The History of Landscape Painting
Class | Registration opens 7/20/26 10:00 AM
Nature has always provided tranquility, a sense of wonder and solace. Artists have been inspired throughout the ages. In Europe, however, art academies did not accept landscape painting as a legitimate genre. In this course we will examine some of the painters who challenged the established hierarchy. They include two Frenchmen who spent the bulk of their careers in Rome: Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain. In France proper, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Charles Francois D’Aubigny were members of the Barbizon School. Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable were proponents of landscape painting in England. Caspar Davis Friedrich exemplified Romanticism in Germany. Possibly some of the names of these trailblazers are new to you. One of my goals is to expand your horizons as art connoisseurs.
The class will be lectures with accompanying visuals, and class participation will be encouraged. Weekly preparation time should be 30-60 minutes
Books and Other Resources:
I will provide visuals and/or written articles, along with questions to be discussed in class.
Margaret Dergalis (Landscape)
I began taking art history and studio painting classes in high school. The true foundation of my knowledge comes from the multi-year courses taught by a professional artist and my late husband, George Dergalis. I was able to observe the creative process from its inception to fruition by observing George at work in his studio. I’ve teamed up with Margalit Lai to teach four prior courses and taught The Art of the Northern Renaissance in the spring 2026 semester.