Art & Art History   

A central figure in French Impressionism, Berthe Morisot had already achieved renown by exhibiting at the Paris Salon in the 1860s. Her contemporaries admired her color harmony and the confidence of her touch. One critic described her paintings as the result of “scattering flower petals.” As an upper-class woman, her subjects were restricted to the domestic sphere, which included her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julia, often in garden settings. Her modernity and lack of sentimentality resulted in works of authentic intimacy such as The Cradle and Woman at Her Toilette.

A central figure in French Impressionism, Berthe Morisot had already achieved renown by exhibiting at the Paris Salon in the 1860s. Her contemporaries admired her color harmony and the confidence of her touch. One critic described her paintings as the result of “scattering flower petals.” As an upper-class woman, her subjects were restricted to the domestic sphere, which included her husband Eugène Manet and their daughter Julia, often in garden settings. Her modernity and lack of sentimentality resulted in works of authentic intimacy such as The Cradle and Woman at Her Toilette.

Capture the experience at Rhoneymeade Arboretum and Sculpture Garden with watercolor paint on paper. In this course, explore rendering the landscape from the beautiful vistas and within the quiet, intimate spaces created by the trees and sculptures on this historic property. The 1853 Rhoneymeade house in Centre Hall was home to Leonard Rhone, the founder of the Grange Fair. The 150-acre property holds the first conservation easement through ClearWater Conservancy, serves the community as a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and offers inspiration to artists, naturalists, and creatives of all genres.

Special notes: Participants will be walking on mowed paths and uneven ground. Please bring a bottle of water and wear comfortable clothing, sturdy, closed-toe shoes, sunblock, and a sun hat. All supplies provided.

Course fee includes $10 for supplies.

This course will explore the history, architecture, and art of Rockefeller Center (1928–40) in New York City. This unique urban ensemble of Art Deco skyscrapers in midtown Manhattan was a lone optimistic voice of capitalism built during the depths of the Great Depression. Topics include Raymond Hood and Associated Architects, the Rockefeller family, RCA Building, NBC Studios, Rainbow Room, Observation Deck, Diego Rivera’s ill-fated mural, roof gardens, ice skating rink, the Christmas tree, Radio City Music Hall, the Radio City Rockettes, Roxy Suite, and ladies’ powder rooms and men’s smoking lounges.

Montparnasse attracted international artists at the beginning of the 20th century, and by the 1920s, it was the center of cultural life in Paris. Romanian sculptor Brâncuși met Italian painter Modigliani there in 1909; they became close friends and central figures in the pre-war avant-garde. Brâncuși mentored Modigliani as a sculptor, with the abstraction and primitivism of the former’s work finding its way into the latter’s. The life and careers of both will be discussed as will Brâncuși's masterworks, The Kiss and Bird in Space, and Modigliani’s sculpted heads and painted portraits.

Montparnasse attracted international artists at the beginning of the 20th century, and by the 1920s, it was the center of cultural life in Paris. Romanian sculptor Brâncuși met Italian painter Modigliani there in 1909; they became close friends and central figures in the pre-war avant-garde. Brâncuși mentored Modigliani as a sculptor, with the abstraction and primitivism of the former’s work finding its way into the latter’s. The life and careers of both will be discussed as will Brâncuși's masterworks, The Kiss and Bird in Space, and Modigliani’s sculpted heads and painted portraits.

Explore the historical context behind this classic musical. The Sound of Music is set during the Anschluss, when Austria was annexed by Nazi Germany.

This course will explore the architecture, interior design, and social history of Gilded Age mansions in the United States, from the extravagant eclecticism of the Victorian era to the Beaux-Arts excesses of Vanderbilt summer “cottages” at Newport, Rhode Island. The course will conclude with three of the most extraordinary and lavish houses ever built in America: R. M. Hunt’s Biltmore (1888–95) in Asheville, North Carolina; Julia Morgan’s Hearst Castle (begun 1919) in California; and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Susan Lawrence Dana House (1902–04) in Springfield, Illinois.

Create multilayered gelli prints that can be used for greeting cards or booklets using acrylic paints, leaves, ferns, grasses, and soft-textured materials.

Special note: Participants can collect their own leaves a few days or up to a couple weeks before the course. Place leaves or other plant material between pieces of newsprint or plain printing paper. Place under some heavy books. Instructors will bring leaves and plant material for participants to use.

Course fee includes $25 for supplies.

Georgia O’Keeffe was already an established artist in New York City when she visited New Mexico in 1929. There she found “a place apart” that nourished both her love of nature and abstraction. The colors and forms of the landscape provided O’Keeffe with equivalents for her emotions, and she developed close affinities with places such as Plaza Blanca, the Bisti Badlands, and Pedernal. This course will focus on her southwestern landscapes, which she sometimes combined with flowers or bones.

Georgia O’Keeffe was already an established artist in New York City when she visited New Mexico in 1929. There she found “a place apart” that nourished both her love of nature and abstraction. The colors and forms of the landscape provided O’Keeffe with equivalents for her emotions, and she developed close affinities with places such as Plaza Blanca, the Bisti Badlands, and Pedernal. This course will focus on her southwestern landscapes, which she sometimes combined with flowers or bones.