2 Audley Square
Mayfair, London W1K
UK
Founded in 1994, THE COURSE offers art history lectures, opera and literature courses, guided museum visits and London walks.
What do all the signs and symbols in paintings mean, if indeed they are there, and why is there an enduring fascination with Greek mythology in the visual arts? It can all seem somewhat impenetrable. This course will delve into what these hidden meanings really are. You will see how the iconography of mythology can reveal the hidden codes and identify the seemingly mysterious figures in great works of art. It aims to look at the stories which are often re-told in secular Italian and Northern Renaissance painting around, 1400-1600, and also in French Baroque painting. Most often the stories came from antique literary sources which have survived through the middle ages and were the preserve of the rich and cultured.
ADORATIONS AND ANNUNCIATIONS
In this lecture, we will first take a look at the story, the myth and symbolism behind the Magi and how images from Giotto to Gossaert have responded to changes in the understanding and knowledge of the story. We will also examine the myth and symbolism behind the Annunciation from Duccio through to Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi to Carlo Crivelli.