The Elements of Art

About the Class

Learning the fundamentals of visual language can transform the way you experience art. Using the Barnes galleries as our classroom, we’ll explore the building blocks of artistic expression, including color, light, line, and space, through conversation and close looking at works in the collection.

Grounded in the Barnes Method, this course encourages participants to slow down, sharpen their observational skills, and experience looking at art as an active process of discovery. Whether you’re new to art or looking to deepen your understanding, you’ll build skills that can help you see and engage with art in new ways.

Educators in Pennsylvania can receive 50 Act 48 credits for The Elements of Art.

Capacity: 18

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 Dr. 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 was not only knowledgeable but so accessible, and such an inviting presence. She provided great reading to supplement the course.” —Mary Cassatt: Art, Identity, and Independence with Larissa Bailiff

“Pierre brings the art alive with her inside stories and images and how she interacts with the students. She is always able to answer and follow up with more information at the next class.” —Exhibiting Modernism: From the Salon to the Avant-Garde with Caterina Pierre

“Alison Boyd was engaging and effective during the online instruction, and she offered well-selected background materials for further reading.” —Aaron Douglas from Harlem to Philly with Alison Boyd