Southworth Library is putting the “art” in Dartmouth this winter.

This year’s Art Film Series features a crash course in famed paintings and sculptures from European history. On Jan. 19, the Friends of the Library kicked off the series with an overview of the Mannerist movement of the 1500s followed by the work of the Carracci family of Bologna.

The Friends have been bringing together art fans for 26 years thanks, in part, to Hope and Ruth Atkinson.

“The Atkinson sisters were part of the group that originally planned these. They thought, in the wintertime, people didn’t see each other often enough, so there was a social reason to get together,” said Mary Ellen Lees, a longtime attendee of the video lectures. “They actually planned it at 11 a.m. so that people could get together for lunch afterward.”

About 40 people visited the library on Tuesday morning to watch independent art historian William Kloss discuss various works. The videos, which are produced by the Smithsonian Institute, are somewhat like a guided museum tour, with one piece of art described and dissected at a time.

“A few years ago, Molly Little, who was a very active member on the board, passed away and asked that funds by donated to the Friends of the Library in her name,” said Mary Ellis, president of the Friends. “With that money, we’ve set up a trust account. That’s how we’re funding the purchase of the DVDs.”

“When the course is concluded, the videos go into circulation in the library. There’s no way we could show all of the courses. There are forty-eight half-hour courses. So people can check it out and see the program in its entirety,” she said.

During the video lectures, library patrons learned a variety of factoids about the end of Michelangelo’s career. While Michelangelo’s nudes are renowned for their dramatic poses, his later work reflected an increasing obsession with his own demise.

He even sculpted a marble Pietà intended for his own tomb. Kloss said Michelangelo attempted to destroy this piece after its construction, but was prevented from dismantling it entirely by his own apprentices.

Similarly, “The Last Judgement,” Michelangelo’s fresco painting on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, was steeped in themes of death. Kloss referred to the piece as “lugubrious and dirge-like.”

The painting was also overflowing with nude figures, which was viewed as problematic during the Counter-Reformation. Another artist was commissioned to cover the figures with drapery following Michelangelo’s death.

Ellis said that all the information conveyed during the lectures has led some fans of the series to head out to museums to witness the art in person.

“Last year, I went to Amsterdam. After having a course on Dutch painters, I was able to go see some of the work,” she said.

The Friends of Library is largely funded through two books sales at the library held in April and October. They also acquire some money through the $10 membership fee.

“We support the library and its staff with either non-budgeted needs or upgrades –anything that can help the library and some of its programs,” said Ellis.

That includes children’s programing throughout the year, hosting events like the art film series and purchasing special collections for circulation.

The films will be shown on Tuesdays from Jan. 19 to Feb. 23. If the library is closed due to inclement weather, two snow days have been scheduled for March 8 and 15.

The next showing will be on Jan. 26 at 11 a.m. The lectures will touch on Dutch painting in the 17th Century and Baroque art in Spain.