Beginning in the mid-1800s, artists began to proliferate in Montmartre, the recently annexed hill on the outskirts of Paris. With its inexpensive rent, Montmartre soon became a mecca for cafes, nightclubs like the Moulin Rouge and the Cirque Fernando, revolutionary ideals, and artists. In this course, we explore those artists, including Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, as well as other artists of the late 19th and early 20th century including Vincent van Gogh, Suzanne Valadon, Pablo Picasso, Maurice Utrillo, Amedeo Modigliani, and Theophile Steinlein.

Katherine E. Zoraster is an Art Historian and a Professor of Art History at several local colleges specializing in Western art from the Renaissance to the 20th century. She graduated with a double major in English Literature and Art History from the University of California, Los Angeles. Following her undergraduate degree, she received a Master’s Degree with Distinction in Art History from the California State University at Northridge.

In addition to the courses Katherine teaches for other lifelong learning programs, she also works as an Adjunct Professor of Art History at Moorpark College and an Art History Instructor for the full-time program at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Arts. Katherine also serves as a commissioner for the Burbank Cultural Arts Commission and volunteers at the Burbank Animal Shelter. In her free time, Katherine is an avid runner and travels extensively.