Embark on a compelling tour of some of the most significant paintings in Western art with the 24 richly illustrated lectures of The World's Greatest Paintings. Distinguished art historian and Professor William Kloss reveals a group of works that span the 14th century to the 20th and that—in his expert judgment—rank among the greatest paintings ever made. As you explore one of the supreme legacies of human life, you'll enjoy an unforgettable encounter with daring and sublime works of art.
The World's Greatest Paintings
Enjoy an unforgettable encounter with daring and sublime works of art in this compelling tour of some of the most significant paintings ever produced.
Overview
About
Professor William Kloss is an independent art historian and scholar who lectures and writes about a wide range of European and American art. He was educated at Oberlin College, where he earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in Art History. He continued his postgraduate work on a teaching fellowship at the University of Michigan and was then awarded a Fulbright Fellowship for two years of study in Rome. As Assistant Professor of Art History at the University of Virginia, he taught 17th- and 18th-century European art and 19th-century French art. Professor Kloss has enjoyed a long association with the Smithsonian Institution, presenting more than 150 courses in the United States and abroad on subjects ranging from ancient Greek art to Impressionism to the works of Winslow Homer. He has also been a featured lecturer for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and for The Art Institute of Chicago. Professor Kloss serves on the Committee for the Preservation of the White House, a presidential appointment he has held since 1990. He is the author of several books, including Art in the White House: A Nation's Pride (2nd edition), which won the 2009 National Indie Excellence Award in the Art Category, as well as a 2009 USABookNews award for Best Book in Art. Most recently, he coauthored the United States Senate Catalogue of Fine Art. He also has written articles published in Winterthur Portfolio, The Magazine Antiques, American Arts Quarterly, and Antiques & Fine Art.
Trailer
01: Greatness in Painting
What makes a masterpiece? Look at criteria for defining greatness in painting, including a work's uniqueness and the quality of its impact, both immediate and cumulative.
31 min
02: The Majesty of Duccio and Giotto
Your exploration begins with two composite masterworks of Italian painting. In the "Maestá" altarpiece by Duccio, grasp the elements of the painting's visual impact and spatial carrying power, its dramatic composition and imagery. In the Arena Chapel frescoes by Giotto, study the powerful depictions of devotion and grief in two narrative scenes.
29 min
03: Acts of Faith—Masaccio, Van Eyck, Van der Weyden
This lecture traces landmark religious imagery in 15th-century painting. Define Masaccio's narrative ability in two biblical fresco scenes from the Brancacci Chapel. Then discover Jan van Eyck's brilliant melding of realistic portraiture and sacred images in "Madonna of the Canon van der Paele," and the emotional intensity and compositional richness of Rogier van der Weyden's "Deposition of Christ."
32 min
04: The Diversity of Piero, Mantegna, Botticelli
You now encounter three major painters of the Italian Renaissance. In Piero della Francesca's "Resurrection," reflect on the fresco's commanding image of the risen Christ and its mathematical composition. Later, contemplate Andrea Mantegna's extraordinary innovations in "illusionistic" painting and the luminous mysteries of Botticelli's "Primavera."
31 min
05: The Devotion of Bellini, Geertgen, Dürer
You continue with three extraordinary evocations of religious devotion. In Bellini's "St. Francis in the Desert," witness the portrayal of the saint's passion for nature by means of divine light. Study the multilayered pictorial details enriching Geertgen's "Madonna with Musical Angels" and the spiritual import in Dürer's monumental "Self-Portrait."
32 min
06: Masterworks by Leonardo, Raphael, Correggio
Track the dramatic interaction of the human figures in Leonardo's iconic "Last Supper" and the composition's rich theological symbolism. Then define Raphael's embodiment of High Renaissance ideals in "Baldassare Castiglione," and the poetic eroticism of Correggio's illusionistic "Jupiter and Io."
30 min
07: Great Ensembles—Michelangelo and Grünewald
In scenes from Michelangelo's stunning Sistine Chapel ceiling, study the compositional power of "The Creation of Adam" and the weighty emotion of the ominous "Prophet Jeremiah." Continuing with a highly contrasting masterwork of German art, penetrate the mystical evocation of suffering and ecstasy in Matthias Grünewald's "Isenheim Altarpiece."
32 min
08: Ideal and Real—Giorgione, Titian, Holbein
You encounter the "Concert Champêtre" (1510–1511), worked on by both Giorgione and Titian, uncovering the enigmatic imagery of its Arcadian scene. Then study Titian's radiant portrayal of the Virgin Mary in the "Assumption" and the richly detailed execution of Holbein's portrait, "Charles de Solier."
30 min
09: Living and Dying—Bruegel, El Greco, Caravaggio
Explore three contrasting 16th-century masterworks. In Bruegel's "Hunters in the Snow," investigate the artist's layering of descriptive scenes within a vast space. Conclude with the haunting details and symbolic compositions of El Greco's "Burial of Count Orgaz" and Caravaggio's "The Entombment."
30 min
10: Life Stories by Ter Brugghen, Rubens, Steen
Probe Hendrick Ter Brugghen's tender, understated evocation of the healing of St. Sebastian. Then learn about Rubens's ingenuity as a court painter in his operatic "Landing of Marie de Medici in Marseilles," and the masterful organization and roguish imagery of Jan Steen's "The way you hear it, is the way you sing it."
