A History of European Art

Take in the full sweep of European art from Gothic cathedrals to Cubism in this spellbinding and visually dazzling course taught by acclaimed art historian William Kloss.

Overview of Course No. 7100

We all know Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Michelangelo’s David, and Van Gogh’s Starry Night. However, few possess the comprehensive knowledge of European art history that transforms a museum visit into a thrilling educational experience. Imagine walking through the rich landscape of European art history alongside a renowned art historian, gaining insights that enhance your appreciation of masterpieces.

In this 48-part course, Professor Kloss guides you through the development of the arts in Europe from the Middle Ages to the modern era. This journey highlights astonishing cultural achievements, from the soaring architecture of Gothic cathedrals to the daring visual experiments of Cubist painters. Expect to encounter well-known landmarks like Giotto’s Arena Chapel, Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece, Leonardo’s The Last Supper, Vermeer’s View of Delft, and Picasso’s Guernica, alongside hidden gems and lesser-known artists deserving of recognition.

Professor Kloss’s unique ability to immerse you in artistic works will inspire you to revisit this virtual museum of masterpieces repeatedly, ultimately transforming how you perceive art.

Course Structure

1. Approaches to European Art

Professor Kloss introduces the course and outlines its content, encouraging viewers to develop habits that enhance their enjoyment of art.

Duration: 30 min

2. Carolingian and Ottonian Art

Beginning with A.D. 800, you study illuminated manuscripts produced by Irish monks and compare early Byzantine church architecture with Charlemagne’s Palatine Chapel.

Duration: 30 min

3. Romanesque Sculpture and Architecture

This lecture explores examples of the Romanesque style, including the churches of St. Etienne and St. Trophîme, and examines various sculptures found in churches across France.

Duration: 31 min

4. Gothic Art in France

After examining the evolution of the Gothic style, you look at examples such as Notre-Dame de Paris, Chartres Cathedral, and Rouen Cathedral.

Duration: 29 min

5. Gothic Art in Germany and Italy

Continuing the study of Gothic art, you explore a famous sculpture on the Strasbourg Cathedral and relief carvings in Pisa, comparing works by Cimabue, Duccio, and Giotto.

Duration: 29 min

6. Giotto and the Arena Chapel – Part I

Giotto’s frescos for the Arena Chapel in Padua are one of the supreme achievements of Western European art. This lecture focuses on scenes depicting the life of the Virgin and Christ.

Duration: 30 min

7. Giotto and the Arena Chapel – Part II

Returning to the Arena Chapel, you study Giotto’s powerful renditions of Christian themes, marking the transition from anonymous craftsmen to recognized artists.

Duration: 29 min

8. Duccio and the Maestà

This lecture focuses on Duccio’s masterpiece, the Maestà, examining its various parts and comparing Duccio’s reputation and technique with Giotto’s.

Duration: 31 min

9. Sienese Art in the 14th Century

Explore the historical influence of the Italian city-state and learn about Duccio’s successors, including Simone Martini and Ambrogio Lorenzetti.

Duration: 32 min

10. The Black Death and the International Style

This lecture describes the effects of the bubonic plague on art and follows the rise of the International Gothic style, which laid the foundation for the Italian Renaissance.

Duration: 31 min

11. Early Renaissance Sculpture in Florence

Investigate why sculpture led the development of the Renaissance style by examining works by Brunelleschi, Ghiberti, Donatello, and Luca della Robbia.

Duration: 30 min

12. Early Renaissance Architecture in Florence

Examine influential 15th-century architecture in Florence, focusing on buildings by Brunelleschi and Alberti, and their innovative construction methods.

Duration: 29 min

13. Masaccio and Early Renaissance Painting

Study paintings influenced by Brunelleschi’s linear perspective, focusing on Masaccio’s frescos for the Brancacci Chapel and Santa Maria Novella.

Duration: 30 min

14. Jan van Eyck and Northern Renaissance Art

Focus on Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini Wedding Portrait and Ghent Altarpiece, noting the differences between the Italian and Northern Renaissance.

Duration: 30 min

15. Northern Renaissance Altarpieces

Examine five altarpieces and one portrait by Robert Campin, Rogier van der Weyden, and Hugo van der Goes, exploring symbolism and Renaissance style.

Duration: 29 min

16. Piero della Francesca in Arezzo

Study works by Piero della Francesca, including The Baptism of Christ and the Legend of the True Cross, exploring his geometrically defined style.

Duration: 30 min

17. Sandro Botticelli

Explore Botticelli’s lyrical style and innovative subject matter, from Mars and Venus to interpretations of Christian themes like the Lamentation.

Duration: 30 min

18. Andrea Mantegna and Giovanni Bellini

Focus on Mantegna’s frescoes in the Ducal Palace and compare his work with that of Bellini, examining their striking illusionism.

Duration: 30 min

19. High Renaissance Painting in Venice

Explore Venetian painting with Bellini, Giorgione, and Titian, studying their portraits and altarpieces, including Titian’s Bacchus and Ariadne.

Duration: 31 min

20. The High Renaissance – Leonardo da Vinci

Study Leonardo’s innovations in three famous paintings: Madonna of the Rocks, Mona Lisa, and The Last Supper.

