Portraits of Women: From the Mona Lisa to Cindy Sherman

Creating the likeness of women has intrigued artists and fascinated art lovers for centuries. How to depict a woman? In this course, we will look at the wide range of possibilities, from the most famous portrait—Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa—to ultra-contemporary photography, including self-portraits, mythological portraits, portraits in disguise, heroic and state portraits, famous sitters, mistresses, queens, and notorious ladies. We will discuss important concepts such as  beauty and grace, eroticism and motherhood, intellect and fame, tragedy and notoriety, nonchalance and sprezzatura, and fashion. This course will examine works by Raphael, Dürer, Boucher, Ingres, Singer Sargent, Picasso, Lempicka, Warhol, Hockney, Sherman, and Leibovitz, among others.
Continuing Education Units (CEU) : 0

You'll walk away with

• Familiarity with famous portraits of women, from the Renaissance to today
• An understanding of the cultural and historical contexts that have influenced how women are depicted

Ideal for

• Art enthusiasts
• Prospective and practicing arts professionals