Lunchtime lecture: Understanding Abstraction
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- Start Date: 16 Sep 2025End Date: 16 Sep 2025Tue (Daytime): 13:00 - 14:00OnlineFull fee £14.00 Senior fee £11.00 Concession £9.00
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What is the course about?
It is no coincidence that people taught that the Italian Renaissance was the pinnacle of artistic achievement find abstract art difficult to interact with. The Renaissance’s use of naturalism and narrative are often used a benchmark to measure abstract art against, but you can’t understand a Rothko by comparing it to how much it is not like Leonardo’s Mona Lisa. Different visual language equals different thinking. This talk introduces this different language for those who (might rightly) feel a bit lost when approaching abstraction.
This lunchtime lecture looks addresses some of the common critiques of abstract art before going into a brief history of abstraction from ancient to the contemporary. We will end the lecture by ‘close-looking’ at late 20th century abstract artists like Lee Krasner, Josef Albers and Mark Rothko.
What will we cover?
-A brief history of abstract art
-Common reasons artists use abstraction in their art
-How historic, western European conceptions of art might create an adversarial expectation of what abstract art ‘should do’ or ‘should look like’.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
-Discuss one or two of the common reasons for abstraction
-Rethink what you expect of your experience of abstract art
-Begin to look at abstract art with more confidence and curiosity.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is open to all.
You should be able to operate basic elements of Zoom, e.g. microphone, camera and log in.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught with lecture and slide presentation. This course does not include an active discussion element, but there may be time for Q&A at the end of the session. This is a live lecture and will not be recorded for reasons related to copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Search for 'lunchtime lectures' to see all of the talks on offer in the coming year.
Sarah Jaffray holds a BA and MA in Art History with an emphasis in 19th/20th century France and a minor in the Italian Renaissance. She holds a second MA in Cultural Theory from Goldsmiths, University of London. Sarah was a lecturer for several colleges and universities in the Los Angeles area before relocating to London in 2012. She has worked in curatorial roles at the British Museum and Wellcome Collection. In addition to her current teaching at City Lit, Sarah is a lecturer at the University of Arts London and the Tutor Coordinator for City Lit's Art History programme. Her art historical practice focuses on experimental narratives, artistic process, art pedagogy, politics and philosophy. Sarah's current research is focused on translation and empathy.
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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