2013 Course Offerings

Each Coffee Lecture is $20

Coffee and refreshments are available at the beginning of the lecture. Lectures begin promptly 15 minutes after the listed start time. All lectures meet in Kaul Forum Classroom unless otherwise noted.


Course: The Art of Vienna 1900: Klimt, Schiele, and Kokoschka

Instructor: Mary-Ann Reiss
Date: Wednesday, March 20
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Description: Vienna at the beginning of the 20th century experienced a period of unprecedented cultural and artistic growth. The three greatest painters of the period were; Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele, and Oskar Kokoschka. After a short introduction to this period we will look at seminal works of each of these artists and get a better understanding of the terms Modernism and German Expressionism.


Course: Confined for the Duration—The Tragic Story of Confederate Prisoners of War
Instructor: Bob Brooke
Date: Wednesday, April 10
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Description: Relive the agonies and hardships of the Confederate prisoners at Fort Delaware, the most dreaded of all Federal prisons as we celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Civil War.


Course: Tarot and Christianity: History, Symbology, and Lore
Instructor: Carolyn Guss
Date: Wednesday, April 24
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Description: Born into the Catholic tradition of fifteenth-century Italy, the Tarot cards and Christianity share a relationship that runs the gamut from uneasy alliance to outright hostility. The lecture will explore the Christian underpinnings of the deck--including the appearance of the Pope and Popess cards--the gathering antagonism between Tarot and the Church, and the sacred Christian symbolism that flows throughout the imagery of Tarot decks such as The Visconti-Sforza, the Tarot de Marseilles, and the Rider-Waite-Smith.


Course: How Do You Follow the High Renaissance: Mannerism, the Stylish Style
Instructor: Sharon Latchaw Hirsh, Ph.D.
Date: Wednesday, May 8
Time: 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Location: McShain Auditorium
Description: After the “perfectionism” of the art of the High Renaissance in Italy, what developments could logically follow? Mannerism – sometimes referred to as “The International Style” due to the European-wide influence of Italian art in the 16th century – was in fact a reaction to the High Renaissance that emphasized “playing with” the very perfected techniques of the earlier era. We will focus on Italian artists such as Pontormo, Cellini, and Parmigianino as well as the late Michelangelo who was influenced by his younger peers. We will also look at some non-Italian Mannerist artists such as El Greco.