Complete Western Art History Part 1: Renaissance to Post-Impressionism with Dr. Timea Andrea Lelik

Lecture One: Renaissance
We will start our lecture series by marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity by covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas and achievements of classical antiquity. Beginning in Italy and spreading to the rest of Europe by the 16th century, its influence was felt in art, architecture, philosophy, literature, music, science, technology, politics, religion, and other aspects of intellectual inquiry. In this lecture, we will discuss one of the distinguishing features of Renaissance art and its development of highly realistic linear perspective along with the works of Renaissance masters such as Sandro Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, Titian, Sofonisba Anguissola, Jan van Eyck, Hieronymus Bosch, Albrecht Durer, etc.

Lecture Two: Mannerism and Baroque
While Renaissance artists focused on realistic depictions, Mannerist artists experimented with elongated proportions, no clear perspective, and highly stylized poses. Mannerism is considered an early stage of Baroque. This art movement has been identified with the Counter-Reformation, characterized by art of great drama, with intense light and dark shadows using chiaroscuro light effects. In this lecture, we will focus on the works of Agnolo Bronzino, Parmigianino, El Greco, Diego Velazquez, Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, Johannes Vermeer, Judith Leyster, etc.

Lecture Three: Neoclassicism and Romanticism
We will begin the third lecture with a short examination of Rococo or Late Baroque, an exceptionally ornamental and theatrical style of art that emphasizes grace, ornamentation, and asymmetry. We will continue with Neoclassicism, a direct reaction to Rococo principles. This new movement was based on simplicity and symmetry, which were seen as virtues of the arts of Rome and Ancient Greece, and was more immediately drawn from the 16th-century Renaissance. We will end the lecture with yet another art reaction, this time to Neoclassicism, seen in the romantic movement. Romanticism revived medievalism, preferring the medieval over the classical, emphasizing intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience. While discussing these distinct art movements, we will look at the works of Francois Boucher, Jean-Honore Fragonard, Elisabeth Vigee Le Brun, Jacques-Louis David, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, Angelica Kaufmann, Eugene Delacroix, Caspar David Friedrich, Francisco de Goya, William Turner, etc.

Lecture Four: Realism and Impressionism
We will begin the fourth seminar by discussing Realism which rejected imaginative idealization in favor of close observation of outward appearances. The French proponents of realism agreed in their rejection of the artificiality of both Classicism and Romanticism and on the necessity for contemporaneity in works of art. Realism was followed by Impressionism, a style known for its loose, spontaneous brushstrokes that would soon become synonymous with modern life. In this lecture, we will study the works of artists such as Gustave Courbet, Jean Baptiste Camille Corot, Jean Francois Millet, Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Camille Pissarro, etc.

Lecture Five: Neo-Impressionism and Post-Impressionism 
Post-Impressionism emerged as a reaction to Impressionists' concern for the naturalistic depiction of light and color and what they saw as a superficial approach to painting. Therefore, they extended Impressionism by using more vivid colors, often thick application of paint, and real-life subject matter. They were inclined to emphasize geometric forms, distort for expressive effects, and use unnatural or arbitrary colors. Whether these were symbolic, scientific, or highly personal approaches to art, artists like Georges Seurat, Paul Signac, Paul Cezanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, and Suzanne Valadon paved the way for the art of the new century. 

This is a five-part series held weekly and hosted on Zoom. Please check the schedule for the specific dates and times for each lecture.

No. We will update you in a timely manner if your expert does provide one.

Each lecture is 60 minutes long with time for Q&A.

The course is $175 for five lectures.

Is a recording available?
Yes. All registered participants will be sent a recording within 24 hours of each session's conclusion. The recordings are available to re-watch at leisure until 30 days after the course's conclusion.