Art & the Modern World

This course examines the developments that take place in French art from the mid-nineteenth century until the turn of the twentieth century. This is one of the most exciting periods in the history of art, when long-established traditions are challenged, when art practice is affected by social and political considerations. At a time when France is the focus of artistic innovation, the module will concentrate on developments there, with lectures on, for example, the defiant realism of Gustave Courbet, Edouard Manet's paintings of modern Paris, the world of the Impressionist painters and the individualism of Post-Impressionist artists such as Vincent van Gogh and Paul Cézanne. In addition to examining artists and art movements, other considerations will include the significance of display in the context of temporary exhibitions, Great Exhibitions and museums; the influence of new art forms such as photography and non-Western art; the impact of urban expansion and industrialisation; the role of patronage.