Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.As you can see, all of these are quite different!
Let’s see ho...
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This online film studies course looks at the ways in which art historical works (mainly paintings) have contributed to the development of cinema’s visual storytelling. We will consider a range of films, their production and use of painterly styles. We will look at artistry and painterliness as it applies to cinema in general. In doing so, the course will provide an account of different approaches to visual narrative influenced by cinema produced by a range of different film makers. At the same time we will also look at how and why specific paintings convey cinematic elements suggestive of a cinema that was invented often hundreds of years after the painting was created. We will also be thinking about the development of ideas around realism, which change decade to decade, and how genres such as horror and fantasy also have their roots in painting. The emphasis will be on watching and discussing and no specialist knowledge of either cinema or art history is required. While most of the course will focus on the western tradition, there will be discussion of paintings and films from other cultures.
There will be many opportunities to look at and discuss art. All of the paintings and artworks presented in the course will be available online through Google Images or museum websites. Each week there will be a main film that will be widely available to the students, who are encouraged to watch it outside of class. In the class, we will screen excerpts from this film. We will also screen excerpts from a wide range of other films. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing.
What will we cover?
Week 1 Visual Narrative Sequential imaging and storytelling through visuals. Suggested Viewing: Red Desert (d. Michelangelo Antonioni)
Week 2 Realism What is “representation” in art and how is “the real” communicated? Suggested Viewing: Frozen River (d.Courtney Hunt)
Week 3 Genre: Horror and Violence in Art and Film While violence in movies is controversial, violence in art has rarely been criticized. Suggested Viewing: Pan’s Labyrinth (d. Guillermo del Toro)
Week 4 Genre: Landscape and the Road Movie How does the landscape in road movie films connect to the tradition of landscape painting? Suggested Viewing: Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper)
Week 5 Genre: The Historical Film How do paintings form the basis of research into ‘the past’ and how is this rendered in film? Suggested Viewing: Marie Antoinette (d. Sofia Coppola)
Week 6 Modernism and the Movies Painter Edward Hopper said that when he didn’t feel like painting “I go to the movies for a week or more. I go on a regular movie binge.” Film and art developed side by side in the 20th century into the present. How have they affected and nourished one another? We’ll also look at the “low art-high art” debate. Suggested Viewing: Un Chien Andalou (d. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali).
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Be comfortable in talking about art history and cinema - Understand and describe the visual elements of genre - Identify and describe different ways that “realism” is expressed through visuals - Appreciate and discuss the value of art knowledge in filmmaking - Assess cinematic artistry within a critical framework - Discuss the place of cinema within the broader history of art and visual culture.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area. As an introduction to art history and the visual aspects of cinema, the course will be useful for active filmmakers, for those who seek to work in cinematography, film design etc. It is suitable for those who want to gain a different appreciation of cinema or art history. The sessions are structured around a weekly theme, and will include practical, optional take-home exercises. You’ll be encouraged to visit your local art museums, and to watch at least one film per week. Current films will be recommended in class. The course will be led by author and filmmaker Gillian McIver. Gillian recently published the first comprehensive study of the film-art relationship, Art History For Film Makers, Bloomsbury 2016. The book can be used alongside the course.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
The sessions will consist of 2 short lectures with PowerPoint presentations and accompanying group discussion. A handout will be given of paintings to look at online, together with a suggested films list. It can be helpful to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class, but this is not essential. There will be a weekly worksheet which you can fill in in your own time, to help you organise your study. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing. Work outside of class generally consists of visiting exhibitions (if convenient) and doing any readings or viewings suggested by the tutor and recorded in the weekly worksheet.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
This is a live online course. The tutor will show extracts of films and students do not have to obtain them.
You will need: - Internet connection. - A computer with microphone and camera, or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer. - Earphones/headphones/speakers.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.
Gillian McIver has an MA in History and a PhD in Art History and Cinema Studies. She has made films and curated many exhibitions in London and abroad. She is the author of the first comprehensive study of the film-art relationship, Art History For Film Makers, Bloomsbury 2016. Her other books include Art and the Historical Film (2022) and Tarkovsky’s River (2012).
