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鈥檚 changed over a period of time, as well as the impact it鈥檚 had on society. 

You鈥檒l 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鈥檒l be taught by a talented tutor who is an expert in their field. 

The support you鈥檒l 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鈥檚 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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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 鈥楪allery of 100 paintings.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 14/10/2024 -
Mon 11/11/2024
Times:
2:00pm - 4:00pm
Duration:
3 sessions
Location:
Jubilee Hall Loddon (Loddon)
George Lane
Loddon
NR14 6NB
Tutor:
Guest Speaker
Course code:
Q00019037
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
1 place remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢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 鈥 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 拢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鈥檒l 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 拢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 拢25.20

51风流官网 Membership

For just 拢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鈥 annual conference.

Just add us to your basket to sign up today!

Membership Information

Duration:
12 months
Fee:
拢15

Women Artists

American art historian Linda Nochlin in 1971 posed the question as to 鈥淲hy have there been no great women artists?鈥. 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 拢60.00

Creative Writing in the Landscape: Writing the River Tamar

In a stunning location overlooking Brunel鈥檚 famous Tamar Bridge to Cornwall, this workshop will be a feast for the creative senses. You鈥檒l be encouraged to write what you can see, hear, feel, smell, touch 鈥 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鈥檚 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 拢25.20

Art Appreciation: Art Fakes, Forgeries, and Copies

What makes an artist forger artworks?, what motivates them?, which famous artists do they copy?, what techniques do they use?, and do they get away with it?. This course explores the answers to these questions, as well as how many fakes are produced, and the money that can be made. Above all, when the forger is caught how they can became celebrities in their own right with exhibitions of their artworks in their own name. The course will also examine the challenges and opportunities and above all the controversies surrounding AI-generated Art, is it original, a copy or a fake?

Course Information

Dates:
Sun 27/10/2024 -
Sun 01/12/2024
Times:
11:00am - 1:00pm
Duration:
5 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Jolanta Jagiello
Course code:
Q00017465
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
6 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢37.00

Art Appreciation: Symbolism in Art

Can you read the hidden meanings in paintings? For centuries artists have relied upon symbols to convey their intentions, but how do we find out what lies behind some of the most well-known works of art? In this extensively illustrated study day with 51风流官网 tutor David Brindley, we鈥檒l explore the wealth of symbolism in western art from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, the Impressionists to Surrealism, and from abstract art to the present and offer an interpretation of the hidden meanings within these pieces.

Course Information

Dates:
Fri 01/11/2024 -
Fri 01/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 3:30pm
Duration:
1 sessions
Location:
St Lawrence Parish Rooms (Winchester)
Colebrook Street
Winchester
SO23 9LH
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00016859
How you'll learn:
In venue
Availability:
9 places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢23.10

Art Appreciation: 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:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 25/11/2024
Times:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Duration:
4 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
Kate Phillips
Course code:
Q00017300
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢29.60

Art Appreciation: The Art of Christmas

The Christmas story has probably inspired more art than any other subject. From medieval icons of the Virgin and Child to the Renaissance paintings of the shepherds and the wise men; and from stained glass windows to Christmas cards, the story has been at the forefront of western art.

Course Information

Dates:
Mon 04/11/2024 -
Mon 09/12/2024
Times:
11:00am - 12:30pm
Duration:
6 sessions
Location:
Online
Tutor:
David Brindley
Course code:
Q00009345
How you'll learn:
Online
Availability:
10+ places remaining
Status:
Available
Fee range
Free to 拢33.30