Art History Classes

Tue, May 7, 1–2:30 pm (1 sessions) | Reynolds Lecture Hall
LI JIAN, VMFA E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of East Asian Art
LULAN YU, VMFA Education Programs Manager

This class offers a glimpse into the life and culture of the elite Japanese warriors known as samurai. Students will have the opportunity to learn the history of the samurai through a closer look at select armor, weapons, and accoutrements, used for both battle and ceremonies, from Samurai Armor
from the Collection of Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, a special exhibition on view at VMFA from Apr 20 through Aug 4, 2024. The first hour will be a lecture in Reynolds Lecture Hall,
and the class will conclude with a walkthrough of the special exhibition. 

$40 (VMFA members $35)

Wed, Jun 5, 12, 19, 1–2 pm (3 sessions) | Reynolds Lecture Hall
MADELEINE DUGAN, VMFA Curatorial Assistant

This class will focus on the evolution of Western graphic design from the art nouveau period through the postmodern era. The class will explore these concepts through the lens of VMFA’s collection of works on paper.

$70 (VMFA members $60)

Wed, Jun 26, Jul 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug 7, 2–3 pm (6 sessions) | Reynolds Lecture Hall
Dr. Donald Schrader, Adjunct Professor of Art History, University of Mary Washington

One of the defining features of the Renaissance is the appearance of a beautiful new art that presents a convincing illusion of reality, an art able to make the unseen appear real. At the very moment that this new visual art was being invented in Italy, a surprising school of painting that reveals the world in a different way arose in the southern Netherlands. Armed with a mysterious and complex oil painting technique, Northern artists achieved a crystalline vision of light, texture, and atmosphere that seems miraculous to the modern viewer, as it did to the audience of the fifteenth century. In this series we will explore the wonders of early Netherlandish painting, from the serene art of Jan van Eyck to the emotional drama of the paintings of Rogier van der Weyden and Hugo van der Goes; from the fairy-tale quiet of Hans Memling to the impenetrable dreamscapes of Hieronymus Bosch; and the increasingly secular art of the sixteenth century, culminating with the unforgettable worldliness of Pieter Bruegel the Elder.

$95 (VMFA members $80)

Tue, Jul 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2–3 pm (4 sessions) | Reynolds Lecture Hall
Twyla Kitts, Educator and Researcher

In conjunction with the exhibition Samurai Armor from the Collection of Ann & Gabriel Barbier-Mueller, join art educator Twyla Kitts to explore the history and legacy of the samurai warriors. What happened to spur the development of the samurai? What role did they play in Japanese history and culture? How do they continue to influence modern culture? Explore these questions—and more—in this four-part class. This class will visit the special exhibition with the instructor.

$80 (VMFA members $65)

Wed, Aug 7, 14, 21, 28, 7 - 8 pm (4 sessions) | Virtual, Registration on Zoom required.
DR. JEANETTE NICEWINTER
Associate Professor, Art History, Annandale Campus, Collegewide Honors Lead Faculty, Northern Virginia Community College

Explore the art of the ancient Andes. This course surveys the major cultures and artworks from the ancient Andes, which consists of the present-day countries of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador. We’ll begin with the monumental architecture, ceramics, and metalwork from the Chavín culture and continue chronologically through to the incredible textiles and landscape architecture of the Inka Empire.

$80 (VMFA members $65)