Classes

The Impressionists and the Creation of a Modern Vision

Manet is arguably one of the most important painters in the history of art. But for all his celebrity, and for all those who claim him to be their own, he is remarkably difficult to categorize or pin down. Manet would have preferred this. Opinionated, cantankerous, protective of his talent and his own mythology, Manet would exert a profound influence on the artists who were his contemporaries and those of the younger generation. This series of lectures will look at Manet and his works in the historical context of the French Second Empire and the Third Republic and show why the younger generation of Impressionists, including Monet, Renoir and Pissaro, would embrace some of Manet’s artistic theories and reject others, keeping Manet close but separate. The solitary and individualistic Manet preferred it no other way.

Week 1: Introduction: France in the 19th Century. Political and Artistic upheaval, the French Academy in Crises and the Avant-garde— the Specter of David. Delacroix, Ingres, Courbet, Millet and the young Manet.

Week 2: Manet and the Art Establishment–venturing into shark-filled waters. But when one is a shark, one knows what to do. Patronage, the State, the official Salon and the desire for legitimacy.

Week 3: The young Impressionists, succeeding on the coattails of Manet? “Who is this Monet whose name sounds just like mine and who is taking advantage of my notoriety?”

Week 4: The lone lion.
Manet at the end of the 19th Century: Acerbically beautiful comments on the harsh reality of contemporary life. Un bar aux Folies Bergère. The idealism and escapism of the Impressionists.

Week 5: The State of the Art before the War. Fragmentation and contention: The Post-Impressionists engage the legacy of Manet while the Impressionists dissolve into the color and light of denial.

Week 6: The End of the World and the Ideal of Beauty Dims. Late Monet and Renoir – escaping into color or reestablishing form. The reaction against Impressionism, a different Modernism and the Triumph of Manet.

No class Feb 17

The Friendship of Edith Wharton and Henry James

Tucson Session

Edith Jones Wharton (1862-1937) was a millionairess of impeccable Old New York pedigree (“Keeping up with the Joneses” originated with her wealthy family). She was beginning her literary career when she first met Henry James (1843-1916) who was from a distinguished academic family and already an acclaimed American novelist. These two literary figures who portray the lifestyles of the rich and famous of the late 19th century became the closest of friends for many years – until Henry’s death in England in 1916.

Edith nicknamed Henry “The Master” and Henry nicknamed Edith “The Millionairess.” These two award-winning authors are considered the masters of literary realism in America in a period Mark Twain called “the Gilded Age”.

Wharton and James spent long periods visiting each other in both America and Europe and influencing each other’s novels and short stories depicting the difference between American and European cultures.

Please join Dr. Bill Fry for a glimpse into the powerful friendship that both Wharton and James considered one of the most important in their lives.

Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in music history, was inspired by the philosophical and moral principles developed by the Enlightenment.

Beethoven’s evolution as a composer takes us from the height of musical classicism, exemplified by Mozart’s mature works, to early German Romanticism. Beethoven wrote his beautiful and innovative late string quartets and piano sonatas despite his near deafness. In fact, because of his deafness, during his last creative surge Beethoven tapped into a unique world of his own. He soared into completely uncharted territories, unencumbered by any musical influences and guided only by his unique fantasy and intuition.

We will follow Beethoven’s progress as a composer from the “heroic” phase of his creative life, which includes his Symphonies #3 and #5, his piano sonata “Appassionata” and other works, to his late piano sonatas and Symphonies #6 and #9.

Enjoy in-class performances of Beethoven’s most popular piano sonatas – “Pathetique,” “Moonlight,” “Waldstein,” “Appassionata,” and other less known sonatas, plus early Romantic compositions by Schubert and Schumann, and late Romantic pieces by Brahms.

From Hunters and Gatherers to the Atomic Age

Trace the development of human culture after their emergence from Africa and entrance to the Americas. Students of Tracking the Footsteps of Humanity will get the “rest of the story” as modern humans spread throughout the globe, commit to agriculture, and establish global civilizations. Students that have not taken Tracking the Footsteps of Humanity, will have no problem jumping into the story as people begin to settle down on a global scale. The course will introduce archaeological and anthropological methods, theory, and findings through the lens of 7 broad topics. Class meetings include lecture, discussion, and readings.

Week 1: Introduction to Archaeology

Week 2: Complex Hunters and Gatherers

Week 3: Domestication

Week 4: Origins of Complexity

Week 5: Archaeology of Food and Fermentation

Week 6: Archaeology of Warfare and Violence

Week 7: Archaeology of the Modern World

The Friendship of Edith Wharton and Henry James

Oro Valley Session

Edith Jones Wharton (1862-1937) was a millionairess of impeccable Old New York pedigree (“Keeping up with the Joneses” originated with her wealthy family). She was beginning her literary career when she first met Henry James (1843-1916) who was from a distinguished academic family and already an acclaimed American novelist. These two literary figures who portray the lifestyles of the rich and famous of the late 19th century became the closest of friends for many years – until Henry’s death in England in 1916.

Edith nicknamed Henry “The Master” and Henry nicknamed Edith “The Millionairess.” These two award-winning authors are considered the masters of literary realism in America in a period Mark Twain called “the Gilded Age”.

