By Khalida Sarwari
The influence of royalty on the development of art is the topic of the next series of lectures at the Saratoga Foothill Club this spring.
Fran Rushing, a professor of art and humanities at De Anza College, will explore how art was developed through the reigns of kings and emperors in her talk titled, “Kings and Castles: The Art and Architecture of Power.” She will explain, for example, how leaders such as Peter the Great and Louis XIV created artistic cities and edifices as evidence of their power, energy and creativity.
Bianca Larson, a docent at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco, will give an additional lecture titled, “Images of Power: Gods and Goddesses.” She will explore the role of the goddess image in Asian art as worshipped across different religions, times and cultures and also shed light on various depictions of goddesses as bloodthirsty destroyers, heroic warriors and benevolent healers.
The first lecture is on March 2 and will concentrate on Russia. On March 9, the focus will be on Spain. Then on March 30, it will be Italy and on April 6, the lecture will focus on France. The final lecture on April 13 will be on Asian art. The lectures take place at 7:30 p.m. at 20399 Park Place.
The fee for the entire series of five lectures is $100 while individual lectures are $25. Tickets are available at the door.
For more information, call 408.996.8050.
