Please note that this course will run over the entire year.
In this course, we shall be looking at the development of French art and architecture from about 1600 to 1850. This was the time of such exhilarating styles as the Rococo and Romanticism.
It was the age of an extraordinary constellation of artists, many of which are household names, people like Jean-Antoine Watteau, Jacques-Louis David and Gustave Courbet.
It was a time when France emerged as the dominant European power, the quintessential Absolute Monarchy; suffered an extraordinary revolution and spread the ideas of liberty, fraternity and equality across the continent; and then collapsed, industrialized, and re-emerged as the focal point of European culture during the Second Empire.
It was the period of such fascinating patrons as Cardinal Richelieu, Louis XIV and Napoleon Bonaparte. In this course we shall attempt to do justice to all the big names. An effort will also be made to develop an in-depth understanding of the period by going down some less obvious byways. Thus due attention will be paid to the development of architecture across the period including the cityscape of Paris.
We shall take a particular interest in less well-known painters like Philippe de Champaigne, Antoine-Jean Gros and Paul Delaroche. Special attention will be paid to the sculptors Jean-Antoine Houdon and Francois Rude. This is a time of great changes, remarkable personalities and stunning art. Come along and take a fresh look at one of the greatest periods of European civilization!
An optional trip to the Wallace Collection, London, will be arranged.
Dr Chris Welander studied History at Oxford University and has a postgraduate degree from the Courtauld Institute of Art. He is currently teaching History at Hills Road Sixth Form College.