Wharton and James spent long periods visiting each other in both America and Europe and influencing each other’s novels and short stories depicting the difference between American and European cultures.

Please join Dr. Bill Fry for a glimpse into the powerful friendship that both Wharton and James considered one of the most important in their lives.

The Hollywood Dance Machine

Choose from 2 Sessions

Session 1
Session 2

Join Richard Hanson for a celebration of the greatest dance sequences in the history of the Hollywood Movie Musical. For almost 100 years, the Hollywood Dream Machine showcased the greatest dancers of the 20th Century, who fired the imagine of audiences who sat in the dark, watching celluloid images leap and spiral on the silver screen. Dance Fever! explores the rich history of dance in movie musicals.

We’ll honor the directors, choreographers, and stars who made the movies dance. Join the Gold Diggers as they Shuffle off to Buffalo at Warner Bros! Thrill as Fred & Ginger dance Cheek To Cheek at RKO! Marvel as the queens of tap Ann Miller and Eleanor Powell shim-sham across mirrored dance floors. Bow down as the Nicholas Brothers defy gravity. Salute Jimmy Cagney tappin’ away in Give My Regards to Broadway. Cheer Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain during the golden years of MGM!

Peek behind the screen into the soundstage and explore the creative process of the Hollywood choreographer and dancer. Revel in Busby Berkeley’s Lullaby of Broadway in 42nd St., Michael Kidd’s Raising the Barn in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Jerome Robbin’s The Small House of Uncle Thomas in The King and I, Agnes de Mille’s glorious Dream Ballet in Oklahoma, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, John Travolta’s tearing the dance floor up in Saturday Night Fever and Gene Kelly’s masterpiece, the An American In Paris ballet.

The movie musical also preserved a visual history of social dance. From the Minuet to the Waltz, the Turkey Trot to the Charleston, the Jitterbug to the Hand Jive, the Twist to the Mashed Potato, or the Conga to the Funky Chicken, social dance leapt from the ball room to the screen. These film treasures show how America danced through the decades.

So, put on your dancin’ shoes and join Cyd Charisse, Gregory Hines, Bob Hope, Leslie Caron, Ruby Keeler, Jacques d’Amboise, Russ Tamblyn, Moira Shearer, Patrick Swayze and a cast of thousands in a Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! extravaganza that salutes the glorious Hooray for Hollywood world of musical movie dance.

“Come and meet those dancing feet
On the avenue I’m taking you to
Forty-Second Street!”

– Harry Warren/Al Dubin (1933)

Instructor’s Note: Dance Fever! is the second in a series of You Asked For It! classes. Dance Fever! was inspired by a 2018 Washington Post article, The 31 Best Dance Scenes in Movies which was given to me by Jill Drell. Thank you, Jill!

The Hollywood Dance Machine

Choose from 2 Sessions

Session 1
Session 2

Join Richard Hanson for a celebration of the greatest dance sequences in the history of the Hollywood Movie Musical. For almost 100 years, the Hollywood Dream Machine showcased the greatest dancers of the 20th Century, who fired the imagine of audiences who sat in the dark, watching celluloid images leap and spiral on the silver screen. Dance Fever! explores the rich history of dance in movie musicals.

We’ll honor the directors, choreographers, and stars who made the movies dance. Join the Gold Diggers as they Shuffle off to Buffalo at Warner Bros! Thrill as Fred & Ginger dance Cheek To Cheek at RKO! Marvel as the queens of tap Ann Miller and Eleanor Powell shim-sham across mirrored dance floors. Bow down as the Nicholas Brothers defy gravity. Salute Jimmy Cagney tappin’ away in Give My Regards to Broadway. Cheer Gene Kelly Singin’ in the Rain during the golden years of MGM!

Peek behind the screen into the soundstage and explore the creative process of the Hollywood choreographer and dancer. Revel in Busby Berkeley’s Lullaby of Broadway in 42nd St., Michael Kidd’s Raising the Barn in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Jerome Robbin’s The Small House of Uncle Thomas in The King and I, Agnes de Mille’s glorious Dream Ballet in Oklahoma, Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, John Travolta’s tearing the dance floor up in Saturday Night Fever and Gene Kelly’s masterpiece, the An American In Paris ballet.

The movie musical also preserved a visual history of social dance. From the Minuet to the Waltz, the Turkey Trot to the Charleston, the Jitterbug to the Hand Jive, the Twist to the Mashed Potato, or the Conga to the Funky Chicken, social dance leapt from the ball room to the screen. These film treasures show how America danced through the decades.

So, put on your dancin’ shoes and join Cyd Charisse, Gregory Hines, Bob Hope, Leslie Caron, Ruby Keeler, Jacques d’Amboise, Russ Tamblyn, Moira Shearer, Patrick Swayze and a cast of thousands in a Gotta Sing! Gotta Dance! extravaganza that salutes the glorious Hooray for Hollywood world of musical movie dance.

“Come and meet those dancing feet
On the avenue I’m taking you to
Forty-Second Street!”

– Harry Warren/Al Dubin (1933)

Instructor’s Note: Dance Fever! is the second in a series of You Asked For It! classes. Dance Fever! was inspired by a 2018 Washington Post article, The 31 Best Dance Scenes in Movies which was given to me by Jill Drell. Thank you, Jill!