WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.- Take a winter sojourn to Italy to explore François Joseph Navez's 1821 painting, Musical Group, during the Thursday, January 8, Looking at Lunchtime Talk at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Danielle Steinmann, assistant curator of education, will present the 12:30 pm gallery talk. Admission is free.

Set in the outskirts of Rome, Musical Group invites viewers to speculate on the relationships between the four figures: a young man playing a stringed instrument gazes longingly at a beautiful woman who sits in the lap of a protective older woman. She keeps an eye on a little girl who seems to be the only one with any interest in music.

The series continues on Thursday, February 12, when Michael Cassin, director of the Center for Education in the Visual Arts, examines Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi by Vincenzo Gemito. The talks take place at 12:30 pm on the second Thursday of every month. Attendees may purchase food from the courtyard café or bring a bag lunch to enjoy before or after the gallery talk.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, MA. The galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm (open daily in July and August). Admission is free November through May. Admission June 1 through October 31 is $12.50 for adults, free for children 18 and under, members, and students with valid ID. For more information, call 413-458-2303