Although women always have been artists, few are described as great. Historically excluded from art history records, women were unable to pursue art education. Successful female artists were likely to have had husbands or fathers supporting them. This course explores seven exceptional female artists and their work from the Baroque to the present time.

The course considers the influences, aims, context, and legacy of one of the most iconic modern art movements. While the course focuses on Germanic painting, other examples of expressionist "expression" (e.g., literature and film) and centers of production (e.g., France, Scandinavia, and Russia) will also be examined.

We'll explore what's behind the best film scores in today's evolving world. Anecdotes and superb audiovisuals will introduce us to the artistic and business aspects of the music of Thomas Newman ("American Beauty"), Hans Zimmer ("Interstellar"), Rachel Portman ("Emma"), Justin Hurwitz ("La La Land") and more.

From the works of Albert Bierstadt and Thomas Moran to Charlie Russell and Frederic Remington, to the 19th-century illustrators like Theodore Davis, to the more modern artists like Phil Epp, Charlie Norton, Thom Ross, Wilson Hurley, and Harvey Pratt, we'll explore how the West has been portrayed and interpreted through art. Some of the artists will join our discussion.

We'll look at books that explored: politics, drugs, expanding consciousness, feminism, the sexual revolution, and the Vietnam War and discuss how accurately they reflect that time 60 years later. Books discussed include: "The Making of the President 1960," "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," "The Greening of America, Dispatches, Slouching Toward Bethlehem," "Helter Skelter, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

We are most familiar with the Odyssey as a classic hero's journey. Though this epic has many layers to it, the purpose and presence of the sacred feminine is one layer that has been overlooked. This course traces the role of the sacred feminine in helping Odysseus return home through each female character, revealing the true character and purpose of each.