September 2024
Gesture: Abstract Expressionists
From brushstrokes to drips and palette knives to spray cans, this lecture explores the role of the artist’s mark in several iconic paintings from the 20th- and 21st-century collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Muscarelle Museum of Art. While abstract expressionists such as Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning, whose bold, energetic and seemingly messy applications of paint are best known, a wider range of artists experimented with similar techniques. From European avant-garde artists experimenting with brutal brushstrokes of German expressionism and the loose, automatist lines of French surrealism, to African American artist Norman Lewis’ explorations…
Find out more »Origin and Importance of the Hudson River School in American Art
In 1825, the English émigré painter Thomas Cole sailed up the Hudson River to the Catskill Mountains, producing a series of landscape paintings that won him almost instant fame when he returned to New York City. The paintings caught the imagination of a public already entranced with the rugged beauty and seemingly untouched wilderness presented by writers such as James Fenimore Cooper. Cole’s work inspired a uniquely American movement of pastoral landscape painting that explored themes of discovery, exploration and nationalism. Join us to learn more about the origins of this movement, including examples from the collections of the Muscarelle…
Find out more »October 2024
Museum Origin Stories and AI: It’s Here!
The Muscarelle Museum of Art began with a near theft. Journey through centuries of colorful history, from the 18th-century to cutting-edge AI revolutionizing the art world. Explore our stunning new expansion and witness how our past shapes a brilliant future. Presented by Docent Harry Chancey Art in the Afternoon is a four-part lecture series presented by Muscarelle Docents. Join us Wednesdays in October at the Williamsburg Library (downtown branch) for these illuminated art history presentations.
Find out more »Hogarth’s Gritty London: The Birth of Modern Storytelling
Step into the salacious world of William Hogarth’s 18th-century England. Discover how this master of satire turned urban vice into commercial gold and laid the groundwork for the modern comic strip. From bawdy taverns to corrupt politicians, Hogarth’s prints offer a scandalous peek into a society on the brink of change. Presented by Docent Sandra Stephan Art in the Afternoon is a four-part lecture series presented by Muscarelle Docents. Join us Wednesdays in October at the Williamsburg Library (downtown branch) for these illuminated art history presentations. WILLIAM HOGARTH | English, 1697 - 1764 | The Enraged Musician, 1741 | Engraving and…
Find out more »Degas Decoded: The Work of a Grumpy Genius
Immerse yourself in the enigmatic world of Edgar Degas, where brilliance and misanthropy collide. This virtual tour takes you backstage in Belle Époque Paris to witness Degas’ revolutionary techniques up close, as if peering over the shoulder of the master himself. Unravel the complexities of an artistic giant who helped birth Impressionism while keeping the world at arm’s length. Presented by Docents Harry Chancey and Sandra Stephan Art in the Afternoon is a four-part lecture series presented by Muscarelle Docents. Join us Wednesdays in October at the Williamsburg Library (downtown branch) for these illuminated art history presentations. EDGAR DEGAS (French 1834…
Find out more »Framing the Future: Muscarelle Reimagined
Ahead of the re-opening of the Muscarelle, get an exclusive first look at the Museum’s breathtaking transformation through an illustrated lecture by Director David Brashear. Explore how this ambitious expansion will triple the Museum’s footprint, ushering in a new era of artistic possibility. Art in the Afternoon is a four-part lecture series presented by Muscarelle Docents. Join us Wednesdays in October at the Williamsburg Library (downtown branch) for these illuminated art history presentations.
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