The Impressionists: Painting Modern Life



Overview

This course introduces the groundbreaking group of painters associated with French Impressionism, examining the work of major Impressionist artists such as Monet, Manet, Degas and Cézanne and their engagement with modern life in nineteenth-century France. Through close study of Impressionist painting, techniques and themes, the course explores how these artists transformed the history of modern art.

The work of women Impressionists such as Mary Cassatt and Berthe Morisot is examined alongside critical responses to the Impressionist exhibitions and the movement’s international impact beyond France.

The final part of the course examines Post-Impressionism, focusing on artists such as Van Gogh, Gauguin and Seurat, and considers how their work developed new artistic languages that reshaped modern art history.

Listen to Dr Jan Cox talking about the course:

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 Impressionism

2. The painting of modern life: Manet and Renoir portray Paris

3. Techniques of the Impressionists paint and practice

4. Critical responses to the Impressionist exhibitions

5. The Impressionist body: bathers and bathtubs

6. Women Impressionists

7. Monet and the modern landscape

8. Work and industry: Pissarro, Caillebotte and the art of labour

9. International Impressionism

10. Beyond Impressionism: Gauguin, Van Gogh and Seurat

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 essential textbooks:

  • Thomson, B, Impressionism: Origins Practice Reception (London, Thames & Hudson, 2000)
  • Harrison, C., Wood, P. and Gaiger, J., Art in Theory 1815-1900: An Anthology of Changing Ideas (Oxford, Blackwell, 1998)

Both texts are available second-hand as well as new.

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.

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

Dr Allison Deutsch

Allison Deutsch is a specialist in nineteenth-century French painting and material culture. She joined the Birkbeck Department of History of Art, now School of Historical Studies, in 2020 as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow. Prior to joining Birkbeck, she was an Associate Lecturer at The Courtauld Institute of Art and a Teaching Fellow at University College London.

Course aims

This course aims to introduce the participants to the group of artists known popularly as The Impressionists. It will place these artists within the aesthetic, social, and economic context of their time, and examine critical reactions to their art. We will look at a number of overarching themes such as body, landscape, and depictions of work and modern life. Additionally, we will analyse such areas as the important role of women artists and Impressionist painting techniques.

Teaching methods

Teaching methods on this course will be:

  • Guided reading of particular texts.
  • Guided use of particular websites.
  • Discussions of particular issues and responses to reading in the unit forms.
  • Close critical analyses of particular pieces of visual, written and material evidence.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students will be able to understand:

  • The concept of Impressionism in terms of both a shared ethos and its many individual interpretations.
  • The methods and ideals that informed the Impressionists engagement with 'Modern Life'.
  • The place of Impressionism in the canon of nineteenth-century European art.
  • The strengths and weaknesses of the Impressionists' approach to the creation of art.

By the end of this course students will have gained the following skills:

  • Ability to assess and critically analyse different types and sources of evidence.
  • Ability to think laterally across a range of issues and be able to evaluate and summarise the interaction between them.
  • Ability to discuss and interpret specific issues in a clear and logical manner.

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