Online Art Appreciation Course: The Meaning of Myths: Classical Stories in Western Art

The Meaning of Myths: Classical Stories in Western Art with Dr Sarah Wilson

Our 8-week evening courses are the perfect way to learn more about art. Discover little-known works from the Gallery’s collection, get to know old favourites in more depth, and explore other great collections of the world with our expert art historians and guest speakers.

Course dates:

• Tuesdays, 18.00-19.15
• 25 March to 20 May 
• (25 Mar, 1, 8, 15, 29 Apr, 6, 13, 20 May – note there is a break on 22 April)

Tickets available now.

• Tickets: €150
• 20% discount for Friends of the Gallery
• 10% discount Over 65’s/unwaged/students
• Special offer until 13 January 2025: Further 10% discount when all three courses booked together.

Buying this course as a gift? 

Once you have purchased the ticket, contact [email protected] to confirm the name of the recipient, and we will ensure they are sent all correspondence. If you would like us to send them an e-mail confirming that this was purchased as a gift for them, we can also do this.

About the course: 

For thousands of years, Greek and Roman myths have been instrumental in shaping Western art. These stories, centred on anthropomorphic gods and larger-than-life mortals, have functioned as a societal language. They provided generations of artists, from Benvenuto Cellini to Jacques-Louis David and Gustav Klimt, with a shared vocabulary. Myths continue to captivate us with tales of adventure, magic, tragedy and romance, yet at their core, they express elements of universal experience, moral guidelines, and admonishments.

This eight-week art appreciation course will examine some of the most enduring Classical myths in Western art, including representations of Daedalus and his ill-fated son Icarus, the untouchable Danaë, and the terrifying yet intriguing figures of Medusa and Circe the Sorceress. Taking inspiration from key works in the National Gallery, we will explore the diverse forms and visual metamorphoses of mythic iconography from antiquity to the twentieth century.

About the tutor:

Dr Sarah Wilson is an art historian specialising in Roman antiquity and religious identity. She has an undergraduate degree in Fine Art (DIT) and completed her postgraduate studies in Art History (UCD). She has developed several lecture series for the National Gallery of Ireland that encompass a broad range of topics from Classical influences to Japanese and Aboriginal art.

The course outline is available on our website.

Other courses in the series:

• Autumn 2025: For the love of Modernism: Ireland’s relationship with Modern Art from the 1920s to 1980s with Jessica Fahy