Taught at Villanova University for Continuing Education Credits, the following courses adapt the coursework of “Theoretical and Critical Studies in the Fine Arts” to a classroom setting. During class time at Villanova, students view and discuss projected images. Field trips to area museums allow the instructors and students to view and discuss specific works of art.

Part I
This program introduces the objective method's principles and concepts. It is currently undergoing reorganization and will be available soon.

Part II
This course strengthens students’ understanding of the objective approach as it explores the evolution of art. Students discover how various traditions, such as Byzantine, Florentine, Venetian, and French influenced other traditions. Part II also examines how artists such as Giotto, Giorgione, van Eyck, Chardin, Rubens and Renoir affected these traditions. The instructor charts the legacy of each tradition according to what succeeding traditions added and what they left behind.

Part III
This seminar, “Traditions in Twentieth Century Painting,” explores important developments in painting from 1900 to 2000. It examines movements such as Cubism, Expressionism, Abstract expressionism, Pop-Art, and Minimalism, among others. This seminar continues the exploration into the traditions begun in Part II.

During a class visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, senior instructor
Bill Perthes demonstrates how Goya created subtle spatial effects.