Learning to Look at Modern Art



Overview

Modern art, from around 1900 to the present day, is often perceived as more challenging to understand than the art of earlier periods. Through close looking and critical discussion of a wide range of works, this course offers clear frameworks for understanding and appreciating modern and contemporary art, while also identifying important continuities with artistic traditions of the past.

The course introduces ways of approaching modern art history in an open-minded, analytical and critically informed manner. It addresses key questions frequently raised about modern and contemporary art: why does it appear so different from earlier art? How should it be approached and interpreted? What changing ideas reshaped notions of artistic value, skill and meaning? Why has traditional craftsmanship been questioned, and what issues define contemporary artistic practice today?

Attention is given to the cultural, philosophical and historical contexts that shaped modern art, helping to explain why these radical artistic developments emerged. Key concepts such as collage, installation and mixed media are explored, alongside the breakdown of traditional boundaries between painting, sculpture, architecture and design. At the same time, the course considers artists who continued to engage with established subject matter and techniques, revealing important lines of continuity between modern art and earlier artistic traditions.

This course has no live sessions. You will study structured materials at your own pace each week with support of a tutor. Find out more about how our short online courses are taught.

Programme details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

1. Introduction to Learning Look at Modern Art and Picasso

2. Modernism

3. The Dynamic View

4. Duchamp and conceptual art

5. Expressionism and Self Expression

6. New Concepts of Composition

7. Space and Form

8. Light and Colour

9. Traditional subjects

10. Epilogue and conclusion

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Textbooks

To participate in the course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following paperback book:

Acton, Mary, Learning to look at Modern Art (London & New York, Routledge, 2004) ISBN 0415238129

Please ensure you are able to access copies of any required textbooks prior to enrolling on a course but please keep in mind that courses with insufficient students enrolled will be cancelled. The Department accepts no responsibility for books bought in anticipation of a course running.

Digital Certification

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework. All those enrolled on an online courses are registered for credit and will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

See more information on CATS points

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £415.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Mr Gordon Reavley

Gordon Reavley is a Departmental Tutor teaching topics in Art History and Visual and Material Culture for Oxford Lifelong Learning. He has been widely published on American social and cultural history and on the history and theory of art and design.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course you will be able to:

  • Show you understand what to look for in Modern Art.
  • Use the vocabulary or language of looking at Modern Art.


And you will have developed the following:

  • The ability to be an active and questioning spectators.
  • Critical and analytical skills in relation to Modern Art.

Assessment methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course. The assessed work is marked pass or fail.

 

Application

Please use the 'Book now' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form.

Level and demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required.

This course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website. If you are confident in your proficiency, please feel free to enrol. For more information regarding English language requirements please follow this link: https://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/about/english-language-requirements

 

IT requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must to be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support