Into Focus: Close Readings of Four Masterpieces of Modern Painting

Each lecture will be an intensive analysis of a single major work of art, using multiple interpretive methodologies, documents, letters, and other works of art to tease out multiple meanings from each painting. Dr. Brettell, a foremost authority on Impressionism and French painting of the period 1830 – 1930, has taught at The University of Texas, Northwestern University, The University of Chicago, Yale University and Harvard University. His recent books include Impression: Painting Quickly in France, 1860 -1900, Modern Art, 1851 – 1929: Capitalism and Representation, and Monet to Moore: The Millennium Gift of Sara Lee Corporation.

Works to be discussed during the lectures include:
January 24 - Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte
February 28 - Vincent Van Gogh’s Bedroom at Arles
March 21 - Paul Cézanne’s Male Bathers
April 18 - Paul Gauguin‘s The Great Buddha

Information from the college's site