Course Programme (may be subject to modification)

1. Saying Goodbye to the Medieval World: Part 1 – Early Renaissance (c.1380 – 1450)

   The intellectual and literary climate of 14^th century Italy and the socio-economic changes of late medieval Europe manifested in a new world view that gave agency to human beings in God’s creation. Humanist scholars rediscovered manuscripts from the ancient world and with them came a rebirth of interest in ancient classical culture, which manifested in the world of art and objects.  

2. Intellect and Harmony: Part 2 – High to Late Renaissance (c.1450-1580) 

   The second half of the 15^th century saw new materials and principles and a clear return to the principles of balance and proportion seen in Greek and Roman art. Out of this came a new identity in the decorative arts of Renaissance Europe and the modern era of collecting and patronage.  

3. Boldness and Theatricality: The Baroque (c.1580-1720) 

   Baroque style spanned the whole of the 17th century and beyond, a period in which notions of the exotic and the dramatic found fertile intellectual ground. This was reflected in the fine and decorative arts, from the virtuoso sculpture of Bernini, the floral marquetry of Northern European furniture and the auricular style of the silver creations of the brilliant van Vianen brothers, to the English court style of William and Mary under the rigorous eye of Daniel Marot. It was also the period in which conscious appreciation of everyday objects as ‘antiques’ germinated. This lecture explores the intellectual climate and the stylistic motifs that made the Baroque such a long-lived international style.   

4. Froth and Frivolity: Rococo (c.1720 – 1760) 

   The unapologetic abandon of the mid-18^th century’s Rococo style saw a rejection of the seriousness and grandeur of Baroque art and design. There was not a straight line in sight. This lecture immerses itself in curves, cartouches, rockwork, shells, crustaceans and the arabesque. 

5. Chaste Minimalism: Neo-Classicism (c.1760 – 1800) 

   After the joyous excesses of the Rococo, the sparse reserve of the Neo-Classical period presented an altogether more intellectual and rigorous schema. Publications about archeological discoveries, increasing numbers of Grand Tourists travelling into Greece and Winckelmann’s codification of ancient classical works of art all helped to revive interest in classicism at its source. Robert Adam and Josiah Wedgwood were the key figures in British design and this lecture explores both their contributions and those of their peers.  

6. The Reform Movement: The Aesthetic and Arts & Crafts Movements, c.1860-1890

   ‘Art for Art’s Sake’ was the motto of celebrated aesthetes like Oscar Wilde and the Oxford academic Walter Pater, who pushed against conventional life in Victorian England. The Aesthetic Movement was all about the pursuit of beauty, resulting in the production of artworks that were unashamedly gorgeous. Favourite motifs such as the lily, sunflower and peacock adorned many of the objects, while artists such as James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Aubrey Beardsley and Frederic Lord Leighton seduced the senses – sometimes outraging conventional tastes.   

   The Arts & Crafts Movement, like the Aesthetic Movement with which it was contemporaneous, was a reaction against the revivalist styles that dominated mid-19^th century Britain. The leaders of the movement, most famously William Morris, believed in the moral purpose of art, the integrity of the craftsperson and the intrinsic beauty of materials. It became a key signatory of reformist style and its legacy is still felt in design today.  

7. Go with the Flow: Art Nouveau (c.1890 – 1920) 

   The sinuous, characteristically whiplash forms that provide the blueprint for Art Nouveau are seen time and again in the fine and decorative art of the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries, until wiped away by the First World War. A truly international movement, the varied incarnations of the style in different countries is examined in a lecture that celebrates fluidity and movement.    

8. Geometric Joys: Art Deco (c.1920 – 1939) 

   This lecture examines Art Deco in terms of its historical context – a new style that emerged in the aftermath of the First World War – and its formal characteristics. It traces the various sources of inspiration embraced by designers of the period, such as avant-garde art, the cultures of African, Aztec and Mayan peoples, the exotic appeal of Egypt following the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb, and the development of technology and the internal combustion engine.  

