نظرة عامة على البرنامج

Autumn School Programs

The Courtauld Institute of Art offers a range of Autumn School programs, each providing a unique and in-depth exploration of various art historical topics.

Making Sense of the Arts of Islam: An Introduction

This course introduces students to the arts and architecture of the Islamic world, spanning from the birth of Islam in the seventh century to the present day.

• The course explores the arts from the 'Golden Ages' of the medieval period to the modern era, covering topics such as monumental buildings, luxury objects, paintings, and the arts of the book.
• Students will examine the social and political contexts that influenced the production of these artworks, challenging preconceptions surrounding 'Islamic Art' and its unique characteristics.
• The course includes morning lectures and afternoon visits to relevant London collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Museum.

Making Sense of 'The Classical' in Art

This course critically engages with the narratives that established a certain type of ancient art as the archetype in the early modern and modern imagination.

• It investigates a diverse range of artworks in the Graeco-Roman world, exploring the context of social and political developments that influenced their production.
• Using visual representations of mythological and historical figures, the course explores misconceptions and misuses of both the relics of antiquity and the concept of 'the classical'.
• The ubiquity of classical styles and narratives in visual arts from the ancient world to the present day allows for an examination of key themes and their relevance in different art historical movements.

National Socialist, "Degenerate", Émigré and Looted Art: The Aesthetics, Economics and Ethics of Art in the Third Reich

This course explores the art politics during the Third Reich and its far-reaching legacies.

• It examines the National Socialist campaign against modern art, the Great German Art Exhibition, and the exhibition Degenerate Art.
• The course investigates the qualities that made artworks unacceptable to the Nazi regime, the consequences faced by rejected artists, and the financial implications of National Socialist art policies.
• Students will also look at the issues of looted art and restitution claims that continue to affect the art market and museum world today.

Variations on a Theme: Art & Music in Early Baroque Europe

This course combines lectures, gallery visits, and live musical performances to present works by prominent artists and composers of the early Baroque period.

• It explores the overlap between music and the visual arts in terms of patronage, audiences, and subject matter, as well as the growing social status divide between musicians and artists.
• The course examines the theory and practice of the arts during this period, including analogies and rivalries between the arts, and the effect of music on the display of art works in private collections.
• Students will have the opportunity to engage with the works of artists such as Caravaggio, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Nicolas Poussin, and composers like Heinrich Schütz, Barbara Strozzi, and Claudio Monteverdi.

The Art of the Sacred in Byzantium and Italy: Materiality and Meaning

This four-day course combines medieval art history with medieval art practice, exploring the fascinating aspects of late Byzantine and Italian panel painting.

• It begins by identifying key iconographies from the Byzantine sphere, analyzing their form, function, and meaning, before exploring the intersections and interpretations of Byzantine art with central Italian painting.
• The course includes practical sessions where participants can try out a simplified version of the traditional panel painting process, creating their own mini painting in egg tempera on a pre-prepared gesso linden-wood panel.
• Students will engage with the materials and processes used by late medieval painters, evaluating how the sensory and spiritual impact of these works may have been achieved.

Making Sense of Modern and Contemporary Art: The Pleasures of Looking

This course addresses art in the post-modern age, proposing that pleasure remains directly accessible through the methods of slow looking and other cultivatable acts of attention.

• It involves both lectures and site visits to museums and galleries across London, unpacking how to read and appreciate complicated art with a particular emphasis on Western works produced between 1945 and 1990.
• The course covers media ranging from traditional painting and sculpture to experiments in crossing boundaries and defying expectations, such as installations, performance, and lens-based works.
• Students will explore the skills of slow looking and other acts of attention, fundamental to art-historical analysis, and how these can be applied to understand and appreciate modern and contemporary art.