[NHK Culture] 'Master vs. Master' - A New Series Decoding the Dynamism of Western Art History through Comparison Starts
NHK Culture Center Aoyama will launch a 12-session lecture series titled 'Western Art History through the 'VS' of Masters' starting April 8, 2026. Lecturer Miei Sasayama will deeply explore the differences in style and philosophy among rival art masters.
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- 📰 Published: April 3, 2026 at 00:39
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Comparing them reveals the 'humanity of the masters.'
Deep commentary based on historical background provides a multi-dimensional understanding of the artworks.
Structured to be enjoyable for everyone, from beginners in Western painting to art enthusiasts.
Lecturer Miei Sasayama's lectures, which offer abundant knowledge and unique, sometimes ironic perspectives, are highly rated by many attendees.
NHK Culture Center Aoyama will start a continuous lecture series, 'Western Art History through the "VS" of Masters,' on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, which decodes the renowned masters of Western art history in a 'VS (comparison)' format.
By 'comparing' the styles, philosophies, and backgrounds of painters, this course allows you to multi-dimensionally appreciate the human drama and creative dynamism hidden behind their works.
## Course Overview: Art history starts moving when two masters are 'viewed side by side'
The masters who color art history influenced each other and sometimes sparked as rivals, opening new doors for art.
In this course, we select one pair of masters each time and carefully compare their relationships, aesthetics, philosophies, and differences in standpoints.
For example:
- Filippo Lippi vs. Botticelli: The reality of a master-disciple relationship
- Leonardo vs. Michelangelo: The fundamental conflict of painter vs. sculptor
- Manet vs. Degas: Two modernists who seem similar but are 'different'
Through the 'VS structure' of famous masters passed down across ages, the dramas and values behind the artworks vividly emerge.
## ◆ Annual Curriculum (12 Sessions)
From April 2026 to March 2027, the following 12 themes will be explored at a pace of once a month:
- (1) April 8: Ghiberti vs. Donatello 'The Door to the Renaissance'
- (2) May 13: Filippo Lippi vs. Botticelli 'Master and Disciple. Who wins?'
- (3) June 10: Da Vinci vs. Michelangelo 'Painter vs. Sculptor in the first place'
- (4) July 8: Caravaggio vs. Rembrandt 'Handling of Light and Shadow'
- (5) Sept 9: Rubens vs. Van Dyck 'If only Rubens wasn't there...'
- (6) Sept 30: Velázquez vs. Murillo 'Upward mobility vs. Local focus'
- (7) Oct 14: Gainsborough vs. Hogarth 'Both are inherently English in their own ways'
- (8) Nov 11: Millet and Corot 'Don't lump the Barbizon school together.'
- (9) Dec 9: Millais and Rossetti 'The complex relationship of the Pre-Raphaelites'
- (10) Jan 13: Turner vs. Constable 'What did they really think of each other?'
- (11) Feb 10: Manet vs. Degas 'Birds of a feather'
- (12) Mar 10: Van Gogh and Gauguin 'The two who were incompatible'
Deep commentary based on historical background provides a multi-dimensional understanding of the artworks.
Structured to be enjoyable for everyone, from beginners in Western painting to art enthusiasts.
Lecturer Miei Sasayama's lectures, which offer abundant knowledge and unique, sometimes ironic perspectives, are highly rated by many attendees.
NHK Culture Center Aoyama will start a continuous lecture series, 'Western Art History through the "VS" of Masters,' on Wednesday, April 8, 2026, which decodes the renowned masters of Western art history in a 'VS (comparison)' format.
By 'comparing' the styles, philosophies, and backgrounds of painters, this course allows you to multi-dimensionally appreciate the human drama and creative dynamism hidden behind their works.
## Course Overview: Art history starts moving when two masters are 'viewed side by side'
The masters who color art history influenced each other and sometimes sparked as rivals, opening new doors for art.
In this course, we select one pair of masters each time and carefully compare their relationships, aesthetics, philosophies, and differences in standpoints.
For example:
- Filippo Lippi vs. Botticelli: The reality of a master-disciple relationship
- Leonardo vs. Michelangelo: The fundamental conflict of painter vs. sculptor
- Manet vs. Degas: Two modernists who seem similar but are 'different'
Through the 'VS structure' of famous masters passed down across ages, the dramas and values behind the artworks vividly emerge.
## ◆ Annual Curriculum (12 Sessions)
From April 2026 to March 2027, the following 12 themes will be explored at a pace of once a month:
- (1) April 8: Ghiberti vs. Donatello 'The Door to the Renaissance'
- (2) May 13: Filippo Lippi vs. Botticelli 'Master and Disciple. Who wins?'
- (3) June 10: Da Vinci vs. Michelangelo 'Painter vs. Sculptor in the first place'
- (4) July 8: Caravaggio vs. Rembrandt 'Handling of Light and Shadow'
- (5) Sept 9: Rubens vs. Van Dyck 'If only Rubens wasn't there...'
- (6) Sept 30: Velázquez vs. Murillo 'Upward mobility vs. Local focus'
- (7) Oct 14: Gainsborough vs. Hogarth 'Both are inherently English in their own ways'
- (8) Nov 11: Millet and Corot 'Don't lump the Barbizon school together.'
- (9) Dec 9: Millais and Rossetti 'The complex relationship of the Pre-Raphaelites'
- (10) Jan 13: Turner vs. Constable 'What did they really think of each other?'
- (11) Feb 10: Manet vs. Degas 'Birds of a feather'
- (12) Mar 10: Van Gogh and Gauguin 'The two who were incompatible'