The World's Greatest Paintings

by William Kloss

An unfathomable number of paintings have been created since humans began creating art, but only a small percentage of them have earned the title of masterwork. These paintings have become icons of culture that help us understand our world and its history more deeply. But what makes a masterwork? In these 24 illuminating lessons, you will examine the impact of paintings that challenged the conventions of their times, served as visual anchors of faith, politics, philosophy, mythology, and literature, and depicted human life in a way that reflected their society. You'll travel through time from the 14th century to the 20th with acclaimed art historian Professor William Kloss. Focusing on 65 masterpieces of Western painting, including key works by Giotto, Titian, Vermeer, Rembrandt, and Picasso, The World's Greatest Paintings offers you a vivid, visceral encounter with genius, shining light on the unique technical, stylistic, and expressive achievements of each painting. You will learn how to evaluate composition, style, interpretation, and technical elements such as light, color, and brushwork. Taking his cue from the deeper motives that inspired these great works, Professor Kloss then uses pictorial analysis to bring you directly into the presence of the extraordinary, elemental power of these paintings - their ability to astonish, to uplift, to unsettle, to ultimately shake our sense of reality, leading us to richer domains of experience and of the appreciation of life.

Genres: History, Art

97 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Yvonne · Rating 3 out of 5]

DVD companion is a must to see the beauty of the works. This course introduced me to paintings, artists, and places I hadn't heard of before. As always, The Great Courses series does not disappoint!

[Peter Mendrela · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like your favourite theologian expounding on the concept of trinity: same fervour, same devotion, same ethereal passion...and, unfortunately, same degree of understanding of the profane beauty of art.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Great Courses was an interesting look into many great paintings. The lecturer of course knows this list is neither definitive not exhaustive, and that’s a good thing because my list would be very different. The lecturer definitely had to narrow paintings down to only his absolute favorites.

The lecturer’s paintings focus on form more than color, although color is definitely noted when that is the cause of a painting’s genius. The lecturer prefers Renaissance, Dutch Baroque, and Impressionism/Post-Impressionism, with Rembrandt and Monet being the only painters with two paintings on the list.

The paintings discussed in this course tend towards groups of many figures, although portraits, pure landscapes, and abstract paintings have their share in the limelight. My favorite paintings discussed in this course are the hidden gems and deep cuts of an artist’s catalog that I’ve never heard of before. Many paintings, however, feel like they were only chosen out of obligation, either because they are obvious masterpieces or to accompany another painting in the course.

All of the painters in this course are men. There are no paintings by artists like Artemisia Gentileschi, Georgia O’Keeffe, or Frida Kahlo. I get the feeling that the lecturer would have included them if he had more space, because many of the paintings he chooses are those featuring women, naked or otherwise.

I don’t know what my favorite of the paintings in this course is. Probably something obvious like Guernica. I know what my least favorite painting is, however. It is the Tiepolo ceiling painting, because I think it is racist. Overall, I loved the paintings in this course and the emotional way the lecturer discusses them.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting series, just overly speculative at times with interpretation.