OVERVIEW

This course focused on plein air practice in the context of the Barbizon, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements of 19th Century France. Students obtained a grounding in the major works and artists involved, adding the concrete dimensions of direct, personal experience of the places and motifs that informed these movements. Incorporating visits to major museum collections, including the Musée d'Orsay, the Marmottan and others, the group made day trips to key locations such as Auvers, Giverny and Arles depicted by the artists Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Cézanne and van Gogh. The social, historical and economic contexts for the creation of these works was also explored in depth throughout the course.