Modern art: movements 1850-1900
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- Start Date: 26 Sep 2025End Date: 05 Dec 2025Fri (Daytime): 10:30 - 12:30OnlineFull fee £259.00 Senior fee £207.00 Concession £168.00
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What is the course about?
The course explores the major art movements and critical theories that have influenced the making and reading of Western art since 1850. It will also consider the impact of photography, European colonialism, social and political revolutions on the avant-garde artists and the perception of art.
To do this we explore art movements as parts of the society that produced them, looking how how the wider world influences art and how art influences/reflects the wider world. We begin with Academic art and its confines and how foundational modern movements like Realism in France rebelled against it and movements like the Pre-Raphaelites in England in many ways conformed to it. When then turn to Impressionism, Symbolism, Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau, Aestheticism and Post-Impressionism.
Some of the artists we will look include Édouard Manet, Berthe Morisot, Gustav Courbet, Edvard Munch, James Abbott McNeil Whistler, Aubrey Beardsley, May and William Morris, Mary Cassatt, Gustav Klimt, Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Édouard Vuillard, Emilie Flöge, Paul Guguin, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Cezanne and Georges Seurat. Please note that the course is focussed on the movements more than the artists' biographies.
What will we cover?
The course follows a broad survey of the major phases in modern art from 1850 to 1900, these include:
-Academic Art/Orientalism
-Realism/Naturalism
-Pre-Raphaelites
-Impressionism
-Symbolism
-Post-Impressionism
-Arts and Crafts
-Art Nouveau
-Aestheticism and Decadence
Please note, these movements will not be covered in exactly this order.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Recognise different styles/types of modern art by outstanding visual elements
- Discuss the social/cultural purpose of at least three of the major movements we discuss
- Demonstrate an understanding of the socio-cultural contexts for the movements we study.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
The course is open to all. No prior knowledge of the subject is required.
You should be able to follow simple written and verbal instructions, demonstrations, hand-outs and health and safety information. You will be invited to discuss ideas with the wider group. This course uses Zoom and Google Classroom as their digital platforms. Students should already feel comfortable using basic Zoom elements like camera, microphone and chat. Students should also be willing to access the college's Google Classroom for essential documents related to their learning.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught with lectures, silde presentations and group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course; these handouts will be available digitally via a Google Classroom. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date. Powerpoint slides will not be shared.
A few notes: the tutor is unable to email documents to you because of copyright and data protection restrictions. After the first week of class, all documents will be shared via the Google Classroom. This is a live lesson course - sessions are not recorded or available on demand for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to bring a notebook. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list given out in class, or visit some of the exhibitions recommended.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You may like to take the other courses in this series on modern art:
Modern art: movements 1900-1950
Modern art: movements 1950 to now.
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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