How to Look: Portraiture

Floors Six and Seven

Portraiture is one of the oldest and most pervasive artistic genres, as artists have long wanted to capture and memorialize an individual’s likeness. This course will introduce participants to a series of special, tailored techniques for looking at art, in front of works on view in the exhibition Human Interest: Portraits from the Whitney’s Collection. Drawing on the museum’s rich collection of American art since 1900, we will consider artists’ diverse approaches to portraiture and their attendant exploration of the complexity of rendering human character and expression.

The course instructor Michael Lobel is a professor of art history at Hunter College. His writings include three books, numerous exhibition catalog essays, and articles for such publications as Artforum, Art in America, and Art Bulletin. His curatorial projects include the exhibition Fugitive Artist: The Early Work of Richard Prince, 1974–77 for the Neuberger Museum of Art.

Three–session course: Tuesdays, November 29; December 6, 13
3–4:30 pm

Enrollment: $325
Members: $250
Students: $250

Please email courses@whitney.org from your student email address to receive this rate.

The course will take place in the Human Interest galleries when the Museum is closed to the public. Please email courses@whitney.org for inquiries and information about this course.