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/art-history-and-cinema1442239Art history and cinemahttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/r/art_history_and_cinema-hf347-1080.jpg189189GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Introductory & general/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Courses/Online courses228511771548158017311228511771580Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. <br>We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.<br>As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.003060136Art history and cinema189189https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/a/r/art_history_and_cinema-hf347-1080_4.jpgInStockEveningTueOnlineAvailable courses5-10 weeksWeekday2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allSep 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHF347189189Art history and cinema189123189Gillian McIverart-history-and-cinema/hf347-2627Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. <br>We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.<br>As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.0000-Available|2026-09-15 00:00:00This online film studies course looks at the ways in which art historical works (mainly paintings) have contributed to the development of cinema’s visual storytelling. We will consider a range of films, their production and use of painterly styles. We will look at artistry and painterliness as it applies to cinema in general. In doing so, the course will provide an account of different approaches to visual narrative influenced by cinema produced by a range of different film makers. At the same time we will also look at how and why specific paintings convey cinematic elements suggestive of a cinema that was invented often hundreds of years after the painting was created. We will also be thinking about the development of ideas around realism, which change decade to decade, and how genres such as horror and fantasy also have their roots in painting. The emphasis will be on watching and discussing and no specialist knowledge of either cinema or art history is required. While most of the course will focus on the western tradition, there will be discussion of paintings and films from other cultures.<br><br>There will be many opportunities to look at and discuss art. All of the paintings and artworks presented in the course will be available online through Google Images or museum websites. Each week there will be a main film that will be widely available to the students, who are encouraged to watch it outside of class. In the class, we will screen excerpts from this film. We will also screen excerpts from a wide range of other films. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing.Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. <br>We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.<br>As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.Week 1 Visual Narrative<br>Sequential imaging and storytelling through visuals.<br>Suggested Viewing: Red Desert (d. Michelangelo Antonioni)<br><br>Week 2 Realism <br>What is “representation” in art and how is “the real” communicated? <br>Suggested Viewing: Frozen River (d.Courtney Hunt) <br><br>Week 3 Genre: Horror and Violence in Art and Film<br>While violence in movies is controversial, violence in art has rarely been criticized.<br>Suggested Viewing: Pan’s Labyrinth (d. Guillermo del Toro)<br><br>Week 4 Genre: Landscape and the Road Movie<br>How does the landscape in road movie films connect to the tradition of landscape painting?<br>Suggested Viewing: Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper)<br><br>Week 5 Genre: The Historical Film<br>How do paintings form the basis of research into ‘the past’ and how is this rendered in film?<br>Suggested Viewing: Marie Antoinette (d. Sofia Coppola)<br><br>Week 6 Modernism and the Movies<br>Painter Edward Hopper said that when he didn’t feel like painting “I go to the movies for a week or more. I go on a regular movie binge.” Film and art developed side by side in the 20th century into the present. How have they affected and nourished one another? We’ll also look at the “low art-high art” debate.<br>Suggested Viewing: Un Chien Andalou (d. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali).- Be comfortable in talking about art history and cinema<br>- Understand and describe the visual elements of genre <br>- Identify and describe different ways that “realism” is expressed through visuals <br>- Appreciate and discuss the value of art knowledge in filmmaking<br>- Assess cinematic artistry within a critical framework<br>- Discuss the place of cinema within the broader history of art and visual culture.The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area. As an introduction to art history and the visual aspects of cinema, the course will be useful for active filmmakers, for those who seek to work in cinematography, film design etc. It is suitable for those who want to gain a different appreciation of cinema or art history. <br>The sessions are structured around a weekly theme, and will include practical, optional take-home exercises. You’ll be encouraged to visit your local art museums, and to watch at least one film per week. Current films will be recommended in class. <br>The course will be led by author and filmmaker Gillian McIver. Gillian recently published the first comprehensive study of the film-art relationship, Art History For Film Makers, Bloomsbury 2016. The book can be used alongside the course.The sessions will consist of 2 short lectures with PowerPoint presentations and accompanying group discussion. <br>A handout will be given of paintings to look at online, together with a suggested films list. It can be helpful to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class, but this is not essential.<br>There will be a weekly worksheet which you can fill in in your own time, to help you organise your study. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing.<br>Work outside of class generally consists of visiting exhibitions (if convenient) and doing any readings or viewings suggested by the tutor and recorded in the weekly worksheet.This is a live online course. <br>The tutor will show extracts of films and students do not have to obtain them. <br><br>You will need:<br>- Internet connection.<br>- A computer with microphone and camera, or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.