Seminar Description
Evolution of painting and artistic life in France from the end of the XVIII century to the beginning of the XX century.

• Classicism and Neo Classicism
  • Influence of Greek and Latin Antiquity on Nicolas POUSSIN’s and J.L. DAVID’s work
• Neo Classicism and Romanticism
  • Analyzing INGRES’ and DELACROIX’s work.
  • The relationships with mannerism and the Baroque.
• The Painters of Nature
  • The Barbizon painters as precursors of Impressionism: 1h. ROUSSEAU, J. B. COROT and J. F. MILLET
• Naturalism and Realism, and the Beginning of Modem Painting
  • C. COURBET’s “Manifesto for realism”
  • MANET as the first modem painter
• The Impressionistic Revolution
  • E. BOUDIN as a real precursor
  • Masters: CI. MONET, A. RENOIR, C. PISSARRO and SLSLEY
  • The importance of the new techniques: the fragmented brushstroke
  • Bright colors.
  • Development of open-air painting
  • Visits: Renoir Museum (Cagnes-sur-Mer); “Beaux arts” Museum (Nice)
• From Impression to Expression
  • CEZANNE’s influence on PICASSO and the cubist painters
  • GAUGUIN’s synthesis and stylization, influencing the Nabis
  • VAN GOGH’s convulsed painting
  • E. DEGAS and TOULOUSE-LAUTREC: dance, drawing, movement
  • the “modern style”
• Neo and Post Impressionism
  • G. SEURAT’s theories about division and pointillism of Paul SIGNAC
• Fauvism Uprising
  • H. MATISSE as a key-painter of the movement.
  • VLAMINCK, MARQUET and VAN DONGEN
  • Visit: Matisse Museum (Nice)
• Cubism of BRAQUE, PICASSO and F. LEGER
  • Analyzing the complete works.
  • Visit: Picasso Museum (Antibes)
  • Fernand-Léger Museum (Biot)
• A Poet-Painter of Our Century: Marc CHAGALL
  • The original work and the specificity of the “Biblical Message”
  • Visit: National Museum Marc Chagall (Nice)
• Contemporary Art
  • Abstract art Paul KLEE and W. KANDINSKY theories
  • The Dada movement; ARP, M. DUCHAMP’s ready made
  • Surrealism and its followers: DALI, ERNST, MAGRITTE, MIRO
  • Visit: “The Maeght Foundation” (Saint-Paul-de-Vence)

Example of a Seminar Lecture & Practical Study

• Lecture in a General Introduction
  • Painting as a visual language.
  • How to become capable of recognizing and analyzing a work so as to question art and set the elements of a real creative perspective.
  • The relationships between forms and colors and their organization in a space; a stylistic approach.
• Practical Study
  • Analysis of works among the most representative of the reference periods in art history.
  • Illustration of the different styles of painting: portrait, female nude, landscape, still life and "scène de genre".
    • Portrait: “La Joconde” (L. de VINCI, Italian Renaissance). The Alberti’s theories about perspective, the sfumato and chiaroscuro.
    • “Scène de genre”: “Les bergers d’Arcadie” (“Shepherds in Arcadia”) (N. POUSSIN, XVII). A very classical “scène de genre” and a perfect example of the classical landscape.
    • A female nude: “La Grande Odalisque (INGRES, XIX). To think about the notion of ideal beauty in the neo classical period and, contradictorily, about the elongated proportions of the body in a “mannerist” way.
    • Landscape: “Impression, sunrise” (CI. MONET, 1872). The beginning of Impressionism; the fragmented brushstroke; the orange spot as a warmth source and illuminating the painting.
    • Still life: “Apples and oranges” (Paul CEZANNE, 1895). The beginning of modem art; the bright colors and the cezanian “modulation”.
    • “Scène de genre”: “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” (P. PICASSO, 1906). The first cubist painting and the revolutionary aspect of this angular perspective. The elaboration of a new formula of a visual language.

Seminar Bibliography

• “History of Art” (text book) - H.W. JANSON, 2nd edition (Prentîce Hall - 1982)
• “The Story of Art” - E.H. Gombrich (Phaidon Press - 1984)
• “The Story of Impressionism” - J. Rewald (The M.O.M.A. - 1973)
• “Impressionism” - P. Pool (Thames & Hudson - 1967)
• “Post Impressionism” - J. Revald (the M.O.M.A. - 1978)
• “A Concise History of Modern Painting” - H. Read (Thames & Hudson - 1974)
• “Cubism” - E. Fry (Thames & Hudson - 1966)
• “Concepts of Modern Art” - N. Stangos (Thames & Hudson - 1981)
• “On Modern Art” - Paul Klee (Faber & Faber - 1966)
• “Concerning the Spiritual in Art” - W. Kandinsky (Dover Publications - 1977)
• “Manet” - Claudia Lyn Cahan (Bloomsbury - 1985)
• “Degas” - Giovanni Carandente (Bloomsbury Books - 1985)
• “Monet” - Michel Hoog (F. Hazan - 1978)
• “Cezanne: a Study of His Development” - R. Fry (The University of Chicago Press 1989)
• “Toulouse Lautrec” - Renata Negri (Bloomsbury Books - 1985)
• “The Letters of Vincent Van Gogh” - M. Roskill (Atheneum - 1963)
• “Impressionism and Post Impressionist Masterpieces: The Courtauld Collection” (Yale University Press - 1987).

Important note: This seminar is NOT available during the summer session.