The World’s Greatest Painters – in Six Evening Classes

Learn the “very least you should know” about the world’s greatest painters in six evenings of group learning and guided discussion!

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Week 1
  • February 10, 2022 18:15
    Welcome and Introductions

    Your tutor will introduce himself, get to know you, and give an overview of how the six week course will progress.

  • February 10, 2022 16:25
    The Renaissance

    We discuss how, from the early part of the 1400s to around 1530 arose the highly influential period in art history known as the Italian Renaissance, in which a re-examination of the aesthetics of ancient Greek and Roman art provided inspiration for some of Europe's greatest artists.

  • February 10, 2022 18:50
    Great Renaissance Artists

    We examine in more detail the life and art of four great Italian artists of the period:

    §  Michelangelo

    §  Leonardo da Vinci

    §  Raphael

    §  Titian

Week 2
  • February 17, 2022 18:15
    Baroque Period

    The class begins with an introduction to the Baroque period. Lasting from around 1600 to 1750, Baroque art developed against the backdrop of the Counter-Reformation, and was influenced by the encouragement of the Catholic Church that religious art should evoke an emotional response in the viewer. Baroque art is characterised by drama, rich colour and extravagance.

  • February 17, 2022 18:40
    Major Baroque Artists

    We investigate the lives and work of three of the period's greatest artists:

    §  Caravaggio

    §  Rubens

    §  Rembrandt

     

Week 3
  • February 24, 2022 18:15
    Romanticism

    We look at how the Enlightenment period of European history in the late 17th and the 18th century involved a heavy emphasis on the use of reason as the route to bettering the human condition, and how the Romantic Period in Art, spanning around 1780-1850 was a challenge to this ideal. We examine how Romantic artists sought to appeal to the senses, emotions and imagination as alternative ways of promoting the values of liberty and justice.

  • February 24, 2022 18:40
    Great Painters of the Romantic Period

    This evening we'll take a special look at these artists of the Romantic period:

    §  Henry Fuseli

    §  William Blake

    §  J. M. W. Turner

    §  Caspar David Friedrich

Week 4
  • March 3, 2022 18:15
    Realism

    We discuss how Realism was a rejection of what was seen as the artificial idealisation and overly-emotional art of the Romantic period. Influenced by developments in the fields of sociology and philosphy as well as the spread of photography, the Realism movement in art was interested in the portrayal of ordinary men and women, and their lives, customs and living conditions.

  • March 3, 2022 18:40
    Major Artists of the Realist Period

    Our focus this evening we will be on these Realist painters and their art:

    §  Gustave Courbet

    §  Jean-François Millet

    §  Édouard Manet

Week 5
  • March 10, 2022 18:15
    Impressionism

    The theme of our group this evening is the Impressionist period, lasting from about 1865-1885, which saw a new development in art in France whereby its practitioners started producing their work outside “en plein air”, in order to better incorporate the effect of sunlight in their landscapes and natural scenes. Work of the period is characterised by bold colours, the use of white, and short brush strokes or dabs of paint to convey the subtleties of shifting light and movement.

  • March 10, 2022 18:15
    Major Impressionist Artists

    Today's session will put the spotlight on these Impressionist artists:

    §  Claude Monet

    §  Auguste Renoir

    §  Edgar Degas

Week 6
  • March 17, 2022 18:15
    Post-Impressionism

    The Post-Impressionist movement is the name given to the reaction by several former adherents of the Impressionist style against the limitations of that genre. This session looks at how these artists are united not so much by a single style, but by their individual efforts to branch out from the narrow goal of capturing the effect of light on nature to expressing something more personal and rooted in their own feelings. As Cézanne expressed it: “A work of art which did not begin in emotion is not art”. While each of the post-impressionists developed their own styles, characteristics common to the movement include the use of symbols, clearly visible short brush-strokes, and unrealistic or exaggerated colouring.

  • March 17, 2022 18:40
    Post-Impressionist Artists

    We conclude our tour of some the world's foremost painters with these post-impressionist artists:

    §  Gustave Courbet

    §  Georges Seurat

    §  Vincent van Gogh

    §  Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Julian Edwards
Art Historian
Julian spent six years lecturing on European Art History, is the author of two art textbooks and has published a series of videos which aim to make the subject easily accessible. He is now based in London, where he delivers art history sessions at a number of art and adult learning institutions.

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Subject to available spaces, late enrolment may be permitted. Please use the "Message Us" form on the event page to enquire.

The World's Greatest Painters in Six Evening Classes - Course Enrolment
£75.00

A whistle-stop tour of six major art movements

Learn about 21 of the world's greatest artists

Enrolment allows participation in all six classes

First session starts on 10 Feb 2022

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