The Elements of Art
Thursdays, January 22 – May 7, 6 – 9pm
Paul Cézanne. Mont Sainte-Victoire, 1892–95. The Barnes Foundation, BF13. Public Domain.
$550; members $495
(14 classes; no class Feb 26 & March 19)
About the Class
Understanding the fundamentals of visual language can transform your experience of art. Using our immersive visual arts platform as a classroom, we’ll explore the building blocks of artistic expression—color, light, line, and space—through conversation and analysis of works in the Barnes collection. This object-based approach encourages connections between artworks and the visual world we encounter every day. Ideal for beginners and lifelong learners alike, this course helps students develop an appreciation for how artists convey ideas through their formal choices.
Educators in Pennsylvania can receive 75 Act 48 credits for this course.
The class is online-only. More about online classes.
Already registered? Log in to Barnes Learning.
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.
Instructor
Kaelin Jewell
Jewell is a senior instructor in adult education at the Barnes and has been teaching art history for nearly 15 years. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in photography and art history from the University of Louisville’s Hite Institute of Art and Design and has a PhD in ancient and medieval art history from Temple University’s Tyler School of Art. Jewell is also a trained archaeologist and has worked on projects in the American Midwest and Sicily.
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 Our Students Say
“The instructor is a gifted individual who is able to [engage] with all different kinds of learners and motivate us to want to learn more, see more, and experience more. I would highly recommend any course by this instructor.” —Collection Concentration: Medieval Modern with Kaelin Jewell
“Martha Lucy knows how to balance her lecture with fact, excellent painting selections, and inclusion of the students.” —The Art and Life of Toulouse-Lautrec with Martha Lucy
“The best class to understand the elements of art. The instructor’s expertise and warmth, along with the excellent discussions with my classmates, made it a truly wonderful experience.” —The Elements of Art with William Perthes
“This class offered rich insight into Picasso and his contemporaries—the gallery scene, turn-of-the-century politics, Catalan culture, along with Picasso’s approach to composition and contemporary European culture. It was so informative.” —Picasso in Focus: New Discoveries at the Barnes with Christine Romano and Naina Saligram
“Caterina loves the material she presents and infuses all her classes—of which I have taken many—with that infectious enthusiasm.” —Rendez-vous au Café: Café Culture in 19th-Century Art with Caterina Pierre
Go Further
Discovering Daumier’s The Ribalds
This immersive workshop is an opportunity to study and discuss an individual work in the Barnes galleries. Instructor: William Perthes
Close-Looking Immersion: Cézanne’s Portrait of a Woman
Spend an hour with Cézanne’s haunting Portrait of a Woman. Instructor: William Perthes
Surrealism, Then and Now
Revisit the movement’s origin and global expansion and consider its legacy today. Instructor: Naina Saligram