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Prepared
presentations***
Talks Focusing on
Particular Artists
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Titans
of the Italian Renaissance
(single talk or 3-part series)
The
High Renaissance was a brief - 30 year - tranquil period at the end of
the 15th and start of the 16th centuries when the technical mastery to
produce illusionistic art and the desire to make classically- inspired
art came togther in the hands of profound thinkers.
We'll look at a rich variety of images by Leonardo da
Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael while exploring their personal stories
and the times in which they lived as well as their contributions to
art.
Celebrities, courted by princes and popes, these men produced
some of the most influential works of western art.
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Sensuous Poetry: The Art of 16th
Century Venice
Bellini, Giorgione,
Tiziano – even their names are poetic.
Their art was no less so. Venetian
artists revel in the sensuality of color and the glory of the
female form. Compared to the
Venetians, contemporary Renaissance Italians painted only prose.
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Revisit
Rembrandt
In this tribute, we'll
explore the rich art world of 17th century Holland from which Rembrandt emerged, and look not only at his uniquely
sensitive paintings but also at revolutionary prints and drawings created by this master draftsman.
Along the way we'll tell the story of Rembrandt's life, his eclipse and the rediscovery of
this very human artist.
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Manet
to Picasso
This
richly illustrated talk presents artists of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries who changed the course of western
art.
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Paul
Gauguin: Dreaming amid Nature
Art
is abstraction when you dream amid nature
We
can tell many stories about the Post-Impressionist artist Paul Gauguin:
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How
he turned from banker to impoverished artist.
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How
he escaped from the "artificial and conventional"
Paris to seek the primitive
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How
he fought with Vincent van Gogh over what art should be
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How
he went from husband and father of five to seek love on
tropical islands.
We'll
touch on all these but focus on Gauguin's emergence from a
mediocre impressionist to a strong original artist who left a
legacy that influenced 20th century artists.
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Georgia
O'Keeffe
O'Keeffe
was one of the first artists to experiment with abstraction in
America. Her large paintings of flowers were designed to make even
busy New Yorkers want to stop and examine them. We'll follow her
long career from her early drawings to the paintings of her beloved New
Mexico. Her obituary in the New York Times declared "Her
colors dazzled, her erotic implications provoked and stimulated, her
subjects astonished and amused."
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Painters of Urban
Life: The Ashcan School
In
the early 20th century the cities of America were expanding rapidly with
immigrants from rural areas and overseas creating a lively mix of rich
and poor, parks and tenements. Artists flocked to New York to
teach and to study. This talk focuses on those artists, such as John
Sloan, George Bellows, and Maurice Prendergast who depicted scenes of
life in city streets, parks, and bars.
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Diego
Rivera and his Murals
(single talk or 2-part series)
The
greatest of the Mexican muralists called the fresco cycle he painted in
the Detroit Institute of Arts his "finest work." We'll look in depth at the
Detroit Industry murals but also at other work by Diego Rivera as we explore his style, his life, and his ideas
using detailed illustrations.
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Triumph and
Tragedy:
The Art and
Relationship of Auguste Rodin
and Camille Claudel
Claudel was a young
sculptor when she met the great master Rodin.
He recognized her ability. She
became his muse and his mistress and they sculpted
together for the next 10 years. This talk will
examine her influence on Rodin and his on her by
looking at works inspired by the passion of their relationship.
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Annie
Leibovitz: Capturing Celebrity
Photographer,
Annie Leibovitz has captured iconic images of celebrities in all
walks of life. We'll look at a rich variety of images from
the career of this celebrated artist.
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Revisit
Rembrandt
In this tribute, we'll
explore the rich art world of 17th century Holland from which Rembrandt emerged, and look not only at his uniquely
sensitive paintings but also at revolutionary prints and drawings created by this master draftsman.
Along the way we'll tell the story of Rembrandt's life, his eclipse and the rediscovery of
this very human artist.
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|

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Sensuous Poetry: The Art of 16th
Century Venice
Bellini, Giorgione,
Tiziano – even their names are poetic.
Their art was no less so. Venetian
artists revel in the sensuality of color and the glory of the
female form. Compared to the
Venetians, contemporary Renaissance Italians painted only prose.
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Manet
to Picasso
This
richly illustrated talk presents artists of the late 19th and
early 20th centuries who changed the course of western
art.
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General Topics
Art
Topics by Time Period
Talks
Focusing on Special Artists
***
Contact wendyevans@art-talks.org
to get a new topic developed for your group.
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