Art History Classes available in London and Online

The Medici family, initially led by Cosimo de’ Medici in the early 1400s, wielded immense economic and political power in Florence and beyond. Their patronage extended across architecture, sculpture, painting, and the humanist scholarship that defined Renaissance culture. For the Medici, art was more than personal collections and the projection of cultural superiority; it was also a vital instrument for expressing civic pride allied with dominance, religious devotion, and projecting the legitimacy of their rule.  Cosimo de’ Medici, in particular, cultivated relationships with artists whose works adorned both private spaces and public institutions. The Medici’s support was not limited to secular commissions and their own spaces; they played a crucial role in sponsoring religious art and confraternities, which in turn cultivated their reputation as pious Christians and benefactors of Florence and eventually keepers of the Papal purse. 

The Medici family, led by Cosimo de’ Medici in the early 1400s, wielded immense economic and political power in Florence. Their patronage extended across architecture, sculpture, painting, and humanist scholarship that defined Renaissance culture. For the Medici, art was more than ornamentation; it was a vital instrument for expressing civic pride, religious devotion, and the legitimacy of their rule. Cosimo de’ Medici, in particular, cultivated relationships with artists whose works adorned both private spaces and public institutions. The Medici’s support was not limited to secular commissions; they played a crucial role in sponsoring religious art, which in turn reinforced their reputation as pious Christians and benefactors of the city.

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Each week a selection of paintings will be discussed by the class in front of the actual works. This is an opportunity to understand our national collection in greater depth by looking and discussing with students the paintings, while also affording them an opportunity to look at the actual paint, the physically/size of the images and thus the original uses of the objects. This course will also look at how and why paintings are placed gallery spaces, how there are lit, why some paintings are under glass and why some are not, and how different curators hang different rooms.Across this ten week the course we will also address the history and genesis of the National Gallery building itself in the context of the Collection. The National Gallery has a limited supply of stools available if you need them.

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The 17th century produced some of the greatest artists of all time: Rubens, Rembrandt, Velázquez and Bernini to name but a few. Explore the work of these key artists and understand the history, styles and ideas that shaped the century.

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Join broadcaster and author Leslie Primo on a journey to discover Western European art from classicism through to late Victorian art and Impressionism. On the course we will delve into the lives of various artists, their cultural backgrounds, and their influence on subsequent art movements.

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Ever wondered whether there’s a hidden meaning behind paintings? Discover why there are signs and symbols in paintings and how to find and interpret their meanings in medieval and Renaissance art.

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The golden panels of the Sienese masters are immediately identifiable but why was their work so different? Today we explore the art of Siena, its world, its symbolism and how it was made.

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The National Portrait Gallery houses one of the world’s greatest portrait collections. As a collection of British portraits, it is also one of the best places to learn about British history. This course offers an accessible introduction to the Gallery and its collection. Each week we focus on a different aspect of portraiture, and the history of Britain represented by groups of portraits from the same period.

For the April starting course, meet on the Ground floor, Ondaatje Wing, at the bottom of the big escalator. For the November starting course, please wait for a meeting point to be emailed to you within a week of the course start date.

The course follows the display of portraits at the NPG which is currently organised into historical periods: Tudors; Stuarts; Georgians and Regency; Victorians; twentieth century and contemporary works. Each class will combine looking at elements of portraiture and thinking about the period of British history under review. Because the NPG is not primarily a collection of art, the course does not focus heavily on art history, however the tutor will present information on the history of art in Britain as part of the background to the study of British portraiture. The course will include a visit to the current temporary exhibitions (ticket price not included in the course fees).

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Explore the fascinating gods and heroes of classical and post-classical art through relevant artworks. How popular were they in classical society? What roles did they play?

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This course will explore in detail an artist that to this day is still seen as the very epitome of the ideals that aligned themselves with the term – Renaissance. Over a ten-week period we will chart the rise of Raphael beginning before his birth with the work of his father Giovanni Santi (c. 1435 – 1494) to the introduction of Raphael into the Santi studio. The course will then move on to the early works and the question of influence beyond his father’s workshop looking at contemporary artists in Raphael’s milieu, such as Perugino and the part they may or may not have played in those early formative years of Raphael’s artistic development. Raphael’s obsession with drawing and the integral part it played in his invention, design and printed works will also be explored in this ten-week course, but the tumultuous period of the Renaissance and Raphael’s part in it cannot be told without refence to Michelangelo and Leonardo both of whom he crossed paths with, nor can it be told without the competition that ensued between these great Renaissance masters. All will be revealed in this course, including the triumph of the Vatican frescoes, the patronage of the popes, the acrimonious battle between Rapheal and Michelangelo, through to Raphael’s final years and the legacy of his life and works that will take us out of the sixteenth century and into early years of the seventeenth century where this survey will end.

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