‘Art in France’ From Lascaux to the French Revolution! 

When we think about French Art, we might first imagine Impressionist paintings and Cézanne’s apples, or Matisse’s colourful paintings. But what about art created before the 19th century? There are Poussin and Claude Lorrain… and what else?

This term, we will focus on a series of works of art and places created in France, from the prehistoric paintings of Lascaux and Chauvet to the Palace of Versailles. The examples we will study will be diverse: manuscript illuminations and frescoes in Romanesque churches, ivory sculptures, the Fontainebleau School, the paintings of Enguerrand Quarton and Nicolas Fouquet, the enigmatic scenes painted by Georges de la Tour, the gardens of Vaux-le-Vicomte, and much more.

These artistic treasures, part of the country’s heritage, will also be an opportunity to expand our knowledge of the history, geography, and culture of France.

12 September – Prehistoric art: Cave paintings and sculpture

26 September – Celtic and Roman art in today’s France

3 October  – Early Christian art: the Franks

10 October – Romanesque art

17 October – Gothic art

24 October – The International Gothic in painting

31 October – no session

7 November – The Renaissance: Châteaux de la Loire and the School of Fontainebleau

14 November – 17th century painting in France: Poussin, de la Tour, and Lorrain

21 November – Versailles and the Academy

28 November – The Rococo movement

5 December – Women artists in the 18th century

12 December – The French Revolution: David and Neo-Classicism