naturalist, artist, and creator of The Birds of America—is widely regarded as America’s first great watercolorist, but his artistic journey has never been examined. Art historian Roberta J. M. Olson explores how Audubon studied both past and concurrent artists to forge innovative works of fine art and delves into the contemporary controversies surrounding him. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Art historian Joseph P. Cassar examines the output of Mexican artists Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo as he explores their relationship as husband and wife; similarities and contrasts; the impact of their marriage on each other’s work; and why Kahlo’s artistic career unjustly remained in the shadow of the internationally famous painter during her lifetime. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Camille Pissarro was in many ways an odd man out among the Impressionist fold. He was Jewish, a native of St. Thomas, and older than his fellow artists Monet, Renoir, and Sisley, though he remained faithful to their avant-garde style. Art historian Bonita Billman examines Pissarro’s landscapes and genre subjects and surveys his range of materials and forms including charcoal drawings, watercolors, etchings, and oil paintings. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Rivalries can be contentious and destructive, but they can also help fuel great works of art. The competitions between artistic titans of the 16th century—Michelangelo and Raphael, Caravaggio and Annibale Carracci, and Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini—all contributed to an extraordinary transformation of Rome. Renaissance art historian Elaine Ruffolo surveys how the hallmarks of these artists who challenged each other’s genius are still visible in the buildings, paintings, and sculpture of the city. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)