The Art of Looking: An Introduction to the Barnes Method
New! Self-Paced Classes
$100; members $90
About the Class
Introducing our new on-demand classes.
Have you ever been captivated—or puzzled—by a painting or sculpture? Art has the unique power to connect us across time, space, and cultures. But to truly unlock the stories and emotions behind these works, we need the tools to look deeper. That’s where the Barnes Method comes in.
The Barnes Method is an art-centered approach developed by Albert C. Barnes and Violette de Mazia in the 1920s. The method emphasizes careful, sustained looking at individual objects to help you understand the visual elements used by artists across cultures. It will also make you more attuned to the world around you.
This interactive online course is self-paced and provides a step-by-step introduction to the Barnes Method that you can complete at your own pace. You’ll learn to:
- Recognize and articulate the visual elements artists use to express their ideas.
- Set aside personal biases to truly see what the work of art is communicating.
- Appreciate the aesthetics of everyday life.
About On-Demand Classes
This class is available on demand, which means you can complete it at your own pace. There are four modules (or topics) that include five videos that vary in length from 10-15 minutes. Each module is between 30-40 minutes in length. Completing the entire course from start to finish takes approximately three hours.
What you’ll experience:
- Self-Paced Learning: Access all four modules anytime, anywhere, on any device. Watch and rewatch sessions at your own pace.
- Short, Impactful Videos: Each module includes five video sessions ranging from 5 to 15 minutes. Total course time is three hours.
- Immersive Visual Exploration: The Barnes’s state-of-the-art Visual Experience Platform (VXP) allows you to zoom in on stunning details, like the icy blue eyes in Vincent van Gogh’s The Postman.
- Interactive Lessons: You’ll be prompted to pause videos and dive deeper into each painting, practicing the Barnes Method as you go.
Watch this brief introduction to the course and read more below.
About the Art of Looking
Module 1: The Language of Art
Understanding the Plastic Means (5 videos, 33 minutes total)
Delve into the foundational elements of visual art by examining masterpieces from Paul Cézanne, El Greco, Paul Gauguin, and Hans Memling.
Module 2: What Was and What Is
Subject / Substance (5 videos, 40 minutes total)
Go beyond a work of art’s subject to uncover its deeper meaning, with insights from works by Jan van Goyen, Jean-Siméon Chardin, Chaïm Soutine, and Paul Cézanne.
Module 3: What Art Expresses
Broad Human Qualities (5 videos, 41 minutes total)
Discover how art captures and conveys universal human ideas and experiences through paintings by Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Aristodimos Kaldis.
Module 4: The Artist’s Eye
Creative Distortion (5 videos, 48 minutes total)
See how artists reshape the world through their unique perspectives by studying works by Charles Demuth, William James Glackens, Marsden Hartley, Maurice Prendergast, and Paul Cézanne.
Instructors
Kaelin Jewell
Jewell is a senior instructor in adult education at the Barnes and has been teaching art history for nearly 15 years. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in photography and art history from the University of Louisville’s Hite Institute of Art and Design and earned her PhD in ancient and medieval art history from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. In addition to her work at the Barnes, Jewell is trained as an archaeologist and has worked on archaeological projects in the American Midwest and on the island of Sicily.
William Perthes
Perthes is the Bernard C. Watson Director of Adult Education at the Barnes. He has taught courses at the Barnes as well as the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and West Chester and Villanova Universities. His scholarship focuses on American modernism and the abstract expressionist painter Robert Motherwell.
Barnes Method
Barnes Method courses follow the teachings of Albert Barnes and Violette de Mazia. Classes focus on rigorous formal analysis and direct visual engagement with works of art. In this method, close looking at art helps build critical-thinking skills that can be carried beyond the gallery walls.
Go Further
Close-Looking Immersion: Van Goyen’s The Square Watch-Tower
Our 90-minute immersions provide opportunities to study and discuss individual works. Instructor: William Perthes
Heaven on Earth: The Art of the Byzantine Empire
Dive into the visual culture of the Byzantine Empire, which was influenced by nearly a millennium of religious, social, and political upheaval. Instructor: Kaelin Jewell
Hidden in Plain Sight: The Aesthetics of Everyday Life
This course uses the decorative arts collection at the Barnes as a jumping-off point to explore the artistic qualities of common objects. Instructors: Katherine Feldkamp, William Perthes