How to Look at and Understand Great Art

Overview

Featuring masterpieces from 250+ of the world’s greatest artists, this in-depth guide to the practical skill of viewing art will help you reach new levels of appreciation. Course No. 7640.

What does it take to truly know what you’re seeing when you look at art? This course includes 36 lectures that explore the practical skill of viewing art through elements such as line, light, perspective, composition, and more. Award-winning professor and art scholar Dr. Sharon Hirsh provides the visual and interpretive knowledge necessary to approach great artworks, uncover their deeper meanings, and cultivate a greater appreciation.

The course begins with technical tools for understanding visual art, followed by specific applications to major works in each genre, including drawing, sculpture, and painting. Additional lectures delve into landscapes, portraits, self-portraits, and significant eras in Western art from the Renaissance to the present.

Course Structure

1. The Importance of First Impressions

Examine how contexts and environments affect our art viewing experiences, exploring genres and artists’ techniques.

• Duration: 34 min

2. Where Am I? Point of View and Focal Point

Explore the use of point of view and focal point in creating impact in paintings and sculptures.

• Duration: 30 min

3. Color—Description, Symbol, and More

Uncover core principles of color and how major artworks derive power and meaning through color.

• Duration: 29 min

4. Line—Description and Expression

Discover the properties of line in art and its role in conveying reality and emotion.

• Duration: 30 min

5. Space, Shape, Shade, and Shadow

Examine shapes in art and the interplay between figure and ground, including illusionistic shading.

• Duration: 30 min

6. Seeing the Big Picture—Composition

Define symmetry and asymmetry in art and their effects on viewer perception.

• Duration: 30 min

7. The Illusion—Getting the Right Perspective

Study the history of illusionism in Western art and the principles of perspective.

• Duration: 29 min

8. Art That Moves Us—Time and Motion

Explore how artists represent motion and time through various devices and styles.

• Duration: 29 min

9. Feeling with Our Eyes—Texture and Light

Consider how texture and light contribute meaning in both sculpture and painting.

• Duration: 29 min

10. Drawing—Dry, Liquid, and Modern Media

Define the various purposes and media of drawing, including masterworks focused on different techniques.

• Duration: 31 min

11. Printmaking—Relief and Intaglio

Study the techniques of relief and intaglio printmaking through studio demonstrations.

• Duration: 33 min

12. Modern Printmaking—Planographic

Explores planographic printmaking techniques with examples from famed artists.

• Duration: 29 min

13. Sculpture—Salt Cellars to Monuments

Investigate various types of sculptures and their viewing contexts, from monuments to assemblages.

• Duration: 31 min

14. Development of Painting—Tempera and Oils

Trace the history of painting techniques, including fresco and oil painting.

• Duration: 29 min

15. Modern Painting—Acrylics and Assemblages

Explore 20th-century developments in painting materials and techniques.

• Duration: 31 min

16. Subject Matters

Study three levels of iconography in art, focusing on significant works by master artists.

• Duration: 30 min

17. Signs—Symbols, Icons, and Indexes in Art

Understand the richness of signs in art and their changing meanings across history.

• Duration: 32 min

18. Portraits—How Artists See Others

Examine diverse functions of portraits and their influence on viewer perception.

• Duration: 32 min

19. Self-Portraits—How Artists See Themselves

Trace the evolution of self-portraits and their role in revealing the artist’s identity.

• Duration: 31 min

20. Landscapes—Art of the Great Outdoors

Investigate techniques employed by landscape painters from historical to modern movements.

• Duration: 32 min

21. Putting It All Together

Use the viewing tools you’ve developed to analyze four diverse masterpieces.

• Duration: 31 min

22. Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent

Contemplate the classicism and humanism of 15th-century Italian art.

• Duration: 28 min

23. Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details

Examine the stylistics of Northern Renaissance oil painting and its historical significance.

• Duration: 31 min

24. High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected

Delve into masterpieces by Raphael, Leonardo, and Michelangelo.

• Duration: 31 min

25. Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama

Explore the characteristics and impacts of Mannerism and Baroque movements.

• Duration: 31 min

26. Going Baroque—North versus South

Understand regional influences in Baroque art and key differences in styles.

• Duration: 31 min

27. 18th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo

Examine the intimate themes and styles of Rococo art.

• Duration: 29 min

28. Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism

Discover the contrasting principles of Neoclassicism and Romanticism in early 19th-century art.

• Duration: 32 min

29. From Realism to Impressionism

Analyze Realist and Impressionist ideals through notable artworks.

• Duration: 32 min

30. Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed

Learn about the innovative techniques used by Postimpressionist painters.

• Duration: 31 min

31. Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion

Explore the emotional through the lens of visual elements in Expressionist art.

• Duration: 32 min

32. Cubism—An Experiment in Form

Investigate the three phases of Cubism and its profound influence on modern art.

• Duration: 30 min

33. Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language

Understand the philosophical underpinnings of abstraction and nonrepresentational art.

• Duration: 31 min

34. Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams

Contemplate Dadaism and Surrealism, exploring unconventional media and subconscious imagery.

• Duration: 31 min

35. Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer

Recognize key postmodern movements that shift focus from the artist to the viewer.

• Duration: 29 min

36. Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!

Conclude with practical tips for enhancing your museum visits and enjoying great art.

• Duration: 34 min