Course: French Masters, 4 Weeks

delivered by Alan Read

Please note this is a 4 week course, taking place on Fridays 11.00-12.00 (UK time)

Should the current situation change and we might be able to move these lectures into a physical space again, we will - while keeping the online option going for those reluctant or not near our chosen venue.

9/4/21: JEAN-AUGUSTE DOMINQUE INGRES (1780-1867): IDEALISED CLASSICISM

‘There comes a time when an artist of genius feels somehow swept along by his own capacities…I think I am that man’. Leader of the neo-classical school, heir to Poussin and pupil of David, Ingres was known for his history paintings but excelled as a portraitist and one of the greatest draughtsman of all time. Alan will consider all these aspects of Ingres’ work.

16/4/21: GUSTAVE COURBET (1819-1877): ARROGANT REALISM

‘I am the proudest and most arrogant man in France’ wrote Courbet. He used those qualities to defy convention and challenge academic conventions and Alan will show how this resulted in a movement which radically altered the course of European art in the nineteenth century, including paintings which have not lost their power to shock.

23/4/21: EDGAR DEGAS : STUDIED SPONTANEITY

‘No art is less spontaneous than mine’ claimed Degas who, despite being a driving force behind the movement, objected to being classed as an Impressionist. Instead, working primarily in the studio, Alan will demonstrate how Degas’s knowledge of Old Masters was fused with a fascination of modern life: ballet dancers, horse racing and bathing women.

30/4/21: GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963): PIONEERING CUBISM

‘Roped together like mountaineers’ is how Braque characterised his relationship with Picasso in the development of Cubism. But his career was multi-faceted, and Alan will take us from his early association with Fauvism through to some of the most richly complex still lifes of the twentieth century.

Please note that once you pay you will get an email confirming your payment. This email will also contain a link for the online lecture.

• Make sure the latest version of Chrome is installed on your computer as your browser, this will improve the quality of the streaming (it does not like Safari)
• You can confirm the download and upload speeds on your device, by going to https://fast.com/, 3 Mbps or greater is ideal
• If using an Ipad, confirm it is on iOS 11 or higher
• May we suggest that you have only Zoom open on your computer during the session; this will help with internet speeds
• No microphone or camera are needed
• Please make sure to log on 10 min before the start of the talks 

NB 11.00 UK = 12.00 Amsterdam = 6.00 New York = 19.00 Hong Kong

10 GBP = 11.50 Euro = 15 USD = 106 HKD

A recording will be made of this event and can be bought separately after the event has taken place.