This course is your gateway to a stunning story. In 48 beautifully illustrated lectures you will encounter visual landmarks and some completely new works in a comprehensive survey of Western art since the Middle Ages. Works include: Giotto's Arena Chapel, Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece, Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, Michelangelo's David, Vermeer's View of Delft, Van Gogh's The Starry Night, Picasso's Guernica, and hundreds more. Your guide is Professor William Kloss, an independent art historian long connected with the seminar and tour programs of the Smithsonian Associates at the Smithsonian Institution.

Professor Richard Brettell creates a vivid, "virtual" museum through which to appreciate the genius and enduring accomplishments of the Impressionists: the men and women who, in but a few short decades, forever changed the art of painting. Degas, Renoir, Manet and the other 19th-century Impressionists highlight this deft mix of history, biography, and art showcasing the artists who virtually invented the sensibility that we take for granted today as the "modern."

Broaden your enjoyment and understanding of two vital periods in art with these courses, both available only in visual formats so you can view important works as they are being discussed.