Leonardo da Vinci completed fewer than twenty paintings in his lifetime, yet he returned twice to the same mysterious subject: The Virgin of the Rocks. The first, completed in c.1483-4, now at the Louvre in Paris, was Leonardo's magnum opus. Using all the skill and training he had acquired in Early Renaissance Florence, the painting’s brilliance catapulted Leonardo from obscurity to fame in the court of the warlord, Ludovico Sforza in Milan. Yet its mysterious disappearance in the early 1490s meant that Leonardo had to start again. When, in 1508, he finished the second version, now held at the National Gallery, London, he was nearing the end of his painting career and an international celebrity. He had been working on The Virgin of the Rocks commission for twenty-five years. Why did he revisit the same iconography twice? What is the meaning behind the cavernous subterranean landscape? What lies behind the colder monumentality of the second London version?

This course, based on Katy Blatt’s book, Leonardo and the Virgin of the Rocks (Cambridge Scholars, 2017), tells the story of Leonardo and his two paintings of The Virgin of the Rocks over the 25-year period in which he worked on them, and during which time he made revolutionary discoveries in the realm of art, but also anatomy, optics and philosophy. Through analyses of Leonardo’s paintings, notebooks and technical experimentation, this course will reveal how this single painting commission holds the key to the most dramatic scientific, philosophical, and psychological transformations of Leonardo’s life.

Timed to coincide with the recent reopening of the National Gallery’s Renaissance Rooms, this course will be taught at West Dean’s Bloomsbury campus with a special visit to see the Virgin of the Rocks in the flesh on Saturday afternoon, allowing for a rich comparative study of Leonardo in the context of the Florentine Renaissance works in this world-class collection. A short taxi ride to the gallery will be arranged for the group – and it is anticipated the session will end by 5pm, and students leave from the National Gallery.

Daily lectures at West Dean’s London campus, between 10am-2.30pm, will be complimented by a visit to the National Gallery, accompanied by the tutor on Saturday afternoon.

Included

• Pre-arranged taxi to the National Gallery on Saturday afternoon

What students need to bring

• Pen/pencil and paper
• Your gallery membership card, if you have one

Additional information

Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear (no sandals or open toes).

Student registration: 9.30am - 10am
Course teaching: 10am - 2.30pm
Morning teaching: 10am - 12.30pm
Lunch break: 12.30pm (lunch is not included)
Teaching finishes: 2.30pm

Short courses are open to anyone aged 18 and over. The course fee covers tuition and materials where stated. You will need to bring all other items listed under the ‘Materials to bring’ section.

Refreshments

Coffee and tea are included in the course fee, but you will need to bring lunch with you to eat in the refreshments room. There are also plenty of other local venues to purchase food.

Access

If you have any specific access needs, we will need to know about your access requirements in advance. Please tell us about your needs in confidence by emailing: [email protected] This venue has steps to the front reception, with limited access via a side gate to the ground floor. There is a small lift to higher floors or stairs.

Safety

Short course students are required to sign a safety compliance form as part of West Dean Health and Safety regulations.

Refunds and cancellations

Please refer to our terms & conditions below.

Disclaimer

The information given is accurate at the time of publication. However, West Dean College reserves the right to cancel or amend courses if circumstances require.

Terms & Conditions