Mavericks of French Impressionism

Learn about the rebels who changed the art world with our art history short courses in Sydney.

Step into the studios, salons and streets of 19th-century Paris, where a daring group of artists defied tradition and reimagined how art could capture life itself. Mavericks of French Impressionism takes you on a richly illustrated journey through the genesis and evolution of the Impressionist movement — from its radical beginnings to its lasting influence on modern art.

Focusing on Paris and its surroundings, this course explores how industrial progress, and new ways of seeing and the capacity to capture light transformed painting forever. You’ll also discover how the redesign of Paris under Baron Haussmann provided the backdrop for artists who captured the rhythms of the modern city — from café society to riverside leisure.

Through expert background and lively visual analysis, you’ll examine the artists who challenged the establishment and reshaped art history: from Manet’s bold realism to Monet’s shimmering landscapes, from Claudel’s emotive sculptures to Cézanne’s revolutionary geometry. Along the way, you’ll uncover the rivalries and collaborations that defined one of art’s most vibrant eras.

This course is ideal for art lovers, travellers and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of French culture and the origins of modern art.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this French Impressionism course, you should be able to:

• Recognise the styles and signature elements that distinguish each artist’s work.
• Situate the artworks within their cultural, social and political contexts.
• Undertake compositional and symbolic analysis of selected artworks.
• Understand how Impressionism laid the groundwork for modern movements such as Cubism.

Course content

This French Impressionism course covers the following topics and artists:

• Session 1 – Manet and Morisot: The First Radicals. 
  Explore the beginnings of modern art through the works of Édouard Manet and his pupil Berthe Morisot. Learn how their defiance of academic tradition and interest in Japanese art and photography heralded the birth of Impressionism.
• Session 2 – Monet, Pissarro and Seurat: The Plein Air Revolution.
  Trace the rise of landscape painting and the move towards painting outdoors (en plein air). Discover how Monet, Pissarro and Seurat captured the changing light and atmosphere of modern life, and how science influenced their use of colour and technique.
• Session 3 – Rodin and Claudel: Sculpture Comes Alive.
  Delve into the world of French sculpture’s most passionate and controversial partnership — Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin. See how they fused emotion and sensuality with a true knowledge of human anatomy into marble and bronze, forever changing the language of sculpture.
• Session 4 – Cézanne and Beyond: Toward Cubism.
  Examine how Paul Cézanne’s quest for structure and geometry inspired a new generation of artists like Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso. Understand how his revolutionary vision bridged the 19th and 20th centuries, paving the way for Cubism and abstraction.

You may also enjoy continuing your art history journey with our Great Italian Art & Where to Find It.