Studying at York
Painting in England & France (c.1850-1914) - CED00120C
- Department: Centre for Lifelong Learning
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
Art-historical writing concerning technical innovation and the representation of modern life in French painting is plenty, but the same cannot be said of English painting. This course will illuminate the similarities and differences between the histories of painting in England and France and the separate ways in which modernity and its representation developed in the two countries. Particular attention will be given to surfaces, materialism and the visual constitution of artworks because those aspects have potential to carry meaning.
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
Whereas there is a considerable art-historical literature on both technical innovation and the representation of modern life in French painting, neither of these issues have been very extensively written about in the English context. This course will illuminate the similarities and differences between the histories of painting in England and France and the separate ways in which modernity and its representation developed in the two countries. Particular attention will be given to surfaces, materialism and the visual constitution of artworks because those aspects have potential to carry meaning.
Throughout this course the students will learn to analyse paintings visually and in relation to a variety of debates centered on modernity and cross-channel exchange. It will strengthen their skills in speaking and writing about relevant artworks from those perspectives.
Module learning outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students should be able to:
- demonstrate a sound understanding of the central preoccupations of painters in England and France in the period 1850-1914
- display a clear sense of the cultural conditions informing nineteenth-century art and the technical innovations in painting that took place in the period
- show confidence in interpreting paintings that they encounter from the period both visually and in relation to historical and theoretical concerns
- locate and use relevant course materials.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Module feedback
The tutor will give regular individual verbal and written feedback throughout the module on work submitted.
The assessment feedback is as per the university’s guidelines with regard to timings.
Indicative reading
- Brettell, R.R. Impression: Painting Quickly in France 1860-1890 (London/Newhaven, Yale University Press, 2000).
- Clark, T.J. The Painting of Modern Life: Paris in the Art of Manet and his Followers (London, Thames and Hudson, 1985).
- Corbett, David Peters. The World in Paint: Modern Art and Visuality in England, 1848-1914 (Manchester/ New York, Manchester University Press, 2004).
- McConkey, Kenneth. Impressionism in Britain (New Haven/London: Yale University Press & Barbican Art Gallery, 1995).
- Prettejohn, Elizabeth. Art for Art’s Sake: Aestheticism in Victorian Painting (New Haven/ London: Yale University Press, 2007).
- Staley, Allen. The New Painting of the 1860s: Between the Pre-Raphaelites and the Aesthetic Movement (New Haven/London: Yale University Press, 2011).