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Land, Sea and Air: Art in Transit (Friday)

5 weekly sessions on campus, on Fridays at 1pm - 3pm, starting from Friday 9 October

Overview

Art and travel have been intertwined throughout history. Journeys of discovery and colonial expansion were often documented in illustrated journals and commemorated in paintings and sculptures. Grand Tours encouraged cultural exchange and education by widening the horizons of those who could afford to visit far-off lands. Artists such as Turner, Monet and Gauguin undertook personal trips to find inspiration in other environments, taking advantage of the freedom to travel and new modes of transport. Today, travel is often motivated by the desire to experience art galleries and visit exhibitions abroad.

This 5 week course will examine the different strategies and techniques that artists have developed to evoke the experience of travel by land, sea and air. We will also discuss art tourism along with works that have been commissioned specifically for hotels, airports, stations and liners.
Students will encounter to a wide range of artistic styles, such as romanticism, futurism, pop art and installations, through interactive slide presentations, critical analysis of works and group discussion. No experience required – welcome aboard!

Recommend Reading

  • Kennedy, Ian G, and Treuhertz, Julian The Railway: Art in the Age of Steam, Yale University Press, 2008
  • Riding, Christine and Johns, Richard, Turner and the Sea, Thames and Hudson, 2013
  • Barnes, Julian, Levels of Life, Vintage, 2014
  • Useful websites:
  • https://www.tate.org.uk

Syllabus

  • Week 1 (9th Oct) - Art in Transit: Introduction to Art and Travel
  • Week 2 (16th Oct) - Art of the Railway: Trains, stations and travellers 
  • Week 3 (23rd Oct) -  On the Road; Cars: capturing speed, traffic and the open road…
  • Week 4 (30th Oct) - At Sea: Experiencing the power of nature on ships, boats, ferries and ocean liners
  • Week 5 (6th Nov) -  Up in the Air: Balloons, birdmen, planes and airports…and art tourism

Course lecturer

Since completing her Masters Degree in Contemporary art at the University of Liverpool, Julie Robson has been contributing to short courses for both the University of Liverpool's Continuing Education Department, and its International Summer School. Julie has also carried out freelance work as a writer, lecturer and gallery educator at many galleries and museums in Merseyside and North Wales.

Course fee

  • Standard fee: £85
  • Concession fee: £45