#1 Mysterious Masterpieces at the Louvre

On this private tour of the Louvre, we’ll investigate some of the museum’s most fascinating mysteries. We’ll hold up a magnifying glass to Mona Lisa’s enigmatic smile and search for clues about the painting’s remarkable history as we follow its history from Da Vinci’s studio to Fontainebleau palace to Versailles to Napoleon Bonaparte’s boudoir to the Louvre, where she was stolen in 1911. In addition, we’ll discover hidden narratives in masterpieces by Gericault, Veronese, Titian, and many other famous painters that enrich our understanding of these great works.

The workshop is divided into two parts: an hour-long interactive art history interactive lesson followed by an hour of drawing/painting.

#2 Life at the time of the Impressionists in Paris

From Monet’s Water Lilies to Renoir’s , Impressionist painting continues to enchant art lovers. Though the term was coined by a satirical art critic, Impressionism quickly came to describe one of the most famous and beloved European movements. Revolutionary at its time, Impressionism became a trademark style of the rapidly modernizing 19th century. Painters such as Monet, Renoir, Manet, Degas, Pisarro, and others recorded the urban renovation of Paris led by civic planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann and defined the aesthetic of this era. We’ll travel to Paris at the end of 19th century to discover how people lived, ate, dressed, and picnicked along the banks of the Seine through the amazing collections of the Musée d’Orsay, L’Orangerie, and other museums!

The workshop is divided into two parts: an hour-long of interactive art history lesson and a screening of the hour-long documentary , about a landmark exhibition of French Impressionism that art dealer Paul Durand-Ruel organized in New York in 1886.

#3 When Art Makes History at the Louvre

Since the earliest cave paintings, art has been used to document history. This class will take us through the creative process of several artists who have used their skills to record and influence notable events, from the Greek statue The Winged Victory of Samothrace to Gericault’s The Raft of the Medusa. We’ll hear fascinating anecdotes about political and cultural revolutions, and discover how artists used their subversive styles and ideas to inform their art in ways that are still relevant today. We’ll consider why Delacroix chose a woman as an allegory for the idea of revolution in his The Liberty Guiding the People, and how this image became a symbol for the yellow vest movement in France.

The workshop is divided into 2 parts: an hour-long interactive art history lesson and an hour-long screening of Francophonia (2015) directed by Alexander Sokurov.