Art History: Introduction to Modern Art and Modernism

“Everything you can imagine is real.” – Pablo Picasso
At a Glance
- Live online course
- 2 hours a week
- Thursdays 18:00 - 20:00
- 10 weeks: April to June
- Tutor: Michael Paraskos
- Fees from £120 to £205
- Official course title: 'Understanding Art'
- Imperial College attendance certificate (T&Cs apply)
- Book from 1 March 2021
This course is designed to introduce you to some of the most exciting and challenging art of the past century and a half. Starting with the Impressionist art of the 1870s, and ending with Pop Art in the 1960s, we will take a whistle-stop tour of some of the major art movements associated with the period known as High Modernism, and pause a while to examine some of its leading artists, from Monet and Picasso, to Dali and Warhol.
Not only is study of this period in art history extremely rewarding and enjoyable in itself, but you will end the course with a greater understanding of some most significant works of art to be found in museums and galleries across the world today.
No previous knowledge of art, history, or art history is necessary, and your tutor is an expert at guiding both novices and the more experienced through the - sometimes shocking and sometimes comic - intricacies of modern art.
The course is aimed at complete beginners, and no previous qualification or knowledge of art or art history is necessary.
Online Access to Course
This is a taught live online course which means you will be taught alongside other students on the course by a tutor at a specific time on a specific day of the week. To take part in the course you will need a suitably equipped and internet-enabled device. Please find full details and instructions below under 'Course Delivery'.
Attendance Certificate
Those who attend at least 80% of the course sessions will receive an attendance certificate from Imperial College London upon completion of the course.
Course Information
Course Programme
- Week 1: Impressionism and Post-Impressionism
- Week 2 Anarchist Landscapes, Matisse and the Wild Beasts
- Week 3 Munch, Ensor and Expressionism
- Week 4 Cubism and its Offspring
- Week 5 Freud, Dada and Surrealism
- Week 6 Constructivism and the Russian Revolution
- Week 7 British Modernism
- Week 8 Abstract Expressionism
- Week 9 Pop Art to Photorealism
- Week 10 The End of Modernism
Additional Reading
There is no compulsory reading required for this course, and there is no set course text, but if you would like to read more on the subject we suggest:
About Your Tutor
Dr Michael Paraskos is a very experienced adult education tutor, having taught for over twenty-five years. He holds a Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and also teaches art history to undergraduate students at the City and Guilds of London Art School.
He is a writer of both fiction and non-fiction and has published very widely on art of this period, as well as reviewing exhibitions and novels for BBC Radio 4’s Front Row and The Spectator magazine. His first novel In Search of Sixpence was published in 2016 and his second, called Rabbitman, was published in 2017.
Course Delivery
All our online courses are taught live which means you will be taught alongside other students on the course by a tutor at a specific time. To take part in the course you must be able to attend the online session at the time stated for the course description.
All times stated are British Standard Time.
To take part you will need a computer, or laptop, or tablet computer, connected to the Internet. The device you use will also need to have a camera, microphone and speakers. Most devices now have these built in, but if not you might have to buy them from a computer shop and to connect them to your device.
Zoom
This course will use Zoom as its online delivery method. Zoom is very easy to use and you do not need to set up a Zoom account to use it. Near the date of your first online session you will be sent an email with a web address (or URL) that will allow you to access the course. This is called the Course Link. All you need do is click on the Course Link in the email and you will be asked to enter your name. This is the name that will be seen by your tutor and other students in the class.
Once you have entered your name you might be asked to enter a password to enter the class. The password will be included in the email sent to you. Once you enter the password you will either be taken directly into the class, or asked to wait in a virtual waiting room until the tutor is ready to let you into the class.
We have also produced a Handy Guide to Zoom [pdf] which gives you basic information on how to use it.
All courses lasting two hours have a 10 minute break in the middle. For one hour courses there is no break.
Course Fees and Rate Categories
Hours | Weeks | Standard Rate | Internal Rate | Associate Rate |
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20 | 10 | £205 | £120 | £160 |
All fee rates quoted are for the whole course Please note there is no early-bird discount available for the April intake courses |
Rate Categories and Discounts
Standard Rate
- Applicable to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.
Internal Rate
- Applies to current Imperial College students and staff (incl. Imperial NHS Trust, Imperial Innovations, ancillary & service staff employed on long-term contracts at Imperial College by third-party contractors).
- Current Centre for Languages, Culture and Communication (CLCC) staff, current CLCC PhD students, Science Communication (Sci Comm) postgraduate students, and students enrolled on an Imperial College 'Language for Science' degree programme should email evening eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk before completing the online enrolment form.
Associate Rate
- Students (non-Imperial College)
- Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
- City & Guilds College Association members
- Members of the Friends of Imperial College
- Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
- Harrods staff
- Historic Royal Palaces staff
- Natural History Museum staff
- Science Museum staff
- South London Botanical Institute Members
- Victoria and Albert Museum staff
- Royal Geographical Society staff
- Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
- Austrian Cultural Forum staff
- Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
- Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
- Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
- Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
- Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
- Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
- Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
- Members of the London Zoological Society
- Members of the Kennel Club
Late enrolment
It is possible to enrol on many CLCC Evening Class and Lunchtime Learning programmes after the course has started. For non-language courses this is subject entirely to agreement by the tutor. For language courses it is subject to agreement by the language Coordinator conducting level assessment. If you want to join a course late do bear in mind there might be work you will need to catch up on, particularly in language courses.
Applicable terms & conditions
Please read the Terms and Conditions [pdf] before enrolling on any course.
Term Dates
Hours | Weeks | Autumn term | Spring term | Summer term |
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20 | 10 | n/a | n/a | w/c 26 Apr - w/e 4 Jul 2021 (10 weeks) |
Enrolment Process
Web enrolment starts 1 March 2021
Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. Please click on the blue booking link on the relevant course page noting below instructions:
- Our rate categories are explained on the course page and your applicable rate category must be selected on the eStore
- First-time eStore users please create an account by entering an email address and password. These credentials should also be used for future bookings. Imperial College users please note the eStore is not a single-signon College system
- The booking process involves entering payment details before your course choice and applicant details are queried on an in-built questionnnaire which completes the process
- The following email notifications are sent
What is sent | When is it sent | What does it contain |
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1. Payment confirmation | Instantaneously following submission of your online application |
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2. Enrolment confirmation | Sent in due course but likely not before the end of March. Please treat your payment confirmation as confirmation that your applicant details and payment have been received |
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3. Programme information | Usually sent Friday late afternoon the week before term starts |
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If you need further help with the above information please ring 020 7594 8756 |
Any Questions?
- Questions regarding the content and teaching of this course should be sent to the tutor, Dr Michael Paraskos at m.paraskos@imperial.ac.uk
- Questions about your enrolment and payment should be sent to the Programme Administrator, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk
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If you have enjoyed this course, why not look at other arts and humanities evening class courses at Imperial College. This includes courses on the history of western art from ancient Greece to the nineteenth century, Understanding Modern and Design, the history of film and cinema and Greek and Roman mythology in art. We also run practical courses in art and photography and creative writing classes, and a growing programme of science based evening classes.