Barnes Curious? Let’s Talk about Renoir

About the Class

Curious about what it feels like to learn inside the Barnes galleries? This new on-site series invites participants into an hour of guided close looking and conversation centered on a single artist or artwork from the collection.

In this session, we’ll explore Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Mussel-Fishers at Berneval through collaborative observation and discussion inspired by the Barnes Method. Together, we’ll consider how Renoir used color, brushwork, composition, and light to shape the experience of modern life and landscape.

Designed for both first-time visitors and longtime learners, this informal class offers an accessible introduction to the Barnes’s distinctive approach to art education.

Capacity: 25

Barnes classes will:

• Sharpen your observational and critical-thinking skills.
• Improve your ability to communicate about art.
• Deepen your appreciation for cultures and histories outside your own.

See all classes.

Barnes Method

Barnes Method courses follow the teachings of Albert Barnes and Violette de Mazia. Classes focus on rigorous formal analysis and direct visual engagement with works of art. In this method, close looking at art helps build critical-thinking skills that can be carried beyond the gallery walls.

What Students Are Saying

“Joe Tokumasu Field was a wonderful instructor. He’s patient, caring, and skilled at interacting with students’ questions and comments.” —The Japanese American Century with Joseph Tokumasu Field

“This was an exciting course with fascinating and informative lectures and well-chosen pictures. Franits is a brilliant teacher.” —17th-Century Dutch Art’s “Holy Trinity”: Hals, Rembrandt, and Vermeer with Wayne Franits

“The instructor was outstanding in every way—an expert in the subject, enthusiastic about the material, solicitous and supportive of students’ observations, and brilliant in expanding our discussion as warranted. The best Barnes instructor I’ve had, by far.” —The Nabis: Late 19th-Century Prophets of the New with Larissa Bailiff

“I enjoyed the course very much and liked how each week focused on a different topic relevant to the subject. Caterina is an engaging speaker, and you can tell she loves what she is teaching. Her enthusiasm and sense of humor come through.” —Famous Heists: Crimes in the History of Art with Caterina Pierre

“I felt at peace afterward and appreciated the art so much more than before.” —Being Present with Art: Cultivating Balance for Spring with Roksana Filipowska