Painters of Modern Life – Europe of the Empires : The Arts of the 19th Century

The Course offers a series of art history lectures on “Europe of the Empires: The Arts of the 19th Century”. We will explain how from the collapse of the ‘Ancien Regime’ and the ravages of a 25 year war, the “Long 19th Century” took us to the outbreak of a very different war in 1914, in a very different world. This course examines the expression of change in the arts – from Goya in Spain, Blake in England and the Impressionists in France. As Empires expanded we will look at the impact of trade and new materials and of new and exotic influences on artists from Delacroix to Picasso.

One of the most striking features of later 19th century painting was the fascination with contemporary life – streets, trains, railway stations, cafes, music halls, factories and gaslight were fuel for artists from the Impressionists to Sickert and later to Sonia and Robert Delaunay. Futurism in Italy celebrated the monuments and opportunities of the Machine Age.