Art History Classes in Chicago, IL

The course will be on the evolution of the French Renaissance, focusing on the redesign of Fontainebleau by Francois I. We will learn how the School of Fointainebleau was inspired by Italian artists brought on by Francois I and how the style bean to permeate all aspects of French arts, outside of solely interior design. Artists who we will be discussed...

Learn how to talk about art, and apply your observations to famous Dada and Surrealist artworks! In this course, we’ll teach you how to analyze art and express your own opinions about different artworks. You’ll hone your analytical skills while studying Dada and Surrealism, two overlapping art movements of the 20th century.  We’ll talk...

Award winning cabaret performer and member of the 92Y Music Faculty, Michael Kirk Lane curates a series of conversations about the artform of cabaret in New York City. Welcoming performers, directors, and journalists, these conversations will delve into the history and current state of this unique performance style. Each conversation will also include...

Understand primary, secondary, tertiary, and analogous colors, and how they fit into the complementary color circle.  Learn about hue, value, and intensity and how these terms translate to the Adobe suite of graphic design software. Students will work from digital color palettes, mix acrylic paints to see how colors affect each other and explore...

This six week course is focused on experimentation and using accessible material. During this course, you will be encouraged to play and explore the sociopolitics of material. Throughout this hands-on process, you will explore the history of art and experimentation with a dedication to decolonization. Participants will continuously explore examples...

Where can we start with Art? From cave paintings to the work being created right now, this speed-date with a complex discipline will whet your appetite for the art that is all around us. We’ll discuss artists’ traditional and radical roles around the world, connecting style, structure, and meaning in new ways. Week 1: Thinking globally, looking...

A workshop focused on animals — perhaps the earliest subject of human visual culture. Students will explore rendering animals using a variety of approaches, including close observation and more process-based experiments. Subjects will include animals we see and know as well as mythical beasts and imaginative, hybrid creations, and we will consider...

In this course, students learn about the variety of ways that color is considered and used as a design element. Working with current color theory principles and models, students develop color plans and concepts in relationship to individual and group projects. This research is compiled in sketchbook/notebook format and is used as reference for independent...

This class dives into photography’s journey for its roots to the present day. The 19th century covers the inception of photography: the inventors, processes, rapid growth, the American Civil War, and the post-war years up until about 1900. The early 20th century covers Modernism and its photographers between 1900 – 1960. The late 20th century...

Interior design projects may involve totally new construction or the renovation, modernization, or refurbishment of an existing facility, space, or room. This course is intended for people who are considering a career in interior design. It provides a broad introduction to the profession and an overview of the education and requisite skills. The emphasis...

This hands-on course will teach you how to construct the geometric shapes that have played a dominant role in Islamic art and design over the centuries. With a compass and ruler, you will learn how to create the circles, triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, and their segments that underpin the non-figural decoration of both objects and structures...

The Los Angeles Center of Photography is thrilled to produce an ongoing series on the history of photography. The series, typically offered the second Friday of each month, will be divided into the genres of photography. This year features street photography, still life, landscape, documentary, and more. Schedule: Friday, February 12, 3 pm, PST – Street...

Use this time at home to clarify your understanding of art movements, themes, artists and art forms throughout history. Learn the chronology and the connection between art and the historical, cultural and political context in which it was made. Each week will be a different lecture covering a specific subject presented through a slide show and thematic...

This online course will provide students with a forum to show and discuss their studio work for technical and conceptual feedback. These critiques will be supplemented through presentations and discussions on historical artists’ images, customized to hue with the work presented by the students. In a typical class, students will present work for...

A large part of the design of interiors are the pieces of art that make up the visual and visceral impact of the space. The role of art can be the focal point of a room, or something that is well-suited for the background —something so subtle it merges into the environment seamlessly. This two-part course will look at varied fine art installations,...