looking at Modern Art

COURSE DESCRIPTION

In this course, we take a close look at four key movements in modern art: Cubism, Expressionism, Naivety and Abstraction. Looking closely at these movements provides you with a deeper understanding of what drove the dramatic changes in the visual arts in the early 20th century, as well as the visual skills for seeing more in what these artists, and those inspired by them, have created.

We begin by looking at Cezanne - “the father of us all” according to Picasso - and the influence his art would have on the art movements of the early 20th century. We firstly trace his influence on Picasso and Braque in the creation of Cubism. We then turn to Expressionism, which in many respects runs counter to the analytical tradition of Cezanne and instead turns the gaze inward to a world perceived by the spirit, soul or mind rather than the eye. In third week, we look at naivety in modern art, from the influence of folk and ‘primitive’ art to the radically bold uses of colour by the Fauves, such as Matisse. In the final week, we look at Abstraction. In some respects abstraction is the most influential of these movements, although, as we will see, it is a very diverse range of styles that frequently draws on the approaches to art that we have seen in the preceding weeks.

The course is structured with weekly 1-hour recorded lectures and weekly 1-hour guided discussion sessions. The lectures focus on the context for the development of each movement and pay particular attention to the relationships between the artists who who created each unique type of modern art. The guided discussion sessions will focus on a selection of works by each artist.

The course doesn’t require any prior knowledge and does not require homework, although a list of readings is available for each session in case you’d like to take your learning further.

COURSE CONTENT

Lecture 1: From Cezanne to Cubism
Session 1: Focus on Cezanne, Picasso’s early masterpieces and Georges Braque.

Lecture 2: Expressionism from Van Gogh and Munch to The Blue Rider
Session 2: Focus on Van Gogh, Munch, Münthe and Kandinsky.

Lecture 3: From naive art to The Fauves
Session 3: Focus on Rousseau, Matisse, Raoul Dufy and Metzinger

Lecture 4: Abstraction
Session 4: Focus on Malevich, Hilma af Klint, and Mondrian

LECTURER

Dr Nick Gordon is a cultural historian and artist with an encyclopedic knowledge of European and Australian art. His research on the Italian Middle Ages and Renaissance has won numerous academic scholarships and prizes (including a University of Sydney medal in History and a PhD). He has over fifteen years’ experience speaking about history and art history, from ancient to contemporary, to university and adult audiences, and regularly takes small groups to major modern and contemporary art events, including the Venice Biennale and Art Basel.

COURSE STRUCTURE

4 x 1 hour lectures + 4 x 1 hour discussion sessions.

COURSE DATES

Lectures: Recorded and available on demand prior to the discussion sessions

Discussion sessions: Wednesdays 10am or Wednesdays 6pm

25 August 2021 | 1 September 2021 | 8 September | 9 September

REQUIREMENTS

This course does not require any assumed knowledge, only a willingness to learn and an interest in art. Sessions require access to ZOOM (which is free), a device with a camera (such as a tablet or computer with a webcam), and an internet connection.

BOOKING

Please note that all times are in Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC +11).

The booking form for the 10am discussion class below is followed by the booking form for the 6pm discussion class.