2021 Spring
$0.00
Archived
A Tour of the
Farnsworth Art Museum Art Treasures
Instructor: Christopher Williamson
Tuesdays • 8 classes – 3/16-5/4 • 9:30 AM
Class size 5-60 students
0 seats remaining
Location: Zoom
CLASS IS FULL
Docent Chris Williamson will take the class on a weekly virtual tour of the art treasures at the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland, Maine. Each class will focus on one artist or group at a time. Participants will be encouraged to engage with the works and the class via a combination of “chat” and real time conversation. The goal will be to help you enhance your ability to engage with art, to develop your ability to notice, to improve your visual vocabulary, and perhaps to reconnect with some favorite artists/works or to discover new ones.
VIRTUAL TOURS BY WEEK:
Andrew Wyeth
We will take a close look at how Wyeth communicated universal truths by careful observation of a small section of mid-coast Maine. We will use Turkey Cove, Her Room, and pieces from the current Wyeth exhibit as our starting point.
Wyeth Fore and Aft
Andrew Wyeth, who was home schooled, was taught to paint by his father, painter and illustrator Newell Convers (NC) Wyeth. Similarly (together with his sister Carolyn), Andrew taught his son Jamie. How are NC, Andrew, and Jamie similar? Different?
Fitz Henry Lane
Thanks to a friend’s advice, Fitz Henry Lane transformed himself from a painter of ships for sea captains into a painter of seascapes that continue to evoke responses in viewers over 150 years later. When Lane was at the height of his fame, however, his country was coming apart. Do his paintings foretell that in any way?
Marguerite Zorach
Marguerite Thompson left Fresno CA and Stanford for Europe in 1908. Four years later, she was married to William Zorach, and each had works in the famous 1913 New York Armory Show that introduced contemporary art to an American audience. We remember William; let’s not forget her contributions!
Neil Welliver
Neil Welliver was one among a group of “Slab City” artists who fled New York in the 1950’s, dissatisfied with the pop and abstract expressionist aesthetic emphasized by the NYC art scene. Even more than his friends, Welliver literally immersed himself into landscapes, yet did not forget his roots.
Louise Nevelson
In some ways, Louise Nevelson was an early performance artist. Beginning as a painter, she gradually transitioned into sculpture, both large pieces and small, including jewelry. Yet as remarkable as her work and as significant her stature in 20th century art are, her life itself was perhaps her greatest work.
Class choice – or Monhegan?
We can look at the extraordinary group of artists who called Monhegan home at least in summers at the start of the 20th century: Robert Henri, Rockwell Kent and George Bellows. However, in week 3 we will consider alternatives for week seven if participants have a different preference.
Portraits
We will finish with a quick “survey” of 20th century art by looking at portraits in the Farnsworth, beginning with Benson (1907), then Fiske (1926), Avery (1930’s – 1952), Barnet (1970’s – 1980’s) and Katz (1980’s up to 2004). Perhaps we can include timeless Andrew Wyeth portraits, too.
Christopher Williamson: A retired educator, including 23 years as a Head of School in two independent schools, Chris Williamson has been a docent at the Farnsworth Art Museum since 2015, returning to his early interest in the arts. He graduated from Williams College with honors in history in 1970, earned a master’s degree in English from The University of New Hampshire in 1975, and took graduate courses at Boston University in education and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill in drama. After teaching, directing plays, coaching, and serving as arts chair, he took on various administrative roles prior to becoming head of school. Chris has presented at regional and national conferences, has served on several Boards, and has had articles published in professional journals. In addition to his on-going docent volunteering and training at the Farnsworth, Chris is taking the National Gallery of Art’s Teaching Critical Thinking Through Art course.