30 min
11: Inside Vermeer, Velázquez, Rembrandt
Explore three introspective works of genius. In "View of Delft," reflect on Vermeer's purpose in this becalmed, idealized rendering of his city. Also decode the ambiguous, philosophical composition of Velazquez's "Maids of Honor," and Rembrandt's richly costumed, stoic portrayal of himself in his "Self-Portrait" of 1658.
30 min
12: Spirit and Thought—Hals, Rembrandt, La Tour
Study Hals's penetrating treatment of elderly women in a Haarlem group portrait. Then explore Rembrandt's expression of a couple's deep emotion through an intimate configuration of hands and fabric, and La Tour's evocation of mystical contemplation through a flame.
28 min
13: The Serenity of Poussin, Claude, Watteau
Define the measured grace and brilliant use of color, shape, and gesture in Poussin's "Eliezer and Rebecca." Study the elements of Lorrain's consummate mastery of the landscape, and the dreamlike qualities of Watteau's wistful fantasy, the "Embarkation for Cythera."
31 min
14: In Contrast—Chardin, Tiepolo, Gainsborough
Three diverse works reveal 18th-century achievements in painting. In a small still life, ponder Chardin's delicate, intimate portrayal of game animals in death. Then discover Tiepolo's apotheosis of fresco painting in "Apollo and the Four Continents," and Gainsborough's ingenious melding of sitter and landscape in his portrait "Mrs. Richard Brinsley Sheridan."
31 min
15: Dark Images of David, Goya, Friedrich
Portrayals of brutality open this lecture. Observe David's merging of idealized presentation and realism in the stark "Death of Marat," and Goya's bitter vision of military retaliation in "Third of May, 1808." Finally, study the Romantic evocation of nature in Friedrich's "Man and Woman Contemplating the Moon."
29 min
16: The Worlds of Constable, Turner, Delacroix
Compare the styles and originality of British landscape masters Constable and Turner, highlighting Constable's compositional technique and signature cloud-filled skies, plus Turner's bravura use of color and light. In Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People," examine the artist's allegorical fusing of symbol and reality in the heat of France's 1830 revolution.
29 min
17: Dark to Bright—Courbet, Church, Monet
French and American canvases reveal bold innovations in 19th-century painting. Contemplate the elements of Realism in Gustave Courbet's sprawling, slow-motion composition of a rural funeral, followed by Frederic Church's dynamically original depiction of Niagara Falls. Then study Monet's blaze of sunlight and color on a snowscape in "The Magpie."
30 min
18: Alone and Together—Whistler, Degas, Renoir
In the ever-familiar image of Whistler's mother seated in profile, observe the superlative blending of abstract, formal composition with the intimate portrayal of a living woman. Follow with the pictorial riches and psychological ambiguities of Degas' "In a Café," and the virtuoso staging and color of Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party."
29 min
19: Unlike Any Other—Sargent, Manet, Seurat
In John Singer Sargent's elusive portrait of the daughters of a friend, ponder the unusual placement and psychological separation of the subjects. Then, explore the deliberate unreality of Manet's "Bar at the Folies-Bergère," and Seurat's suspended, Pointillist rendering of Parisians in "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte."
31 min
20: Close Observation—Cézanne, Van Gogh, Homer
Uncover the structural geometry and unity of focus in Cézanne's "The Card Players," as they create the weighty, timeless concentration of the figures. Also witness the structure and balance of Van Gogh's sun-baked vista in "The Harvest," and Winslow Homer's dramatic merging of self with subject in "Fox Hunt."
30 min
21: The Human Condition—Munch, Matisse, Schiele
Analyze Munch's pictorial composition of "The Scream," as its pulsating visual field embodies the figure's cry of psychic terror. In stunning contrast, study Matisse's lyrical, floating colors and figures in "The Joy of Life," then conclude with Egon Schiele's "The Family" and its bold evocation of his own hopes and fears.
31 min
22: Art in Time of War—Monet and Picasso
Two milestones of 20th-century art: Learn about the creation and the architectural display of Monet's transcendent series of water-lilies, parsing his superlative brushwork reflecting sky, clouds, and sunlight on water. Then take apart the writhing, nightmarish images in Picasso's "Guernica," evincing his pained response to the atrocities of war.
31 min
23: Time and Memory—Magritte, Hopper, Gorky
In Magritte's "Time Transfixed," observe how the artist calmly dislocates our sense of temporal and physical reality. In the famous "Nighthawks," study Hopper's careful, deliberate design evoking the silent separateness of the figures. Finally, trace Gorky's inspired craft in bringing to life the joyful explosion of color in "The Plough and the Song."
31 min
24: Expressive Abstractions—Pollock and Hofmann
Track Jackson Pollock's whole-body approach to putting paint on canvas, and tease out the layered color fields in his elemental force of nature, "Lavender Mist." Then contrast Hans Hofmann's mastery of geometry and color with his brutal, agonized creation, "to JFK." Conclude with reflections on the power of great art.
32 min
