Art Appreciation: Impressionist Painting: an introduction

The main purpose of the course will be to begin an understanding of the substance and importance of a group of paintings that continue to provide feeling and thought for our lives today. The course provides an introduction to Impressionist painting in France in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The course uses a selected number of paintings including work by Claude Monet and Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Berthe Morisot together with a number of lesser known artists. These provide the basis for the beginnings of an appreciation and understanding of some of the exciting ideas in aesthetics and philosophy of the period. The selection will encourage a focus on the paintings with themes and attentions implied in the course title, from working with sketches in the studio to painting in the open air.

There are no requirements from students prior the beginning of the course. Students would benefit from access to online sources during the course. Papers will be made available to students through the WEA Canvas site. You will need to have access to the internet to access the papers and sessions for this course. The course uses a secure digital learning portal for all the classes and for communications with the tutor and access to learning materials.

The course would be appropriate for both experienced viewers of art and those new to the subject.