Peel back the layers of meaning embedded within 17th-century Dutch paintings to reveal the purpose and context of these extraordinary works. Our investigation of virtue and vice will focus on a selection of images by outstanding artists including Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch and Nicolaes Maes. Why were depictions of lewdness and wanton behaviour – or conversely, modesty and diligence – such recurring themes? We’ll look closely at genre paintings (depictions of everyday life) to discover why they became a particularly popular and vibrant subject for newly-Protestant Dutch painters at this time.

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Joining Information and Format: This course will be taught through Zoom Webinar. Each course session duration is 120 minutes, including a five-minute break and time for Q&A with the tutor.

Tickets are for both dates. Ticket holders will be emailed the Zoom link, Webinar ID and Passcode 24 hours in advance of the first course session, which should be retained for accessing both sessions of the course.

Course Recording: This course will be recorded. Within 48 hours of each course session, ticket holders will be emailed a link to view the recording, which will be available for two weeks