Zooming In on Van Gogh
Mondays, October 21 – November 11, 6 – 8pm
Vincent van Gogh. The Smoker, 1888. The Barnes Foundation, BF119. Public Domain.
$220; members $198
(4 classes)
About the Class
Delve into the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, one of the greatest, and most mythologized, painters of the modern era. Poverty, institutionalization, and self-mutilation are all part of Van Gogh’s story, but over the years these factors have had an outsize influence on how we understand his paintings. Van Gogh’s art was driven by ideas—about nature, authenticity, and spirituality—rather than simply fueled by psychosis. Using special high-res images, we will zoom in on dozens of canvases, studying Van Gogh’s brushwork as we follow his career from his beginnings in Holland to his final, brilliant years in Arles and Auvers-sur-Oise.
The class is online-only. More about online classes.
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Barnes classes will:
- Sharpen your observational and critical thinking skills.
- Improve your ability to communicate about art.
- Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.
Instructor
Martha Lucy
Lucy is the deputy director for research, interpretation and education at the Barnes. As an art historian, she specializes in modern European art and visual culture. She is the coauthor of Renoir in the Barnes Foundation and has published articles and essays on topics ranging from the early charcoals of Odilon Redon to contemporary installation art.
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