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: Isolation, artists and paintings

Isolation includes solitude (choosing to be alone for contemplative or other good reasons) and social isolation (real or psychological separation from others, which can result in loneliness). Some artists need solitude to explore the world around them or to remove external pressures. Others use their work to express feelings of loneliness, whether from societal causes, unrequited love, illness, or other circumstances. Our speaker, Roger Wotton, will discuss a range of paintings that express, for example, the solitude found in nature, or the loneliness in urban living. He will consider, too, the most common example of isolation shown in art: the Crucifixion of Christ.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 07/10/2024 -
Mon 21/10/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Friends Meeting House (Berkhamsted)
289 High Street
Berkhamsted
HP4 1AJ
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00017711
How you'll learn:
In venue
Status:
Waiting list
Fee range
Free to £30.00

Art Appreciation: The Dutch Golden Age - Art History

We shall discuss the tidal waves of history which enabled the Low Countries to become the driving force in trade, exploration and also painting at this time. This course will educate and entertain those with an interest in the life and work of three of the greatest artists of their age and probably of all time – Pieter Paul Rubens, Rembrandt van Rijn and Johannes Vermeer

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Tue 22/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
St Mary's Church Annex (Wargrave)
Mill Green
Station Road
Wargrave
RG10 8EU
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00017299
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Beauty and Coherence: with particular attentions to Ancient and Modern sculpture and painting.

This exciting new course in art appreciation provides close attentions to particular works of art from ancient and modern periods. Ancient art from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome; the European Renaissance; the Enlightenment and its derivations; twentieth-century Modernity; the present day. The focus will be upon the specific and often connected comprehensions of beauty and coherence through understanding specific works of art in relation to these concepts. The course will present a range of work each week and will select one part of the subject for a Close View for detailed attention. The focus will be upon works of art in relation to their sometimes specific and often varied concepts of beauty. This will encourage a range of attentions from ideal sculptures to presentations of works with planned proportions as well as incidental measurements. This will also involve attentions to both forms directly from the natural world to objects representing different aspects of humanity.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 08/10/2024 -
Tue 12/11/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Leominster Community Centre (Leominster)
School Road
Leominster
HR6 8NJ
Tutor:
Allen Fisher
Course code:
Q00016845
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £50.40

Art Appreciation: Art Appreciation: Art in Churches

The Church has historically been a major patron of the arts, and all major artists have works in church buildings around Europe. From Saxon wall paintings and lavish medieval alter pieces, to contemporary installations in Cathedrals, this course looks at the variety of art commissioned by the Church, from the Sistine Chapel ceiling to Victorian church textiles. We discuss where good examples can be seen in this country, including stained glass and sculpture. The way in which art in Churches has reflected the major art history developments is at the core of this course.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 10/10/2024 -
Thu 10/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00016858
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £23.10

WEA Membership

For just £15 a year, you can:

  • Join our popular, award-winning weekly lecture series,
  • Access an archive of over 100 past lectures,
  • Get priority online and phone booking for autumn courses (England only),
  • Receive our Highway magazine and access back issues,
  • Attend our members’ annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
£15

History: Art History in 100 Paintings (c.25,000 to 1900)

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:
Mon 14/10/2024 -
Mon 11/11/2024
Times:
2:30pm - 4:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NB
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00019037
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
7 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Music Appreciation: From Elgar to Tippett - The C20th English Musical Renaissance

The early 20th Century witnessed an extraordinary flourishing of English musical talent – dormant since the death of Purcell 200 years earlier. With the premiere of Elgar's Enigma Variations in 1899, the country at last began to put paid to the German gibe of it being "The Land without Music". With the help of musical extracts, we trace the course of the Renaissance and the individuals who shaped it - featuring Elgar, Delius, Vaughan Williams, Holst, Britten, Walton and Tippett. We also explore how conscious they were of heading a revolution, and address the elusive issue of what we really understand by Englishness in music.

Course Information

Dates:
Tue 15/10/2024 -
Tue 19/11/2024
Times:
10:30am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Pyrton Village Hall (Watlington)
Pyrton
Watlington
OX49 5AP
Tutor:
Christopher Carter
Course code:
Q00017296
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

Art Appreciation: Artist Movements from the early 20th Century

From the Blue Rider to the Bridge to Dada, the emergence of modernism in the early 20th century saw a flourishing of artist groups who challenged what art is and how it should be made and seen. In this course, we’ll look at some of the key collectives, leading artists who were part of them and their artistic innovations, including among others Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee, Ernst Kirchner, Kurt Schwitters and Marcel Duchamps.

Course Information

Dates:
Thu 17/10/2024 -
Thu 14/11/2024
Times:
2:45pm - 4:45pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Ruth Mulandi
Course code:
Q00017291
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
4 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £37.00

Art Appreciation: The Art and Architecture of Venice

This Day School studies the glorious art and architecture of the 1,000-year Republic of Venice. In art, the 16th century saw Venice become the centre of the Late Renaissance in Italy. Legendary artists such as Titian, Tintoretto and Veronese introduced heightened colour, emotion and drama. Then, in the 18th century, Venice again led European art through the cityscapes of such as Canaletto and Bellotto.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 18/10/2024 -
Fri 18/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
The Ambrose Allen Centre (Tadley)
2 Franklin Avenue
Tadley
RG26 4ET
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00016860
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
5 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20

Women Artists

American art historian Linda Nochlin in 1971 posed the question as to “Why have there been no great women artists?”. Women artists have been overlooked, undermined, and forgotten over the centuries. This course will write them back into art history by focusing on the most committed and accomplished women artists from the 17th Century to the 21st Century covering women painters, sculptors, installation artists, and performance artists.

Course Information

Dates:
Sat 19/10/2024 -
Sat 30/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
The Drive Methodist Church (Redbridge)
Eastern Avenue
Redbridge
IG4 5AB
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017555
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £60.00

Creative Writing in the Landscape: Writing the River Tamar

In a stunning location overlooking Brunel’s famous Tamar Bridge to Cornwall, this workshop will be a feast for the creative senses. You’ll be encouraged to write what you can see, hear, feel, smell, touch – and taste! - in this ever-changing landscape. The workshop is open to everyone who likes to write, from beginners to published, and all genres from poetry to prose. This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to spend a day in the company of other writers, exploring the immediate natural and human-made environment. It’s also a chance to share your written work, if you wish, at a local festival.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 25/10/2024 -
Fri 25/10/2024
Times:
10:00am - 4:00pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
Bridging the Tamar Visitor and Learning
Tamar Bridge Office
Pemros Road
Plymouth
PL5 1LP
Tutor:
Kate Cotton
Course code:
Q00018499
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to £25.20