Women in art 1400-1800
This course will be delivered online. See the ‘What is the course about?’ section in course details for more information.
This course has now started
Course Code: VB867
Duration: 6 sessions (over 6 weeks)
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Center for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
On this online art history course we will examine a group of immensely talented painters who won enormous international acclaim in their day, and included founder members of the Royal Academy and hugely sought-after portrait painters. We will look at highly esteemed artists who worked at the major European royal courts, others who were some of the greatest flower painters of the Dutch golden age (one of whose paintings sold for considerably more than Rembrandt’s), and painters of altarpieces and exquisite still lifes. The work of these artists hangs in Tate Britain, the National Gallery and other major collections around the world, yet most are not household names. The only thing these artists had in common was that they were all women.
On this course we will discuss how these extraordinary artists achieved so much at times when the odds were so stacked against them. What qualities did these women have? Why was it so difficult to be an artist and a woman at the same time? Why were women artists often restricted to certain genres (subjects)? And why do we hear so little about their work today? The artists whose work we will examine and discuss will include Sofonsiba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Clara Peeters, Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Leyster, Mary Beale, Rachel Ruysch, Rosalba Carriera, Angelica Kauffmann, Mary Moser and Louise-Marie-Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun and others.
This is a live online course. You will need:
- Internet connection. The classes work best with Chrome.
- A computer with microphone and camera is best (e.g. a PC/laptop/iMac/MacBook), or a tablet/iPad/smart phone/iPhone if you don't have a computer.
- Earphones/headphones/speakers.
We will contact you with joining instructions before your course starts.
What will we cover?
• A wide of range of work by women artists from different European countries and who specialized in all types of genres
• The cultural and social contexts of the time and how they impact women in art
• How women artists trained as artists and managed to achieve critical acclaim and success in their fields
• Formal analysis selected works and the relevance of the cultural contexts behind the paintings.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
• Name at least 5 women artists from the period 1400-1800 and identify the genres in which they worked
• Discuss the cultural and social issues that have affected the fame and reputation of women artists working this period
• Analyse one of the paintings discussed on the course in terms of its formal elements and how it reflect the culture and society in which it was made.
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 as well as basic functions of Zoom, specifically microphone and camera.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught online with slide presentations and group discussions. Handouts will be provided by your tutor to support your learning on the course; these handouts will be available online/digitally for download on a Google Classroom, not printed out for you. You will be invited to join the Google Classroom within a week of your course start date.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You might wish to buy a notebook. You might wish to buy some of the books on any reading list given out in class.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
You might also be interested in:
Women in art 1800-1900
Women in Art: 1900-1960.
Liz Keevill Eyres worked as a textile designer in the fashion industry for four years and then as a magazine journalist specializing in interior design for 13 years. Her first degree was at Camberwell School of Art which she did at the same time as completing a degree in History and Art History with the Open University. Liz studied and has taught at Kingston University, where she lead modules and lectured in history of art, design history and architecture for ten years and ran study visits both at home and abroad. Liz has researched into English Modernist textile design of the 1950s and the professional practice of the provincial Edwardian architect, in particular Norwich-based architect George Skipper.
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.
