In our
modern age, do we spend enough time looking and considering our art? In a
fast-paced world where we are bombarded by multiple pictures twenty-four seven,
are we in fear of losing the ability to stop and think about what we see?
Perhaps a slower pace will reveal more. Great works of art can say so much.
Iconic images often display the times in which they are created, but can also
tell more universal stories that become timeless. In this course, you will
examine ten works and see what they reveal.
Throughout
the week we will explore ten great works of art from different periods of
history. We shall see look at the artists who made them, and how the paintings
came into being. Discover the politics, the social aspects, the economics of
the times they were made. Do they reveal human stories that make a more
universal narrative for us all? Alongside this deeper more contemplative look
we can also see how these great works resonate down the ages. Many great works
are reimagined and reused as satire, political statement and for advertising.
All this and more will be examined through the week as we hopefully reveal a
bigger picture.
Ten
Works:
- Pieter
Brueghel, Massacre of the Innocents -1567
- Diego
Velazquez, Las Meninas- 1656
- Thomas
Gainsborough, Mr and Mrs Andrews -1748-50
- Joseph
Wright, The Philosopher lecturing on the Orrery -1766
- Francisco
Goya, The Third of May, 1808 -1814
- Eugene
Delacroix, Liberty leading the People -1830
- Edouard
Manet, Bar at the Folies-Bergere -1882
- Tom
Roberts, Shearing the Rams -1888-90
- James
Rosenquist, F111 -1964-65
- Grayson
Perry, The Vanities of Small Differences - 2012
Paul Chapman
About Paul
Paul is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. As a freelance, Paul delivers courses and lectures for a wide range of educational organisations including NADFAS, WEA and U3A. Paul has also given talks and tours for art associations/societies and is a guest speaker in local schools giving talks and assisting pupils with their art history projects. As a writer, Paul has published a book, which examines the subject of cultural crossovers and appropriations in 20th Century painting. Paul has a long-standing commitment, in conjunction with the N.G, as a tour guide at the Longford Castle art collection.
