Investigating Impressionism and beyond

Aims

This course aims to:

• familiarise you with a small selection of innovative works by key, late 19th-century/early 20th-century French modern painters
   
• develop your visual analysis skills 
   
• introduce socio-historical context in which fin-de-siècle, modern art developed in Paris

Course content

In this introductory course we will discover how experimental compositions, innovative techniques and daring uses of colour transformed artistic practice in the 19th and early 20th century. Our close analyses of paintings, pastels, and prints will reveal how new visual strategies represented modern life and we will consider these aspects within the social, political, and historical contexts.

We will begin with an examination of the Barbizon painters, whose work in the Forest of Fontainebleau marked a decisive shift toward the direct observation of nature. We will also consider the contrasting and rapid transformation of Paris in the mid-19th century to assess how changing environments prompted new artistic discoveries. 

Turning to a small selection of provocative paintings by Gustave Courbet and Édouard Manet we will uncover how their choices of insalubrious, everyday subject matter represented an influential departure from traditional artistic practice.

We will then move to French Impressionism, looking at paintings by Claude Monet and Berthe Morisot. We will examine how their work unsettled academic norms through their innovative treatment of light, atmosphere, and modern subject matter. 

Neo-Impressionism marks a further shift, as artists such as Georges Seurat and Paul Signac moved away from fleeting visual impressions towards more systematic, scientifically informed methods. How do their pointillist works relate to contemporary debates about social order, labour, and inequality?

Edgar Degas is an artist who resists easy categorisation. Looking at his striking representations of dancers - not least his remarkable pastel works - we will consider Degas’ distinctive visual language and the potential influence of photography on his later practice.

Our final sessions will turn to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and the Montmartre district of the 1890s, to examine the appeal of this vibrant neighbourhood for the avant-garde. We will analyse how Lautrec’s posters captured the energy of Montmartre’s entertainment scene.

Our course concludes with sessions which will look closely at Édouard Vuillard’s fascinating intimate domestic scenes, Suzanne Valadon’s challenging portrayals of the female nude, and Pablo Picasso’s early works, tracing how these artists contributed to the emergence of modern art at the dawn of the twentieth century. Our visit to the Fitzwilliam Museum will provide the opportunity to see at first-hand a relevant selection of outstanding works.

What to expect on this course

The course will take place in a classroom setting using PowerPoint presentations to illustrate a wide range of paintings which we will discuss to trace the developments of French painting. There will be opportunities to offer opinions and observations. One session will take place in the Fitzwilliam Museum which is a short journey from the campus into the city centre. The museum visit will provide an exciting opportunity to look at and experience the colours, scale and techniques used by some of the artists featured on our course.  

Course sessions

1. Barbizon, Paris and the emergence of Impressionism
2. Realism of modern life: Courbet and Manet 
3. Painting outdoors: Monet and Morisot
4. Seurat, Signac and the politics of paint
5. Pushing the boundaries: Degas
6. Vuillard and the Nabis
7. Toulouse-Lautrec and Montmartre in the 1890s
8. Fitzwilliam Museum visit
9. Suzanne Valadon: representing the modern body
10. Picasso’s early work: looking back, and to the future

Learning outcomes

As a result of the course, you will gain a greater understanding of the subject and you should be able to:

• recognise characteristics associated with innovative works produced by key, late 19th-century/early 20th-century French modern painters
• exhibit improved visual analysis skills
• recognise the significance of the socio-historical context (at introductory level) in which fin-de-siècle, modern art developed in Paris

Required reading

There is no required reading for this course. See Course materials for supplementary reading once registered.