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Masters in Art

The 14th through the 16th centuries were a time period when arts and culture exploded into significance on a scale never before realized in the world. Every culture experienced an obsession to create, collect, and critique works of art, from the written letter to the spoken word, music, visual arts like painting, sculpture, and drawing. The Italian Renaissance was the "hot zone", and had dynamic effects on world culture and policy. For the artisan of the time, what used to be a very ethno-centric position in society depending on innumerable factors unique to that society, became what we would call today Big Business.

In Masters in Art, we focus on one particular artist from this time period, or near there, and we delve into their life. We want to understand what circumstances drove them to create their works, what their personalities were like, and the world around them, and essentially we want to know what really differentiated them from their peers, and even artists of today. We want to know why we still talk about them now, hundreds of years later. Why was their legacy so powerful, so lasting? What were the standards of art at the time, and how does that relate to today?

Each class will be different, featuring a single unique artist. Features of the class are a visual presentation given by Jörundr Haustmyrkr (Jason Behnke), books and materials for the students to enjoy. The intention of the class is for each of us to walk away with a firm understanding of a single particular artist from the most amazing period of arts and culture the world has ever known.