Appreciate art through learning

Our Art History courses will give you a deeper understanding of what you're looking at. When it comes to art, everyone's has their own opinion on which artist is better than the other, and what their most famous work signifies.

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Through exploring the world of art history, you'll be learning about why pieces are made in the first place and what the pieces mean. You will also examine how that’s changed over a period of time, as well as the impact it’s had on society. 

You’ll be taught about many of the aspects from the art creation process, such as the materials used in artworks, and how different kinds of artists contribute differently in expressing their ideas through freehand drawing or digital media. 

Whether you're a seasoned art appreciator or a newbie, there's something here for everyone. From exploring art painted by Salvador Dali or learning all about the history of Nordic Art from the Viking era, we have a selection of online and in-person art history courses from different decades to choose from.  

Attend an Art History course near you  

Whether you choose to learn from the comfort of your own home, or opt for a space in your local community, you’ll be taught by a talented tutor who is an expert in their field. 

The support you’ll receive on our Art History courses

Your tutor will encourage you to develop an understanding of Art History that goes beyond what's on the surface, motivating you to truly immerse yourself in the subject. It’s our learning experience that sets us apart too, with an encouraging environment that ensures you attend each session with the excitement to learn.   

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Art Appreciation: Highlights of Tate Britain

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Mona Hatoum and Mike Kelly.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 17/01/2025 -
Fri 14/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Blue Beetle Room (London)
Hendon Lane
Finchley
London
N3 1TR
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00017455
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.00

A Face to the World: Highlights of the National Portrait Gallery

Discover selected paintings, sculptures, works on paper and new media works from the National Portrait Gallery in London. Marking the relaunch in summer 2023 of this national collection after a three-year refurbishment, this course offers an opportunity to discover new or less well-known artworks; and to re-visit familiar portraits that epitomise aspects of British history. We explore ideas around the function of portraiture; and the range of approaches and styles that artists have employed through history to express individual and national identity. Artists featured include Marcus Gheeraerts the Younger, Joshua Reynolds, Angelica Kauffmann, Pauline Boty, Jann Haworth and Liberty Blake.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 30/01/2025 -
Thu 13/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Wesley Hall (Barnet)
High Barnet Methodist Church
9 Stapylton Road
Barnet
EN5 4JJ
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00017379
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
2 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

Art Appreciation: Artistic Communities

The reasons behind founding an artist community in the UK, from identifying some of their famous residents to the subject matter and art movements they are associated with. This course will cover the art communities in St Ives and Newlyn in England, Kirkcudbright and Cockburnspath in Scotland, Betws-y-Coed in Wales, Northern Ireland Muralist in Belfast and Londonderry, and ending with the Black Art Movement and the growth of online art communities.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/02/2025 -
Sat 15/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
The Drive Methodist Church (Redbridge)
Eastern Avenue
Redbridge
IG4 5AB
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017560
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

Art Appreciation: The Art of Diplomacy: Behind the Doors of the Government Art Collection

Go behind the scenes of the Government Art Collection, a less well-known national art collection, with Chantal Condron, a former curator at the Collection. Discover the fascinating origins of its history, and the people and events that have shaped its past. Explore how and why artworks are acquired or commissioned and discover some of the locations where they have been displayed. We explore works across a range of media from paintings to film, by artists from the 16th to the 21st centuries, including Marcus Gheerhaerts the Younger, Thomas Phillips, Bridget Riley, Michael Armitage and recent Turner Prize winner, Jesse Darling.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/02/2025 -
Sat 01/02/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St John's United Reform Church Orpington
Lynwood Grove
Orpington
BR6 0BG
Tutor:
Chantal Condron
Course code:
Q00017572
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

WEA Membership

WEA membership is changing: more information is coming soon!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

Art Appreciation: The Lost Stars of the Renaissance - Art History

In this course, we will discuss in detail works from lesser-known painters of the Renaissance era. Since the High Renaissance is much better known, we will look at artists from the fifteenth century, who were very highly thought of at the time. They were influential and sought-after by the powerful in Florence.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 18/02/2025 -
Tue 11/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Pyrton Village Hall (Watlington)
Pyrton
Watlington
OX49 5AP
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00017589
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £40.00

Art and the Arts in 1950s

If there is such a thing, at any time the “national mood” in any country is reflected in the cultural products of the period - visual works, theatre productions, the movies, the literature. The course will provide an overview of the decade from the artistic and cultural viewpoint. This will include the art movements which emerged such as Abstract Expressionism, exemplified by people like Jackson Pollock, music developments such as rock'n'roll famously promoted by Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and many others and epoch-making movies such as West Side Story.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 20/02/2025 -
Thu 27/03/2025
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Enfield Baptist Church (Enfield) (Enfiel
Cecil Road
Enfield
EN2 6TG
Tutor:
Colin Lomas
Course code:
Q00017413
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £72.00

Art Appreciation: Being Seen: British Women Artists 1900-1940

The changing social, cultural and political scenes in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries afforded new opportunities and a chance for women artists to emerge from the shadows of their male counterparts. This course will consider the impact of British women artists in the twentieth century, from the early part of the century when artists such as Vanessa Bell and Winifred Nicholson began to make their mark, to post- war artists such as Bridget Riley and Pauline Boty, and will include some of the key women artists of the twentieth century.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 27/02/2025 -
Thu 20/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
Michaela Cranmer
Course code:
Q00017759
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £33.60

Art Appreciation: Painting in Early Renaissance Florence

Florence is one of the most beautiful and artistically endowed cities in Europe, and although recent scholarship has looked critically at her claim to be the epicentre of the ‘Italian Renaissance’, it remains true that many important advances in painting were made there between 14C-16C. This course aims to re-examine Florence’s position in the ‘Renaissance’ by studying both the role played by the patrons, the wealthy merchant bankers like the Medici, and the artists such as Botticelli, Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, and many others.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/03/2025 -
Sat 01/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Reading International Solidarity Centre
35-39 London Street
Reading
RG1 4PS
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00018038
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Art Appreciation: Nina Hamnet in London and Paris - Tutor Dr Mark Banting

Focusing on the 1910s and 20s, we will explore Nina Hamnett's life and art amongst the bohemians of Bloomsbury and Montparnasse. Explore the life and work of Nina Hamnet with our Art Appreciation: Nina Hamnet in London and Paris course. Learn about her impact on the art scenes of London and Paris. Ideal for art enthusiasts and anyone interested in modern art history.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 01/03/2025 -
Sat 01/03/2025
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St John's United Reform Church Orpington
Lynwood Grove
Orpington
BR6 0BG
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017697
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £10.00

Art Appreciation: Art in a 100 paintings

This course aims to enable you to make sense of art works you might encounter in a gallery. You will fit 100 paintings- or two-dimensional pieces- into a time line of historical events, places, styles and paradigms. Using art appreciation skills from the first session , you will examine works in a virtual tour of a major gallery that come from another time and place. The course will enable you to create your own personal ‘Gallery of 100 paintings.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 04/03/2025 -
Tue 18/03/2025
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Blofield Court House (BLOFIELD)
28 Yarmouth Road
BLOFIELD
NR13 4JU
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00019919
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20