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The History of Art – Thursdays, 7:00PM
Fall Quarter (10 weeks): October 8 – December 17, 2026
(no class November 26)
The Art of Ancient Greece and Rome
Join us this year to study the great heritage of Western art from the Greeks to the present. Over three quarters (30 weeks), our comprehensive course offers you the opportunity to view, experience, and evaluate great works of art created over the past 5,000 years. In the Fall quarter, we begin with the art of the Greeks and its Roman interpretations. In the Winter quarter, we study the art of the Middle Ages and enjoy the great age of the Renaissance—the age of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael. In the Spring quarter, we begin with the 17th century, the age of Caravaggio and Rembrandt, and then move forward to the Enlightenment, the era of Gainsborough and Goya. We then consider the 19th century and the profound changes in art wrought by the Impressionists, before turning to the revolutionaries of 1900, Matisse and Picasso.
(Please see syllabus. Note that the syllabus dates are yet to be updated for the 2026-27 academic year.)
William H. Fredlund, the Director of the Institute, obtained his B.A. and M.A. from UCLA, where he specialized in European history and art history. He studied in Italy on a Fulbright Fellowship and completed a double Ph.D. in history and humanities at Stanford, specializing in Renaissance Italy. Dr. Fredlund has taught for UCLA, the University of Florence, Stanford, and UCSC Extension.
