How to Look at and Understand Great Art

Art enriches our lives every day. We see it in the decor of our own homes, in the architecture and design of the buildings and monuments in our town, and in the museums and galleries we visit. But art can be an intimidating, even overwhelming, subject, especially without a good foundation on which to base your views. This 36-lecture course offers just that foundation.

Unlike most art history classes, this course does not emphasize dates and events, although you will be introduced to many historical tidbits. Instead, more than half of the course is devoted to an introduction to the most essential features of every work of art, including color, line, perspective, composition, and shape, as well as less understood but no less important elements such as point of view, time and motion, and light and texture. Delving deeply into each topic reveals both secrets that artists have used for centuries and more recent innovations.