New Angles on the Old Masters

The class is meant to encourage students to discover new aspects of the old art seen in museums by highlighting three major topics. The picture within in the picture: The Greek word ekphrasis denotes the practice of including one work of art within another work of art. Beginning with Homer’s description of the Shield of Achilles in the Iliad,  this is a favorite device of artists to deepen the meaning of their work. The class will include examples from painting, sculpture and music from the 14^th to the 19^th century and suggest a stimulating game to play when visiting museums. Mirrors in art: From the convex mirror in Jan van Eyck’s Arnolfini marriage portrait of 1434 to Manet’s Bar at the Folies Bergere of 1882: some of the most iconic masterpieces have used mirrors to lend three dimensionality, irony, and ambiguity to painting. And frames and why they matter: A brief history of picture frames from the 1300s, when they were made before the painting, to the 20^th century when artists designed their own frames.  The class will include examples of museums re-framing artworks to better bring out their original beauty.