WEA Course Information Sheet 2014-15

Course title: Art History: Art and Architecture in France in the Nineteenth Century
Course reference: C2417519 / Tutor(s): Madeline Edmead MA
Venue: Scout HQ North Harrow Methodist Church,
Harrow HA2 6 EQ / Fee: £158.00
Concession: free on proof of Income Related Benefit
Start date: 26/09/2014 / End date: 27/03/2015 / Day(s)/time(s): Fridays 10:00
Number of sessions: 20 / Hours per session: 2 / Level: 3
Title of qualification to be gained (if any): This is a non-accredited course. On 80% attendance you can request a WEA Certificate of Achievement
Awarding body (if any): N/A
Essential materials e.g. books and equipment to be provided by the student
None
Course aims:
An introduction to the painting, architecture and sculpture in France during the nineteenth century, both familiar and unfamiliar. The course seeks to discover not just what was achieved by the Impressionists and their predecessors, but why this was such a creative period in France
Course description:
Nineteenth Century France was an age of innovation in painting and architecture - the age of Romanticism and Impressionism. And in architecture a period of exuberant style and technical innovation.
Any prior knowledge or entry requirements?
None.
Course content: what topics will the course cover?
This is a large and complicated period in French art but it is a rewarding one.
We will start by looking at the age of Napoleon and how the arts reflected the ambitions of the Empire. The big names of this period are Ingres, the painter of superb portraits and Delacroix whose fiery and exotic paintings were to have a long-lasting influence on France.
France also needed to find a new language of architecture that would suit a nostalgia for the past with the demands of the modern age.
We will also look at the landscape painters and the work of Courbet and the realists. The first term will finish with the age of Napoleon III and the re-planning and modernising of Paris.
The first part of the second term will be devoted to the Impressionists – who they were and how they developed their individual styles.
Revolutions were also happening in the other arts and it is in the second half of the century that the earlier innovations in architecture came to fruition.
Equally radical is sculpture in the age of Rodin.
The final lectures will be devoted to the post-Impressionists – Gauguin and Van Gogh.
We will also look at another trend that was important in late C19 art, the symbolists.
Teaching, learning and assessment methods: tick those to be used ü
Demonstration / Discussion / ü / Group work / Individual work
Project work / Research / Role play / Written work
Question and answer / ü / Activity outside class time / Observation / Practical work
Presentation / ü / Field trip / Other (state)
How will I receive feedback on my learning progress and achievement?
The atmosphere in the class is usually informal and there is plenty of discussion so you will get feedback both from me and from other members of the class if you engage in discussion. I am available before and after the class and during the break to discuss your progress with you. You will also realize how much more you understand when considering the works of art in the period and what questions you can ask about them.
Your Learning Record will ask you to consider how far you feel you have progressed.
Learning outcomes: these are the intended outcomes and may be revised in discussion with the class. Students are encouraged to think about and identify their own individual outcomes.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1.  Recognise how the subject matter of French 19c painting reflected contemporary pre-occupations
2.  Show how architecture exploited new technical possibilities
3.  Discuss why the Impressionists were so shocking
4.  Give an account of the different styles of the leading painters of our period
5.  Explore the works of art of the period with new insights
Reading and information sources: Is any reading/preparation essential or desirable?
D B Brown Romanticism
A Boime Art in the Age of Napoleon
A Braham The Architecture of the French Enlightenment
A Brookner Romanticism and its Discontents
M Clarke Corot and the Art of Landscape
L Eitner The Raft of the Medusa
L Eitner Sources and Documents in the History of Art: Neo-Classicism and
Romanticism
F Frascina, N Black, B Fer, T Garb and C Harrison Modernity and Modernism
Hayward Gallery Landscapes of France
J House Monet Nature into Art
D Irwin Neoclassism
C Lampert Rodin Sculpture and Drawing
F Lemoine Architecture in France
R Myddleton and D Watkin Neo-Classical and Nineteenth Century Architecture
T Reff Olympia
J Rewald The History of Impressionism
J Rewald Post-Impressionism
RA Catalogue Citizens and Kings
R Rosenblum The Art of the Nineteenth Century
R Rosenblum Ingres
J J Spector Delacroix The Death of Sardanapalus
G Tinterow and P Connisbee Portraits by Ingres
All the main galleries have websites which include catalogues which will give you information about the works in their collection and some background to the artists. The Louvre can be selective about the works it shows but the background is good. The main French galleries have English language versions of their sites
Suggestions for progression to further study or for using the skills and knowledge gained:
You should feel more confident to undertake further study, either with the WEA or with another provider. Details of further opportunities will be discussed in class.
The later part of this period has always been popular with collectors, though there are few good examples of Symbolists in British collections (the British Museum has a good collection of Redon prints and they can be accessed by making an appointment to see them). There are some major works by Delacroix in the National Gallery and the Wallace Collection has an exceptional collection of paintings by minor but successful academic painters of the early and mid 19c. These are particularly valuable if you want to follow up a rewarding but unusual aspect to this period. The National Gallery in London and the National Gallery of Wales Cardiff have exceptionally good collections of Impressionist paintings. Keep an eye out for special exhibitions, including those featuring American collections, many of which are rich in paintings of this period.
For architecture there is no substitute for seeing the buildings themselves. There are jours de patromonie which are similar to open house weekends in France in September when the Labrouste libraries are usually open. If a visit to France is not possible try looking at as wide a selection of pictures on Goggle images as possible – but be careful and make sure the building in the picture really is the one that interests you.
You can read about your entitlements and responsibilities as a WEA student in our leaflet, Services for Students here http://www.wea.org.uk/courses/information This includes information on fees, learning support and financial support.
As part of your first course you accept a learning agreement. This applies to all courses you take in this academic year. You should have a copy of the learning agreement (the tear-off portion of your enrolment form), but if not please ask for a copy from your tutor.
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