Looking at art through the work of Velázquez
Online course about the art of Diego Velázquez
Diego Velázquez is one of the most renowned European artists and his paintings make a fascinating subject in their own right. He is a seminal figure for the study of both Spanish history and art; as court painter to the King Philip IV he lived at the heart of the Spanish empire and the many masterpieces he painted for his patron portray key historical figures. What is more, since his death in 1660 his work has become a continual point of reference for artists – Goya, Manet, and Picasso, amongst many others – and it continues to be so. Velázquez is a seminal point of reference for anyone interested in Spanish art, history and culture.
The art of Velázquez provides an excellent point of departure for people with a range of backgrounds and a variety of long term goals, whether they be: academic study, art practice, working in museums, creative writing or simply the pleasure of looking at artworks in museums.
The course will examine in detail ten of Velázquez’s most celebrated paintings and in so doing it aims to develop analytical skills for studying paintings: learning how looking to trace the creative and intellectual processes that went into their making. Furthermore, it will develop critical research skills and build confidence at discussing and writing about paintings and their artistic and cultural significance.
Jeremy Roe is an expert in the painting of Diego Velázquez and the culture of seventeenth-century Spain. He is Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Nottingham and is currently based in Spain, where he is pursuing further research as well as teaching seminars at the Universitat de Barcelona. Amongst other recent publications he has completed a translation of the Adiciones a algunas imágines written by Velázquez’s teacher Francisco Pacheco. It will be published by St. Joseph’s University Press.
This course has been developed from his own research and the academic courses he has taught in å range range of universities, most recently the University of Nottingham and the Universitat de Barcelona.
Looking at art through the work of Velázquez
Diego Velázquez is one of the most renowned European artists and this online-course will introduce you to ten of his most celebrated paintings and the historical context that shaped them. At the same time it teaches key visual analysis skills and art historical research methods. These skills can be applied in range of professional contexts such as academic study, curating , artistic practice, creative writing as well as the appreciation of art.
The five unit course will provide detailed study of 10 paintings and explores issues such as the genres of baroque art, naturalism, portraiture and Velázquez’s ingenious approach to depicting narrative. The recommended workload will be about 3 hours per unit.
Teacher: Jeremy Roe
Tuition Fees: NOK 900
Duration: You can start whenever you want, and you will have access to the course 180 days from the day you enroll.
Required learning resources: All resources are online and included in the course
Target group: The course combines the teaching of core skills for the analysis of art through the study of Velázquez. It is aimed at people with a range of backgrounds and a variety of long term goals: academic study of Velázquez and Spanish art, art practice, curating and working in museums, creative writing or simply the pleasure of looking at artworks in museums
Prerequisites: None
Certification : The submissions and the course will be graded with Completed/More work required. When all required coursework is completed, you will receive an open badge.
Course description
The course comprises five units and the paintings to be discussed are the following:
- Who was Velázquez? Who is Velázquez?
Painting 1: Las Meninas
Painting 2: Christ in the house of Martha and Mary
- Naturalism and history, beauty and truth.
Painting 3. The Forge of Vulcan
Painting 4. Christ on the Cross
- Portraiture and politics.
Painting 5. Prince Baltasar Carlos in the Riding School
Painting 6. The Surrender at Breda
- The triumph of the portrait
Painting 7. The Buffoon Diego de Acedo, «El Primo»
Painting 8. Juan de Pareja
- Erudition, curiosity and the late mythological paintings.
Painting 9. The Toilet of Venus
Painting 10. The Fable of Arachne
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