Age of the Baroque
The story of the Age of Baroque is a tale of today. To examine the 17th Century is to reveal the 21st. Two centuries united by tribalism, sectarianism, and acquiescence to unreasoning power. We shall explore this dynamic period through the lens of its greatest artists.
Art has always been the handmaiden of power, a truism magnified in this era, which was all about power -- its uses and abuses. The power of grand monarchs, whether Philip IV of Spain or France’s Sun King, Louis XIV; the power of a monolithic Church confronting the existential threat of Martin Luther’s Reformation; the power of belief and of ideas and, ultimately, the power of great art.
Linda Blair received her BA from Mills College and her MA from the University of San Diego. She has lectured on diverse topics in European art history for many years, primarily on the East Coast. Locally, she has lectured at The San Diego Museum of Art and UCSD Extension in addition to the Athenaeum. The January 15 and 18 lectures will cover Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The January 22 and 25 lectures cover Caravaggio. The January 29 and February 1 lectures cover Velazquez. The February 5 and 8 lectures cover Peter Paul Rubens. The February 12 and 13 lectures cover Rembrandt.