This program has a new location.
In these artist-led tours and talks, instructor Shahin Shikhaliyev covers the development of easel painting with a focus on paintings produced between the 15th and 20th centuries. Analyzing works by masters ranging from Rembrandt and Rubens to Picasso and Kandinsky, students gain insight into the methods of the medium from an artist’s perspective.
Participants learn about the practical application of pictorial concepts such as line, shape, balance, light and shadow, perspective, and color. Special attention is paid to the organization of a painting’s pictorial space. Discussions on the evolution of visual thinking and how an era’s worldview affects an artist’s work are included.
Designed for the general public, this class may also be useful to practicing artists. No drawing or painting experience is required. Participants can bring a notebook and pencil for notes and sketches. The first class meets in the central Rotunda of the National Gallery of Art's West Wing.
Shikhaliyev is an artist who has taught similar classes in the Washington, D.C., area for many years.
6 sessions, 2 1/2 hours each
Class is limited to 12 students.
