Module Directory

This module offers an in-depth study of a revolutionary moment in the production of art. Why is it that artists 'suddenly' start to create works that are startlingly different from what came before?

Starting with the provocative Realism of the mid nineteenth century, The module will further investigate Impressionism in the context of the social, political and economic changes that heralded the birth of modernity in France.

The aims of the module are:

• To introduce students to key movements in the history of art by focusing on Realism and Impressionism.


• To develop skills of oral and written description and analysis of art works.


• To develop interpretation skills through comparative visual analysis.


• To familiarise students with the use of primary and secondary sources.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to have:

1. A sound grasp of Realist and Impressionist artworks and their context.


2. The ability to interpret works and texts based on sound knowledge of the appropriate historical and interpretative contexts.


3. The confidence to subject the texts studied to critical analysis.


4. Good bibliographic and basic research skills.

Skills for your Professional Life

By the end of this module, students will also be expected to have acquired a set of transferable skills, and in particular be able to:

1. Engage with the subject through visual analysis and close attention to detail.


2. Define the task in which they are engaged and exclude what is irrelevant.


3. Seek and organise the most relevant discussions and sources of information.


4. Process a large volume of diverse and sometimes conflicting arguments.


5. Compare and evaluate different arguments and assess the limitations of their own position or procedure.


6. Write and present verbally a succinct and precise account of positions, arguments, and their presuppositions and implications.


7. Be sensitive to the positions of others and communicate their own views in ways that are accessible to them.


8. Think 'laterally' and creatively (i.e., to explore interesting connections and possibilities, and to present these clearly rather than as vague hunches).


9. Maintain intellectual flexibility and revise their own position based on feedback.


10. Think critically and constructively.

The themes we will explore will include labour and class, gender, the built environment, and display. We will explore not only the historical stature and reputation of Courbet, Manet, Degas, Monet, Morisot, Cassatt and others, but their contemporary relevance. The module will also examine why artists reacted to their time, and how they also came to influence it.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 2-hour combined lecture and seminar per week.

There will also be Reading Week when no teaching will take place, exact week to be confirmed.