Coursera Plus Annual is 40% Off — Ends July 13.

Class Central is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

The Great Courses Plus

How to Look at and Understand Great Art

via The Great Courses Plus

Go to class Write review
University of the People Ad

Earn Your CS Degree, Tuition-Free, 100% Online!

Learn More → Coursera Ad

AI, Data Science & Cloud Certificates from Google, IBM & Meta

Learn More →

Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off
One plan covers every Professional Certificate on Coursera.
Unlock All Certificates
Featuring masterpieces from 250+ of the world's greatest artists, this in-depth guide to the practical skill of viewing art will help you reach new levels of appreciation.

Syllabus

  • 01: The Importance of First Impressions
  • 02: Where Am I? Point of View and Focal Point
  • 03: Color—Description, Symbol, and More
  • 04: Line—Description and Expression
  • 05: Space, Shape, Shade, and Shadow
  • 06: Seeing the Big Picture—Composition
  • 07: The Illusion—Getting the Right Perspective
  • 08: Art That Moves Us—Time and Motion
  • 09: Feeling with Our Eyes—Texture and Light
  • 10: Drawing—Dry, Liquid, and Modern Media
  • 11: Printmaking—Relief and Intaglio
  • 12: Modern Printmaking—Planographic
  • 13: Sculpture—Salt Cellars to Monuments
  • 14: Development of Painting—Tempera and Oils
  • 15: Modern Painting—Acrylics and Assemblages
  • 16: Subject Matters
  • 17: Signs—Symbols, Icons, and Indexes in Art
  • 18: Portraits—How Artists See Others
  • 19: Self-Portraits—How Artists See Themselves
  • 20: Landscapes—Art of the Great Outdoors
  • 21: Putting It All Together
  • 22: Early Renaissance—Humanism Emergent
  • 23: Northern Renaissance—Devil in the Details
  • 24: High Renaissance—Humanism Perfected
  • 25: Mannerism and Baroque—Distortion and Drama
  • 26: Going Baroque—North versus South
  • 27: 18th-Century Reality and Decorative Rococo
  • 28: Revolutions—Neoclassicism and Romanticism
  • 29: From Realism to Impressionism
  • 30: Postimpressionism—Form and Content Re-Viewed
  • 31: Expressionism—Empathy and Emotion
  • 32: Cubism—An Experiment in Form
  • 33: Abstraction/Modernism—New Visual Language
  • 34: Dada Found Objects/Surreal Doodles and Dreams
  • 35: Postmodernism—Focus on the Viewer
  • 36: Your Next Museum Visit—Do It Yourself!
  • By This Professor

Taught by

Sharon Latchaw Hirsh

Reviews

4.7 rating at The Great Courses Plus based on 254 ratings

Start your review of How to Look at and Understand Great Art

Go to class

Never Stop Learning.

Get personalized course recommendations, track subjects and courses with reminders, and more.

Sign up for free
Someone learning on their laptop while sitting on the floor.