Course overview

Have you ever wondered what a painting means, and how to figure out what it is about? This session will give you some keys to develop your understanding and appreciation of paintings. We will mainly focus on interpretative skills: how do we identify the type of subject matter? How do we recognise and decipher symbols? Where can we find clues? And, can we rely on our subjective interpretation? This is quite literally an “eye-opener”, and should make your next visits to art galleries even more enjoyable!

Course description

Who is the old man dressed in yellow and holding a large key in the painting you are looking at? Why are there oranges on a chest in this other painting? And why is this horse painted blue? What about this snail painted in the foreground of an Annunciation?? If you have ever wondered what it all means when standing in front of a work of art, this session is for you! In this three-hour session, we will discuss a range of methods we have to interpret paintings, and figure out what they mean. This short session aims to be practical and useful, as it is designed to give you some keys to be more confident in your appreciation of paintings. Some of the themes introduced are: - What is iconography and how it works - How to recognise symbols and attributes in a painting - Why is the context key in understanding the meaning of the work of art - Are psychology and the artist’s biography important? - Do abstract paintings have a meaning? - Is my interpretation as valid as the artist’s original intent? This session is arranged in three parts, with two short comfort breaks.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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