Iconography in Art - Week 4

Zoom Experience

Iconography in Art

Expert: Luca Pietrosanti, Art Historian

Fees: $25/session/Zoom window

Doing Good: 5% of net proceeds benefit Book-Cycle Rome

Itinerary

Iconography in Art

Week 4 - A Forest of Symbols

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."  — Frank Lloyd Wright

In Week 3, Luca unraveled the mystery of Raphael’s “Young Woman with Unicorn” and while questions remain, the real enjoyment is not in the knowing, but in the twists, turns, and revisionist history of her story.

We also met several other enigmatic sitters and relied on symbols found in their clothing, painted into the background landscape, bejeweled on their bodies, and reflected in their gaze, to bring art to life.

Week 4 will be “A Forest of Symbols” and focuses on how animal and plant symbols change over time and across cultures.

Join us for the finale!

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Course Description

Artists, artisans and craftspeople have been using icons and symbols to represent aspects of their lives, cultures and societies for millennia.

You’ve seen religious iconography at work in Christian art: the lamb representing Christ or the dove representing the Holy Spirit. Van Eyck, Bosch, Goya, Gauguin, Picasso, Rubens, Kahlo and Warhol notably used iconography to tell stories and to express ideas about society and life.

In this +With Friends Zoom course we’ll explore iconography with our favorite art historian expert (this is Luca’s wheelhouse!), learn to recognize traditional symbols in art, and use your new-found skills to better understand the artist’s intention or to make up stories of your own!

What To Expect

• Learn to understand iconography, a new language of images and their hidden meanings across time and cultures.
• Build on what you've learned in our Seeing Art series and gain a deeper understanding of artworks by using iconographic techniques to figure out the story behind them.
• See art as the artists intended and use your new skills to breathe life into revered masterpieces, making art a more meaningful experience with greater resonance for today.
• Enjoy seeing art around the world with Luca + friends!

Dates

All sessions are recorded and available for viewing online. 

• Monday, March 4, 2024 10am-11:30am PST
• Monday, March 11, 2024 10am-11:30am PST
• Monday, March 18, 2024 10am-11:30am PST
• Monday, March 25, 2024 10am-11:30am PST

Resources

• Art as Therapy, by Alain de Botton and John Armstrong, who present us with an entirely new way to experience art.
• Meaning in the Visual Arts, by Erwin Panofsky, whose work represents a high point in the modern academic study of iconography.
• Warburg Institute is one of the world’s leading centers for studying the interaction of ideas, images and society--a treasure trove of iconography and other imagery research.
• Vision of a Knight, short-form research offered by The National Gallery in London exploring the iconography of Rafael's painting.
• Iconography in Art: The Meaning of Animals in Renaissance Art, a YouTube video produced by Amuze Art Lectures.

Let's Explore!