Duration: 29 min

21. The High Renaissance – Raphael

Examine Raphael’s graceful images of the Madonna and his frescoes in the Vatican, noting his contributions to Renaissance painting.

Duration: 30 min

22. The High Renaissance – Michelangelo

Study Michelangelo’s famous works, including the Pietà, David, and the Sistine Chapel ceiling, each showcasing different elements of his genius.

Duration: 30 min

23. Albrecht Dürer and German Renaissance Art

Explore the works of Albrecht Dürer and Martin Schongauer, examining their blend of Renaissance and northern European artistic characteristics.

Duration: 30 min

24. Riemenschneider and Grünewald

Examine the contrasting styles of Riemenschneider’s Altarpiece of the Holy Blood and Grünewald’s Isenheim Altarpiece.

Duration: 29 min

25. Netherlandish Art in the 16th Century

Focus on four 16th-century Dutch artists, particularly Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, exploring its possible commission for a nobleman.

Duration: 30 min

26. Pieter Bruegel the Elder

Study Bruegel’s diverse paintings, from The Fall of Icarus to Hunters in the Snow, and his political commentary in The Parable of the Blind Leading the Blind.

Duration: 30 min

27. Mannerism and the Late Work of Michelangelo

Explore Mannerism’s characteristics and representative artists, including Michelangelo’s later works, which reflect this transitional style.

Duration: 30 min

28. Annibale Carracci and the Reform of Art

Discuss the reaction against Mannerism, focusing on Correggio and the Carracci family, particularly Annibale Carracci’s decoration of the Farnese Gallery.

Duration: 31 min

29. Caravaggio

Focus on Caravaggio’s life and work, examining his unique treatment of light and dark and his controversial subject matter.

Duration: 30 min

30. Italian Baroque Painting in Rome

Study artists who embraced the Baroque style, which exemplifies the artistic revival in Italy after the disruptions of the 16th century.

Duration: 32 min

31. Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Examine Bernini’s contributions as a painter, architect, and sculptor, focusing on his iconic works, including Apollo and Daphne.

Duration: 29 min

32. Peter Paul Rubens

Explore Rubens’s prolific output, including altarpieces, the Marie de’ Medici cycle, and a selection of self-portraits and landscapes.

Duration: 30 min

33. Dutch Painting in the 17th Century

Investigate the flourishing of painting in the northern Netherlands, focusing on artists like Frans Hals, Jan Steen, and Johannes Vermeer.

Duration: 31 min

34. Rembrandt

Study Rembrandt’s profound religious paintings and portraits, as well as his unmatched achievements in the art of etching.

Duration: 30 min

35. Poussin and Claude – The Allure of Rome

Examine how Rembrandt and French artists Poussin and Claude were influenced by the art of Rome, despite never traveling there.

Duration: 30 min

36. Baroque Painting in Spain

Look at four painters from Spain’s “golden age,” including El Greco, Zurbaran, Murillo, and Velazquez, focusing on their expressive styles.

Duration: 29 min

37. Louis XIV and Versailles

Tour the architecture and gardens of Versailles, studying how they reinforced Louis XIV’s self-image as the “Sun King.”

Duration: 31 min

38. French Art in the 18th Century

Explore the variations in French art during the court of Louis XV, including the still lifes of Chardin and the Rococo frivolity of Boucher.

Duration: 30 min

39. Neoclassicism and the Birth of Romanticism

Study the shift to Neoclassicism in the late 1700s, examining works by Houdon, David, and Goya, who created realistic and sometimes horrific images.

Duration: 30 min

40. Romanticism in the 19th Century

Examine various expressions of Romanticism through artists like Gericault, Delacroix, Constable, and Turner.

Duration: 31 min

41. Realism – From Daumier to Courbet

Look at Realism’s practitioners, including Daumier, Millet, and Courbet, and their depictions of societal changes in France and Europe.

Duration: 32 min

42. Manet and Monet – The Birth of Impressionism

Study Manet and Monet, focusing on how their works signaled a radical break with traditional art styles.

Duration: 30 min

43. Monet and Degas

Continue with Monet’s series of Rouen Cathedral and water lilies, then follow Degas’s career in depicting contemporary scenes.

Duration: 31 min

44. Renoir, Pissarro, and Cezanne

Review Impressionism’s characteristics through the works of Renoir, Pissarro, and Cezanne, examining representative masterpieces.

Duration: 30 min

45. Beyond Impressionism – From Seurat to Matisse

Explore Post-Impressionism and the revolutionary styles of Seurat, Gauguin, and Van Gogh, leading to Matisse.

Duration: 30 min

46. Cubism and Early Modern Painting

Cover the innovations of Picasso, Braque, and Matisse in the early 20th century, highlighting their immense influence on other artists.

Duration: 32 min

47. Modern Sculpture – Rodin and Brancusi

Focus on modern sculpture, particularly Rodin’s expressive style and the minimalist approaches of Brancusi and Naum Gabo.

Duration: 32 min

48. Art between Two Wars – Kandinsky to Picasso

Examine works influenced by events between the two world wars, including styles like German Expressionism, Futurism, Dada, and Surrealism.

Duration: 31 min