Art History in Action: The Scottish French Connection (10 credit points)

Special Information

This course requires you to bring their own art and design materials. Most of these can be sourced and purchased in advance from any good art material supplier such as the Art Shop at ECA Lauriston Place Campus. Essential items not readily available will be provided during classes and you will be invoiced at the end of the course for items used. Listed below are the materials and equipment requirements for this course and an estimated cost. You are advised not to purchase any materials until you have received confirmation the course is running – usually 7 days before the start of the course.  You will be guided by the tutor as to which materials you need to bring to classes each week.

Essential materials you will need to bring to the first class:

• Acrylic paints- two different reds, two different blues, two different yellow, dark green, white, one or two browns

• A range of flat and round brushes in a range of sizes

• Paper or card

Materials and equipment provided for students as part of the course and included in course fee:

• Paper

Essentials materials and equipment students will need to provide themselves:

• May need further colours as the weeks go by

• Glue

• Ink

• Scissors

• Collage materials

Content of Course

Over the class sessions the course will cover:

1. There will be a short lecture introducing the work of the Nabis: Bonnard and Vuillard and the Fauves: Matisse and Derain.  Students will work on some small colour studies in relation to these. There will be a demonstration of colour mixing and colour theory.

2. Students will work from studio set ups, further exploring the use of colour and technique.

3. Students will work from a set up with a model.

4. There will be a short lecture on the Scottish Colourists:  Peploe, Hunter, Fergusson and Cadell. Students will work from studio set ups, examining some of their techniques.

5. Students will work from a set up with a model.

6. There will be a short lecture looking at the next generation of Scottish artists who were influenced by the Scottish Colourists and French painting. Artists included are Anne Redpath, William Gilles and John Maxwell. We will also look at current Scottish Figurative artists who use colour.

7. Students will complete a project of their own devising, based on the work examined, but bringing a contemporary relevance to the work.

Teaching method(s)

The teaching will be based and delivered in specialist art and design studios or workshops and will typically include a range of practical exercises, introductions to techniques, processes and concepts, and set projects which lead to more focused and personal exploration. Over the course, students’ progress will be monitored and supported by the tutor.  Teaching will include practical demonstrations, one to one tuition, group discussions and critiques.

For work required to be undertaken after the class hours are complete, the course tutor will set students a ‘directed study plan’ which can be undertaken without the need for specialist workshops or access to models.

Directed study will include research into a range of suggested artists and their associated movements to engender a contextual awareness. Students are expected to demonstrate how their research has informed their work through annotated sketchbooks, a visual digital journal and practical outcomes. 

The Directed Study Plan will include preparing evidence of research and practical work to form an appropriate presentation for assessment.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this course, the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an insight into the methods, contexts and practices of the Nabis, the Fauves, the Scottish Colourist and more recent Scottish painters to foster visual research and develop personal ideas.

• Use a variety of techniques, materials and approaches to develop a series of resolved and distinctive contemporary art works, informed by the work of the French and Scottish painters.

• Select and present a coherent body of work, including studies and finished pieces that underpin the research and practice.

Sources

Core Readings

Essential:

• THOMSON, B. (1988),Vuillard,Phaidon Press Limited

• FRECHES –THORY, C. and TERRASSE, A. (1990), The Nabis, Bonnard, Vuillard and Their Circle, Flammarion

• WHITFIELD, S. (The Museum of Modern Art

• PEPLOE, G. (2000), S.J.Peploe, Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd.

• HEWLETT, T. (1998), Cadell, the Life and Works of a Scottish Colourist 1883- 1932,

• MORRIS, M. (1974), The Art of J.D. Fergusson, Blackie & Son Ltd.

• BOURNE, P. (2004),Anne Redpath 1895-1965, Edinburgh, Atelier Books

Web Sources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmrpwbEJYts

http://www.metmuseum.org

http://www.nationalgalleries.org

http://www.scotsman.com/the-scotsman/scotland/exhibition-review-the-scottish-colourist-series-sj-peploe-1-2619804

http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/visual/the-scottish-colourists-sj-peploe-scottish-national-gallery-of-modern-art-edinburgh.1351911867

Assessment

Details of the Art and Design assessment requirements can be found on the short course website. Please click on the following link for more information: Submission and Assessment Information

Studying for Credit

If you choose to study for credit you will need to allocate significant time outwith classes for coursework and assessment preparation. Credit points gained from this course can count towards the Certificate of Higher Education.

Queries

If you have questions regarding the course or enrolment, please contact COL Reception at Paterson's Land by email COL@ed.ac.uk or by phone 0131 650 4400.

Student support

If you have a disability, learning difficulty or health condition which may affect your studies, please let us know by ticking the 'specific support needs' box on your course application form. This will allow us to make appropriate adjustments in advance and in accordance with your rights under the Equality Act 2010. For more information please visit the Student Support section of our website.