How to Look at Paintings - Gallery Visits

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When & Where

16 June 2025 - 30 June 2025 ( 6 hours, 3 weeks )
Afternoon, Monday
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Waterloo Centre

Quick Facts

Availability Yes
Course Code W24PDGB04E
Suitable For 19 year olds and up are permitted on this course

What you will learn

Discover how art and society developed in Europe by looking at paintings in the National Gallery with Dr Carlo Corsato. Each week, we will focus on different artworks by various artists from the 15th to 19th centuries. We will be investigating some lesser-known paintings with incredible stories. We will understand how well-renowned masterpieces became such iconic images. We will talk about great masters such as Van Eyck, Leonardo, Dürer, Titian, Artemisia Gentileschi, Rembrandt, Velazquéz, Poussin, Vigée Le Brun, Turner, Gainsborough, Rosa Bonheur, Cezanne, Monet, and many others. Most importantly, we will have a great time enjoying some of the most significant national treasures, made available to the public free of charge. Join a friendly group of people passionate about art and curious about the world around us. Provide yourself with the tools to understand and enjoy paintings beyond specialist knowledge. Learn how to read images, the rules of visual language, the vocabulary you may use to describe what they represent and how they make you feel.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

Identify different styles and different art schools
Compare and contrast different images and describe similarities and differences
Identify and explain compositional rules, symbolism and optical illusions
Appreciate the use of, and the difference between, vantage points, viewing angles and perspective
Think critically about the mindsets and believes of past societies
Consider and appreciate the importance of art conservation and restoration

Cost

Full fee

£60

Concession fee

£60

Class format and activities

Sessions will be taught in an informal lecture/discussion format with group activities, mindful observation and interactive Q/A. Your tutor Dr Carlo Corsato has over ten years of experience in adult education and student-led learning. Learners will be encouraged to offer their views, ask questions, and contribute to conversations, maintaining a high level of engagement at all times. Unexpected views and challenging questions are more than welcome and treated with respect. History and art-historical facts are presented with great expertise without unnecessary technical jargon or a scholarly lecture style.

Entry requirements

No previous knowledge of art history is needed or expected for this course, just a visual curiosity and a sense of enquiry for the ideas circulating around art and society in Europe. We welcome students from any background and walks of life. Over the years, this course proved to be particularly stimulating and thought-provoking for young people and practitioners. Dr Carlo Corsato believes that diversity always makes a learning experience fuller and more meaningful.

What you need to know before you enrol

The course is taught onsite at the National Gallery. We meet every week in the Sainsbury Wing Foyer at 1.50 pm, and we make our way up to Level 1 at 2 pm sharp. If you cannot attend, please get in touch with your tutor in advance. A room list for each session will be provided a week in advance to allow latecomers to catch up with the group. Although a certain stamina level may be required, we will avoid long walks and try not to stand in front of paintings for too long. The Gallery also provides a limited number of free stools, and benches and sofas are available in a few rooms.

What you need

You may wish to bring a pencil/pen and paper for making notes. You may also like to use your phone or a non-professional camera for taking pictures without the use of flash. More information on the National Gallery website: https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/visitor-photography

What you can do next

This course runs three times a year. Every term, we explore different paintings and artists depending on what is available among the about 2500 artworks of the National Gallery. Dr Carlo Corsato will be teaching ‘How to look every term. Please check dates. We offer a range of long and short courses in art history at Morley and cover a range of periods and subjects of interest. You may like to opt for a lecture-based programme online or in the college or one where you visit galleries and study the art and artefacts in situ (subject to Covid 19 restrictions). You can browse our full programme by searching “art history” on our website.

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