History of Art courses have returned this season with a large course selection full of exciting topics. With a professional background in History of Art, Christina Vremes joins the WICE Instructor team to teach a series of Exhibition Seminars and Venetian Renaissance art courses. WICE's free social event to launch these History of Art classes was held on November 3, 2013, at the Chateau Champs-sur-Marne, where Christina presented all of her upcoming courses and seminars. Participants were treated to wine (provided by WICE's wine tasting department) during the presentation, before exploring the recently restored 18th century chateau and its gardens.

Art History tour at the Chateau Champs-sur-Marne
-photo by Jenna Smith

When it comes to the latest art exhibitions in Paris, do you wish that you had a better understanding of what all of the buzz is about?

Well, the Exhibition Seminars are a great way to enhance your knowledge and enjoyment of the current art exhibitions in Paris. These seminars examine the main works of art displayed at the exhibitions to help you learn the significance of each piece, identify what to look for in the various works of art, and understand the relationship between the different pieces displayed in the exhibition.

design by Francisca Valenzuela Rivera

The first of the Exhibition Seminars discussed the Musée d'Orsay's Masculine/Masculine exhibition that takes a look at the male nude from 1800 to the present day. As a starting point of the seminar, Christina examined a couple of paintings to show how male nudes are portrayed differently from female nudes. From there Christina delved deeper into examining the various ways that the male nude has been presented in the different art movements over time. Lighting, body position, muscle tension, facial expression, and movement are some of the elements that convey strength, weakness, confidence, submission, anguish, and other qualities in the pieces displayed in the exhibition. For something so seemly simple, in this Exhibition Seminar it is fascinating to discover the complexities of all of the different elements of the male nude that work together to express the meaning and significance of each work of art.

Pieter Brueghel, The Elder - Children playing

(source: Wikimedia Commons)

Some cool benefits of attending the Exhibition Seminars:

1) Learn about the works displayed in the exhibition in a comfortable classroom environment, where you can easily get expert answers to all of your questions, and clearly see the images of the art without crowds blocking your view.

2) When you actually visit the museum's exhibition, you can leisurely admire the works of art and contemplate what was discussed in the seminar, without having to rush to keep the tour on pace, or move along because of pushing crowds.

Titian, Self-Portrait
(source: Wikimedia Commons)

In addition to the Exhibition Seminars, Christina is teaching a series of Venetian Renaissance art courses. This series starts with a rough historical sketch of Venice, its myths, its identity and its status as a 'melting pot' of different cultural influences. Christina will examine Venice's self-representation and self-fashioning by revisiting fictions and half-truths that the Republic invented for itself, in order to create an image of a powerful independent republic- the legitimate heir to the Roman Empire.

The Venetian Renaissance series continues by examining several main characteristics, such as color, iconography, portraiture, artist's status, nudes, and landscape by discussing particular issues and aspects through case studies embodied by some of the best known Italian Renaissance painters such as Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, and Giorgione. For added convenience for those who would like to see these works of art in person, Christina has chosen to discuss pieces that can be viewed at the Louvre, Jacquemart -André, and other Paris museums.

**** Register now for the upcoming Exhibition Seminars:

Exhibition Seminar - Georges Braque:

Friday, November 29, 2013

10am to 11:30am

This seminar covers the exhibition at Le Grand Palais of George Braque, the founder of cubist art.

Exhibition Seminar - Félix Vallotton:

Friday, December 6, 2013

10am to 11:30am

This seminar covers the exhibition at Le Grand Palais of Félix Vallotton, associated with Post-Impressionism and the Nabis movement.

Exhibition Seminar - The Brueghel Dynasty:

Friday, December 13, 2013

10am to 11:30am