<br>- Earphones/headphones/speakers.Look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.Film studiesIntroductory & generalvirtual189189123HF347NONETue15/09/26 - 20/10/2619:00 - 21:0019:0021:006 sessions (over 6 weeks)65-10 weeksEveningWeekdayOnlineOnlineGillian McIverBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-09-15T00:00:00+00:00Sep 2026Culture, history & humanities189189Art history and cinemaart-history-and-cinema/hf347-2627Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. <br>We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.<br>As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.0000-Available|2026-09-15 00:00:00This online film studies course looks at the ways in which art historical works (mainly paintings) have contributed to the development of cinema’s visual storytelling. We will consider a range of films, their production and use of painterly styles. We will look at artistry and painterliness as it applies to cinema in general. In doing so, the course will provide an account of different approaches to visual narrative influenced by cinema produced by a range of different film makers. At the same time we will also look at how and why specific paintings convey cinematic elements suggestive of a cinema that was invented often hundreds of years after the painting was created. We will also be thinking about the development of ideas around realism, which change decade to decade, and how genres such as horror and fantasy also have their roots in painting. The emphasis will be on watching and discussing and no specialist knowledge of either cinema or art history is required. While most of the course will focus on the western tradition, there will be discussion of paintings and films from other cultures.<br><br>There will be many opportunities to look at and discuss art. All of the paintings and artworks presented in the course will be available online through Google Images or museum websites. Each week there will be a main film that will be widely available to the students, who are encouraged to watch it outside of class. In the class, we will screen excerpts from this film. We will also screen excerpts from a wide range of other films. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing.Since cinema's earliest days, literature has provided movies with stories. But there is another way of looking at film: through its relationship with painting, the oldest of the art forms. <br>We’ll look at paintings by Friedrich, Titian, Hopper, Bacon, Delaroche and many more. We’ll view Red Desert, Pan’s Labyrinth, Easy Rider - looking at realism, surrealism and more.<br>As you can see, all of these are quite different! Let’s see how movies connect us to art history.Week 1 Visual Narrative<br>Sequential imaging and storytelling through visuals.<br>Suggested Viewing: Red Desert (d. Michelangelo Antonioni)<br><br>Week 2 Realism <br>What is “representation” in art and how is “the real” communicated? <br>Suggested Viewing: Frozen River (d.Courtney Hunt) <br><br>Week 3 Genre: Horror and Violence in Art and Film<br>While violence in movies is controversial, violence in art has rarely been criticized.<br>Suggested Viewing: Pan’s Labyrinth (d. Guillermo del Toro)<br><br>Week 4 Genre: Landscape and the Road Movie<br>How does the landscape in road movie films connect to the tradition of landscape painting?<br>Suggested Viewing: Easy Rider (Dennis Hopper)<br><br>Week 5 Genre: The Historical Film<br>How do paintings form the basis of research into ‘the past’ and how is this rendered in film?<br>Suggested Viewing: Marie Antoinette (d. Sofia Coppola)<br><br>Week 6 Modernism and the Movies<br>Painter Edward Hopper said that when he didn’t feel like painting “I go to the movies for a week or more. I go on a regular movie binge.” Film and art developed side by side in the 20th century into the present. How have they affected and nourished one another? We’ll also look at the “low art-high art” debate.<br>Suggested Viewing: Un Chien Andalou (d. Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali).- Be comfortable in talking about art history and cinema<br>- Understand and describe the visual elements of genre <br>- Identify and describe different ways that “realism” is expressed through visuals <br>- Appreciate and discuss the value of art knowledge in filmmaking<br>- Assess cinematic artistry within a critical framework<br>- Discuss the place of cinema within the broader history of art and visual culture.The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to the subject but will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing knowledge in the subject area. As an introduction to art history and the visual aspects of cinema, the course will be useful for active filmmakers, for those who seek to work in cinematography, film design etc. It is suitable for those who want to gain a different appreciation of cinema or art history. <br>The sessions are structured around a weekly theme, and will include practical, optional take-home exercises. You’ll be encouraged to visit your local art museums, and to watch at least one film per week. Current films will be recommended in class. <br>The course will be led by author and filmmaker Gillian McIver. Gillian recently published the first comprehensive study of the film-art relationship, Art History For Film Makers, Bloomsbury 2016. The book can be used alongside the course.The sessions will consist of 2 short lectures with PowerPoint presentations and accompanying group discussion. <br>A handout will be given of paintings to look at online, together with a suggested films list. It can be helpful to see what you can find out about the subject in advance of the class, but this is not essential.<br>There will be a weekly worksheet which you can fill in in your own time, to help you organise your study. The tutor will advise on further reading and viewing.<br>Work outside of class generally consists of visiting exhibitions (if convenient) and doing any readings or viewings suggested by the tutor and recorded in the weekly worksheet.This is a live online course. <br>The tutor will show extracts of films and students do not have to obtain them. <br><br>You will need:<br>- Internet connection.<br>- A computer with microphone and camera, or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.<br>- Earphones/headphones/speakers.Look for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.Film studiesIntroductory & generalconfigurable
15481580Introductory & generalhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/film-studies/introductory-general1/2/285/1177/1580/15481/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Film studies/Introductory & general
