All upcoming World Art History Certificate: Electives programs

While surrealism originated in Paris in the 1920s, it had enormous international impact. Art historian Michele Greet follows the spread of surrealism to Latin America with a special focus on exhibitions such as the surrealist exhibition in Lima, Peru, in 1935 and the International Surrealist Exhibition held in Mexico City in 1940. The work of female artists in the movement, including Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, and Remedios Varo, is also covered. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

In celebration of its 50th-anniversary, the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden has installed a major survey of artwork made during a transformative period characterized by new currents in science and philosophy, ever-increasing mechanization, and dramatic social change. “Revolutions: Art from the Hirshhorn Collection, 1860–1960” captures shifting cultural landscapes. Marina Isgro, associate curator, offers insights into the exhibition, which comprises rotating artworks in the museum’s permanent collection by 117 artists made during 100 turbulent and energetic years. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

Delve into the history of cyanotypes, a photographic printing process that produces a cyan-blue and white print, and create your own cyanotype using chemistry to harness the transformative power of sunlight. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

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)

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)

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)