Take a closer look at art next year with the National Gallery of Ireland

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Frederic William Burton (1816-1900), Hellelil and Hildebrand, the Meeting on the Turret Stairs (detail), 1864. Photo © National Gallery of Ireland.Credit

Three new online art appreciation courses in 2022.

The National Gallery of Ireland is delighted to announce a new series of online art appreciation courses which will take place in 2022. Scheduled for winter, spring and autumn, the 8-week evening courses offer the perfect opportunity to learn more about art and discover lesser-known works from the national collection.

Each unique course will be hosted by expert art historians and guest speakers. Launching in January 2022, Artist, Writer, Image: Literary and Artistic Connections in the National Gallery of Ireland connects visual art and the written word with art historian Dr Kathryn Milligan. From March to May 2022, art historian and Gallery guide Jessica Fahy will explore a time of great change in Rebel Artists: 20th-century Irish women artists. Finally, from October, The Art of Light moves from Caravaggio through to impressionistic art with Dr Sarah Wilson.

Interactive question and answer sessions will allow participants to pose questions and comments to the facilitators. Each session will be recorded and made available to view for one week afterwards to allow for catch up, or to watch again. 

Tickets go on sale exclusively to Friends of the National Gallery of Ireland from 17 November 2021, including a 20% discount. Tickets go on general sale on 1 December 2021. A 10% discount is available when booking all three 2022 courses together. Find out more at nationalgallery.ie.

Media contact:

Communications, National Gallery of Ireland, [email protected] 

Notes to Editor:

Images are available on request.

Ticket information:

Course details:

Winter 2022: Artist, Writer, Image: Literary and Artistic Connections in the National Gallery of Ireland  

  • With Dr Kathryn Milligan 
  • Tuesdays, 18.00–19.15
  • 11 January 2022–1 March 2022

Delve into the Gallery’s holdings to examine some of the relationships between visual art and the written word, encompassing paintings, drawings, prints, and library collections. Guest speakers will also appear on some sessions - including curators from the Gallery, artists and historians. Facilitator Dr Kathryn Milligan is an art historian specialising in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Irish art. 

Spring 2022: Rebel Artists – 20th-Century Irish Women Artists

  • With Jessica Fahy
  • Tuesdays,18.00–19.15
  • 29 March 2022–17 May 2022

This course will explore the early 20th century – a time of great change in Ireland, from the 1916 Rising to the formation of the Free State to the declaration of the Republic. This escape from the colonial past was in ways mirrored by the women’s liberation movement where a break from gendered traditions was enacted. Interestingly, this spirit of rebellion was simultaneously expressed in the overturning of the rules and traditions in Western art. This course will also examine the fascinating intersection of historically significant breaks with the past by looking at the art created by women artists in Ireland and abroad during the period of 1910–1970. Facilitator Jessica Fahy is a freelance art historian, and is on the lecturer and guide panels for the National Gallery of Ireland, the Hugh Lane Gallery and UCD School of Access and Lifelong Learning.

Autumn 2022: The Art of Light 

  • With Dr Sarah Wilson
  • Tuesdays, 18.00–19.15
  • 4 October–22 November 2022

For centuries, light has been a key element in some of the most powerful and enigmatic works in the history of art. Tantalising generations of artists, light moved beyond its function as a tool to become an allegory and subject in its own right. Throughout this course Dr Sarah Wilson will explore the artistic efforts to capture and translate the effects of light, while covering a range of topics including Caravaggio’s dramatically lit compositions to the central role of light in impressionistic paintings. Facilitator Dr Sarah Wilson is an art historian specialising in Roman antiquity and religious identity.

About the National Gallery of Ireland:

The National Gallery of Ireland is one of the country’s most popular visitor attractions housing the nation’s collection of European and Irish art from about 1300 to the present day, and an extensive Library & Archive. Entry to the collection is free for all to enjoy, learn and be inspired.

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