Constable and the British landscape tradition
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- Start Date: 16 Jun 2025End Date: 16 Jun 2025Mon (Daytime): 11:00 - 13:00In PersonFull fee £29.00 Senior fee £23.00 Concession £19.00
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What is the course about?
Starting in the British Galleries we will see how in the 18th century artists such at William Hodges and Richard Wilson painted romanticized historic views of the British Landscape which encouraged the public to start exploring Britain and its past. In the Paintings Gallery we will discover themes covered by British 19th century Landscape artists.
We will study works by John Constable who sketched in the open and tried to be true to landscape in his paintings. This approach influenced later French schools of painting. We will see a number of his sketches and academic paintings that were largely left by his daughter Isobel to the Museum and we will compare his artwork to the very different approach that his contemporary, J.W. Turner took to landscape painting.
What will we cover?
• 18th and 19th century artworks in the Victoria and Albert Museum on display in the British Galleries and Paintings Galleries
• The different approached the artists took to landscape painting and how this was developed by some artists in the 19th Century.
• Learn about the Constable collection at the V&A and how Constable painted landscape.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Discuss - What landscape art is on show in the V&A and how it compares.
• Describe -A work by John Constable or Turner in detail.
• Recall – How the Constable collection came to the V&A and why it is significant.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for all levels.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information, and will be invited to take part in group discussion.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught through lecture in a gallery space.
This course takes place offsite in a London gallery. Offsite courses take place during public access hours. Tutors are not able to control sound levels or behaviours of visitors outside of the course group, gallery closures or fire alarms. Unless you are a wheelchair user, and have confirmed access details with us (as levels of access can vary between buildings), you will need to be able to walk between sites and stand for some time while looking at them (you may bring your own portable stool if you have one, but we cannot guarantee access to seating offsite.) If you feel you may be impacted by these environmental variations, please inform the department on humanities@citylit.ac.uk before the course begins, to discuss reasonable accommodations we can make to assist your learning in offsite.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to purchase a notebook for taking notes. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list provided.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Constable’s Hampstead on- line talk January 2024
Hampstead’s Pioneers of Modern Art Walk 21/05/2024.
Marilyn Greene is a museum professional and London tour guide with an academic background in art history. Qualified as a City of London Guide, she leads Mud-larking tours, Hidden London Tours for London Transport Museum, school tours at the Charles Dickens Museum, as well as developing her walks in the City and north London. Having worked as a Curator at Hampstead Museum and a qualified City of London guide many of her walks specialise in various aspects of these areas. Marilyn worked for 15 years at the Victoria and Albert Museum in adult and community learning and specialised in working with faith communities and organising intercultural tours of the collections. As well as walking tours, Marilyn leads tours and training at both the Victorian and Albert Museum and British Museum.
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.
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