This small-group series led by Lecturer Maria Martin, will help you to develop your knowledge, appreciation and comfort level when viewing and discussing art. Each week you will gather together at the National Gallery of Canada, with a variety of themes, including Sculpture, Landscape, Love in Art, Art by and about Women, and Contemporary Art. We will take a light-hearted approach, looking at works of art in their historical context, including discussions on artistic techniques, meaning, conservation, and valuation. Lectures and discussions will take place in front of selected work’s in the Gallery’s collection.
Dates: Fridays, May 10 – June 14, 2024.
Time: 10:30am – 12:30pm
Location: In-Person, National Gallery of Canada
Prior to the first day of the series, registered participants will receive a Welcome Email that will contain all logistics related to this Gallery Series.
- Gallery entrance fees are required for non-members of the gallery (not included in the registration fee). If doing so, it is recommended that participants purchase a membership online before the series begins.
- Recommended that participants arrive early each week to arrange parking (not included in registration fee), put items in the free Coat Check room, and purchase tickets/memberships form the box office at the gallery’s main entrance.
- Folding stools are available in the Great Hall.
Visit the National Gallery of Canada website for more details.
Topics:
- Week 1: A focus on Sculpture – This week we will visit the European/American Galleries to view sculptural works from the Renaissance to the 20th century, in a range of media such as wood, ceramic and porcelain, marble and bronze. We will also discuss techniques that artists used to create these works.
- Week 2: Claude to Cézanne – French Landscape Art from the 17th to 20th centuries. This week we will focus on the works of French artists on display in the National Gallery’s European/American exhibition spaces, from 17th-century classically inspired landscape artists Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin, to 19th and early 20th century Impressionist and Post-impressionist artists such as Claude Monet and Paul Cézanne. We will consider how the portrayal of landscape shifted over the centuries from depicting idealized scenes of antiquity to bold visions of a modern world.
- Week 3: Canadian Landscape – Changing Seasons and Styles. We will view the many wonderful ways that the changing conditions of the landscape can be perceived and painted by Canadian artists, from the earliest works on display through to the 1960’s.
- Week 4: Looking at Love – This week we will visit the Canadian and European/American Galleries to view artworks that portray and celebrate love in many different ways. We will also look at mythological representations of love, and see how many Cupids we can discover launching arrows in selected artworks.
- Week 5: Women in Art – How Women are Portrayed and Perceived. We will focus on the work of female artists, and some images of women in the Gallery’s collection. We will consider how gender is represented, and how ideals of feminine beauty have evolved over time, as seen in works on display in the galleries.
- Week 6: The Challenge of the New:Contemporary Art – We will visit the Contemporary Art wing at the Gallery to view 20th and 21st century artworks, including larger ‘installation’ pieces, conceived for gallery spaces. In contemporary art we find that artists are often creating works with a larger public in mind, and with a consciousness of the societal impact of their art.
About the Lecturer: Maria Martin has studied and worked in the Arts for many years. She holds a Master’s Degree in the History of Art from Queen’s University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Art History from Carleton University. Maria has recently retired as a Manager with the federal government, and previously worked at the Canada Council for the Arts as an Art Consultant at the Council’s Art Bank, and as an Education Officer and Guide at the National Gallery of Canada.
Policies: Please review the Lifelong Learning Policies
Registration is now full. Please join our waiting list.