NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of Modern Art launches the massive open online course In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting, available now on Coursera. This course offers an in-depth, hands-on look at the materials, techniques, and approaches of seven New York School artists: Willem de Kooning, Yayoi Kusama, Agnes Martin, Barnett Newman, Jackson Pollock, Ad Reinhardt, and Mark Rothko. In the Studio: Postwar Abstract Painting can be found at
coursera.org/learn/painting.
Through studio demonstrations and gallery walkthroughs, participants will form a deeper understanding of what a studio practice means, learn how ideas develop from close looking, and gain a sensitivity to the physical qualities of paint. Readings and other resources will round out learners’ understanding, providing broader cultural, intellectual, and historical context about the decades after World War II, when these artists were active.
The works of art explored in this course also serve as points of departure for participants to make their own abstract paintings. Students can participate in the studio exercises offered each week, in which instructor Corey D’Augustine will walk through the foundations of painting and demonstrate how the artists made their works. Others may choose simply to watch these demonstrations and complete the course through its written assessments.
Eight modules introduce the New York School and explore in depth the materials, techniques, and work of seven artists:
• Willem de Kooning
• Yayoi Kusama
• Agnes Martin
• Barnett Newman
• Jackson Pollock
• Ad Reinhardt
• Mark Rothko
Original course content includes dynamic conversations and a close look at MoMA’s collection. Course modules feature:
•Eleven “In the Studio” materials and techniques demonstration videos.
•Sixteen “In the Galleries: A Closer Look” videos that look closely at paintings in
MoMA’s collection.
•Sixteen audio slideshows featuring artists, curators, conservators, collectors, and
others speaking about works in MoMA’s collection.
•Seven text-image slideshows that explore 60 works of art in depth.
Instructor
Corey D'Augustine is an art conservator, a technical art historian, and an artist.
