Art History courses online and in London
Looking to build your confidence in discussing and interpreting art? Or are you interested in taking your established knowledge of art in new directions? Then come and join City Lit’s Art History learning community!
Our exceptional range of courses, both introductory and in-depth, are designed for all learning levels. Our programme approaches art history from a variety of perspectives including social and cultural context, art theory and philosophy, curation and collecting, general art appreciation and so much more.
Choosing the right class for you
Our courses are open to all. Our students come from all backgrounds and learning experiences, from the absolute beginner to those refining their knowledge and understanding. We aim to give you the confidence to engage meaningfully with art, whatever level you are working from. Our students use our courses for personal fulfilment as well as professional and educational development. Many of our students go on to advanced degree and certificate programmes and many are able to use their knowledge in art making and gallery work.
Learn from expert tutors
At City Lit we are proud of the expertise of our tutors who are all professional art historians working actively in museums, galleries, research and writing, universities and auction houses. As experts in the field, they are able to provide you with the support and guidance you need to develop your art historical knowledge. As teachers they provide student-focused education, helping students achieve their art historical goals, both the personal and the professional.
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- The Norwich School - a unique society of landscape paintersCourse start date: Fri 9 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Elizabeth EyresOn this course you will study the fascinating work of the 19th century Norwich School, a loose association of generations of painters from artistic families who worked in Norwich, Norfolk, one of the most important and wealthy regional capitals of the day. You will explore the beautiful landscapes produced by these artists and also discover work produced by remarkable women in the group.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 - Art and critical theory: rethinking 'nature'Course start date: Wed 28 Jun 2023 (and 1 other date)
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeExplore the role of critical theory within the field of art history, and learn new ways of thinking about art by focusing on how recent authors have been rethinking our understanding of nature.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 - London architecture: Renaissance, Baroque and PalladianCourse start date: Sat 7 Oct 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersFrom the beginnings of Renaissance architecture in Britain, through the Baroque to Palladianism - study key architects including Jones, Wren, Hawksmoor, and Burlington, looking at religious and secular buildings. Includes site visits.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - Focus on: VermeerCourse start date: Sun 19 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoMaster of stillness and light, author of only 35, maybe 36, known works, Vermeer’s art continues to fascinate. Discover his life and works in the context of the Dutch Golden Age.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 - The art of the French RenaissanceCourse start date: Tue 21 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Julia MusgraveWhat makes the art of the renaissance in France so fantastical and fanciful? How much does it owe to Italian artists? Where can you see examples and why does so little survive? Discover the story of the rise and fall of the French renaissance.Full fee £119.00 Senior fee £95.00 Concession £77.00 - The beginnings of Impressionism: the Barbizon SchoolCourse start date: Thu 23 Nov 2023
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Emma Rose BarberFull fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - The Victorians: art, fashion & architectureCourse start date: Sat 20 Jan 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersFull fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Modern art in IrelandCourse start date: Sun 11 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Henry MartinThis course explores how artists on the island of Ireland have responded to, and created, cultural and social change between 1922 and 2022. Themes include religion, inequality, post-colonialism, modernity, secularism and the Troubles.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Velázquez, painter to the KingCourse start date: Sat 24 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Mark Stuart-SmithInvestigate the work of the Spanish painter Diego Velázquez, including enigmatic paintings such as Las Meninas (1656), and learn about how his art relates to his political role as court painter to Philip IV.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Looking at sculpture: from Donatello to RodinCourse start date: Sat 24 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Keeley Street
Tutors: Rachel SandersStudy sculptures from the Classical to the Modern era, including work by Donatello, Bernini, Canova and Rodin, considering styles, materials and techniques of works within social and cultural contexts.Full fee £99.00 Senior fee £79.00 Concession £64.00 - Copies & copyists in antiquity: art, beauty and misunderstandingCourse start date: Thu 29 Feb 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Simone ChisenaExplore the often-overlooked world of ancient copies and copyists, how their work helped to save art treasures for the future and how it impacts on our modern perception of the Ancient World.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Animals in art - from medieval art to todayCourse start date: Wed 6 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Irina ChkhaidzeThis course focuses on historical shifts in the depiction of animals from the late medieval period to the present, and on the contemporary representations of human-animal relations.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £99.00 - Focus on: iconographyCourse start date: Sun 17 Mar 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Leslie PrimoEver wondered whether there’s a hidden meaning behind paintings? Discover why there are signs and symbols in paintings and how to find and interpret their meanings in medieval and Renaissance art.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £59.00 Senior fee £47.00 Concession £38.00 - Full fee £99.00
- Makers not muses: Claude Cahun, Eileen Agar and Isabel RawsthorneCourse start date: Thu 25 Apr 2024
Location on this date: Online
Tutors: Chantal CondronExplore the work of three radical artists whose work and practice defied convention in modern art from the 1920s to 1960s. Discover how each artist challenged and transcended society’s expectations of being a ‘muse’ by living freely and making art in a variety of media, from painting and sculpture to collage, photography and performance.
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.Full fee £69.00 Senior fee £55.00 Concession £45.00
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