Viv Lawes (Sky Arts/Sotherby's Institute/etc) is an author, journalist, lecturer and curator with over 25 years’ experience in the art market.

Viv studied History at York University and graduated with an MA in Fine and Decorative Art from Sotheby’s Institute in 1997, where her thesis focused on the textile trade between England and India/ China in the 17th and 18th centuries. She is Senior UK Consultant for Singapore-based gallery One East Asia and has curated numerous exhibitions of Southeast Asian modern and contemporary art in London since 2011. She has written catalogue essays for many Southeast Asian contemporary artists, including Chang Fee Ming (Malaysia), Jane Lee (Singapore) and Andres Barrioquinto (Philippines). She recently co-authored a forthcoming book on the late Singaporean artist Teng Nee Cheong (1951-2013).

As well as teching at the Sotheby’s Institute Viv lectures at the City & Guilds of London Art School, L'Institut d’Etudes Supérieures des Arts (IESA) and the University of the Arts, London. She is also a NADFAS-accredited lecturer, travelling widely in the UK, Europe and Asia.

As a journalist she has written for many national and international arts publications, including The Art Newspaper, Antiques Trade Gazette, The Guardian, Art + Auction, Country Life, The Royal Academy Magazine and the British Antiques Dealers Association annual handbook. She is currently in the finishing stages of writing a book, Horse: A History of Equine Bronze Sculpture, for the Sladmore Gallery, London.

Rate Categories and Discounts

Standard Rate

• Available to all except those who fall under the Internal Rate or Associate Rate category, respectively.

Internal Rate

• 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)
• People enrolling under our Friends & Family scheme
• Alumni of Imperial College and predecessor colleges and institutes
• City & Guilds College Association members
• City and Guilds of London Art School staff, students and alumni
• Students, staff and alumni of the Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music
• Students, staff and Governors of Woodhouse College and the IC Mathematics School

Associate Rate

• Austrian Cultural Forum staff
• Co-operative College members
• Francis Crick Institute staff, researchers and students
• Friends and Patrons of the English Chamber Orchestra
• Friends of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens
• Friends of Leighton House/ Sambourne House
• Friends of the Royal College of Music
• Harrods staff
• Historic Royal Palaces staff
• Lycee Charles de Gaulle staff
• Members of the Friends of Imperial College
• Members of the Kennel Club
• Members of the London Zoological Society
• Members of the South London Botanical Institute (SLBI)
• Members of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP)
• National Health Service (NHS) employees
• Natural History Museum staff
• Residents of postcodes SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10 and W8
• Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council staff
• Royal College of Art and Royal College of Music tutors and other staff
• Royal Geographical Society staff
• Science Museum staff
• Staff of Exhibition Road Cultural Group (Discover South Kensington) organisations
• Students (non-Imperial College)
• Teachers and other staff of UK schools
• Tutors and other staff of institution members of the Association of Colleges
• Tutors and other staff of other universities and higher education institutions
• Victoria and Albert Museum staff

Proof of status might be requested at the first session. Please bring proof of status with you for the first class of your course.

Late enrolment

It is possible to enrol on many of our adult education courses after the course has already 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.

Friends and Family Scheme

This course is eligible for the  allowing Imperial College students and staff to share their discount with their friends and family.

Web enrolment starts 1 August 2023

Enrolment and payment run through the Imperial College eStore. When enrolling:

• Do check on the drop down menu above called "Course Fees and Rate Categories" to see if you are eligible for a discounted rate and also do make sure you select that rate when enrolling on the eStore
• If you are a first-time eStore user you will need to create an account before enrolling. You can do this by entering an email address and password. This account can then be used for any future enrolments via the eStore.

When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:

If you have any questions about the content or teaching of this course please contact the Course Tutor, Viv Lawes at v.lawes@imperial.ac.uk 

If you have any questions about your enrolment or payment processes please contact the Programme Administrator, Christian Jacobi, eveningclass@imperial.ac.uk