Art Appreciation: How to Interpret Paintings

Who is the old man dressed in yellow and holding a large key in the painting you are looking at? Why are there oranges on a chest in this other painting? And why is this horse painted blue? What about this snail painted in the foreground of an Annunciation?? If you have ever wondered what it all means when standing in front of a work of art, this session is for you! In this three-hour session, we will discuss a range of methods we have to interpret paintings, and figure out what they mean. This short session aims to be practical and useful, as it is designed to give you some keys to be more confident in your appreciation of paintings. Some of the themes introduced are: - What is iconography and how it works - How to recognise symbols and attributes in a painting - Why is the context key in understanding the meaning of the work of art - Are psychology and the artist’s biography important? - Do abstract paintings have a meaning? - Is my interpretation as valid as the artist’s original intent? This session is arranged in three parts, with two short comfort breaks.