| Description: | The aim of the course is to give students a comprehensive grounding in the conceptual and stylistic events affecting artistic development from the second half of the eighteenth century to the great movement of Impressionism. The European eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were times of colonial expansion and development of new methods in industry, farming, financial markets, and government. Constitutions and parliamentary systems weakened monarchs and the church and gave the vote to more people. Thinkers such as Rousseau, Voltaire and Diderot used reason and scientific method in their inquiries. The idea of spontaneity, direct expression and natural feeling began to transform the arts, encouraging artists to explore the extreme in human nature, from heroism to insanity and despair. We can call the period 'the Age of Revolution', for it was characterized by rapid and violent changes in society and in the arts. Key movements such as Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Realism and the Macchiaioli are studied. Particular emphasis will be given to Impressionism in France, discussing individual artists and the importance of art dealers and art collectors for modern art. |