Marcel Duchamp’s 1912 painting Nude Descending a Staircase (No. 2), one of the most iconic works in the history of modern art, was rejected by the art world and the public because it presented the time-honored subject of a female nude as a mechanical object in motion instead of the traditional nude in a listless pose, thereby offending traditional sensibilities of the day. Photo credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art (Click on image to enlarge)
The final four classes of the winter term of The Masters Series, with the theme Exploring Modern and Contemporary Art, will be presented via Zoom by the Pasadena Senior Center Tuesdays, Feb. 1 to 22, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Dr. Thomas Folland, an art historian and associate professor of art history at Los Angeles Mission College, will guide participants on a journey through some of the major stylistic movements of the modern period: cubism, surrealism, modern abstraction, conceptual art, performance art and more.
Folland holds a Ph.D. in modern/contemporary art from UCLA and is a contributor to smarthistory.org, the most visited art history resource in the world. His works on the website have ranged from essays about queer modernism to an online seminar for art classes about Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. His 2020 essay “Readymade Primitivism: Marcel Duchamp, Dada and African Art” was published in the British journal Art History.
This winter course of The Masters Series, which began Jan. 18, embraces lifelong learning. Adults 50 and older who registered for the entire six-week course are not required to pay an additional fee; for anyone who wants to register for the final four classes, the fee is $60 for members and nonmembers of the Pasadena Senior Center.
To register or for more information, visit www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org and click on Lectures & Classes, then Masters Series Lifelong Learning or call 626-795-4331. Everyone who registers will receive email instructions for joining each week’s Zoom class online.
In addition to online classes, onsite events and other activities, members and nonmembers of the Pasadena Senior Center are encouraged to visit the website regularly for a monthly magazine, COVID updates specifically for older adults and more.
The center, at 85 E. Holly St., is an independent, donor-supported nonprofit organization that has served older adults for more than 60 years. During the pandemic, doors are open Mondays through Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for social services and other critical services for older adults in need as well as limited occupancy for events, the library, fitness center and computer lab. Masks and social distancing are required. Rooms are sanitized after each use.
In accordance with county public health guidelines, proof of COVID vaccination is required for everyone who uses the fitness center or attends onsite activities indoors.
