Artists often work and create together to formulate new styles. Just as often, they compete and respond to each other's work, leading to breakthroughs and new developments. In this course, we begin in the Renaissance with the ideological rivalry between Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, and then between Michelangelo and Raphael. We then move forward in history, exploring different artistic rivalries and how they fueled artistic creation. Other frenemies include Edouard Manet and Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso and Willem de Kooning and Jackson Pollock.

Week 1: Renaissance Rivalries (Brunelleschi and Ghiberti, Leonardo and Michelangelo, Michelangelo and Raphael, Caravaggio and Baglione)

Week 2: Manet and Degas

Week 3: Van Gogh and Degas

Week 4: Matisse and Picasso

Bio:

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 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.

The Fifty and Better (FAB) program was designed for people ages 50 and older, seeking intellectual stimulation through university-level courses — without the pressure of grades — for the sake of learning and social engagement.