Not being able to visit galleries full of the paintings and sculptures you’ve always dreamed of seeing doesn’t mean you can’t take in an enlightening dose of culture from home.
Stop seeking the bottom of the infinite scroll and start enriching your understanding of art history in this interactive lesson with Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones.
With him, you will learn how to unlock some of the world’s most fascinating works of art, discovering a treasure trove of hidden histories, intriguing people and myriad potential meanings.
From the Ice Age art of 30,000 years ago to Tracey Emin’s coronavirus diary - and the important revolutions in between - Jonathan will take you through a series of artworks that tell us something critical about each period of art history.
Bring the world’s galleries into your own home, connect with other appreciators of art, and have the opportunity to pick the brains of one of the most celebrated critics in the world.
A sample timeline...
- The (literally) magical art of Ancient Egypt
- The civilisations of Ife and Benin
- The age of Leonardo da Vinci
- The discovery of reality in art
- The birth of the avant garde
- The rise of the readymade
Course content
- Art from the Ice Age to now: the 30,000 year story
- What do terms such as ‘classical’, ‘Renaissance’, ‘Baroque’ and ‘modernist’ mean?
- A close look at masterpieces, including Tutankhamun’s death mask, the frescoes of Pompeii, Bruegel’s Hunters in the Snow and Picasso’s Guernica
This course is for...
Anyone interested in learning more about the history of art with an expert in the field
Anyone looking for a framework to analyse and think critically about artworks
Tutor Profile
Jonathan Jones writes on art for the Guardian and was on the jury for the 2009 Turner prize. He also writes the series Framing the debate, which takes a closer look at photographs and videos that divide opinion. Jonathan is the author of two books on art, The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel That Defined the Renaissance and The Loves of the Artists. Read his Guardian articles here.
Course Details
- Date: Wednesday 5 May 2021
- Time: 6pm-8pm (BST)
6.00pm BST | 7.00pm CEST | 10.00am PDT | 1.00pm EDT
This masterclass is available globally. If you are joining us from outside the United Kingdom, please use this time zone converter to check your local live streaming time.
You will be sent a link to the webinar two hrs before the start time. Please email masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have not received the access link within one hour of the scheduled start time.
All Guardian Masterclasses are fully accessible but please contact us at masterclasses@theguardian.com if you have any queries or concerns.
Full course and returns information on the Masterclasses website
