City Visions: Venice, Paris, and New York as Seen Through the Eyes of the Artists
ART2-10-Tue2
Suzanne Art
This course will take place virtually on Zoom. Participation requires a device (ideally a computer or tablet, rather than a cell phone) with a camera and microphone in good working order and basic familiarity with using Zoom and accessing email.
September 10 - November 12
Cityscapes have been popular since ancient times and are considered treasures by art lovers and historians alike. In this course we will explore three renowned western cities – Venice, Paris, and New York – through the works of some of history’s greatest artists. In the case of Venice, we’ll begin with a brief glance at the founding of the city in the lagoon and its evolution as the center of a vast trading empire; we’ll also discover how it remained radiant even in its inevitable economic decline. We’ll study the Gothic and Renaissance architecture of palazzi and cathedrals and catch glimpses of the lives of various city dwellers through the paintings of Masters from Canaletto to Turner, Whistler, and Sargent. The writings of Ruskin and Henry James will enrich our sense of the place, as will the melodies of Venetian composer Gabrielli.
Our visit to Paris involves a similar approach, beginning with the small island settlement in the Seine, progressing to the construction of Gothic cathedrals and ultimately the city planning designs of Haussman. Manet, Caillebotte, and Picasso will be among our guides, with Proust and Hemingway offering commentary. Musical interludes include the works of Ravel and Satie, with a bit of Piaf. Then on to New York, from the founding of New Amsterdam to the building of skyscrapers in the 20th century. We will be guided by Bellows, Hopper, Steichen, Estes, and others, with commentary by Mark Twain, Edith Wharton and James Baldwin and musical interludes with Gershwin and Sinatra.
Roughly the same amount of lecture and discussion.
All assignments will be online. These will include short articles about history, art, and architecture, videos about these subjects, and short presentations by noted art experts on various relevant works. Links to these as well as additional background material, excerpts from books and poems, and links to short musical performances will be provided on a class website.
Preparation for class should take about an hour and a half.
Suzanne Art has always loved art, language, and history. Her favorite pastime is experiencing paintings in art museums. She has a BA in history, an MA in the French language and literature, and an MA in teaching. She taught history for 16 years at a private school. During that time, she also wrote a series of twelve history books, a major feature of which is the study of the art of a given culture. Nowadays, she takes great pleasure from sharing her love of art history with groups of enthusiastic seniors. She has taught many art history courses at BOLLI over the years.