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Short course

Introduction to Modern Art History Online Short Course

Introduction to Modern Art History Online Short Course | Online
Learn how to understand and analyse modern art. Explore the history of modern art movements, from Impressionism to Postmodernism and how these movements continue to influence contemporary art today.

Next start months
August 2025
October 2025
December 2025
Tutor(s)
TBC
Theo Carnegy Tan
Price
From £420.00

Course description

Course overview

The first half of the 20th Century was a time of radical artistic innovation and turbulent upheaval of ideas, the effects of which we still feel today. Whilst fascinating, the vastness of the era and the complexity of its art are understandably intimidating to those just starting in the field. This modern art history online course aims to give you a working foundation from which you can really begin to get to grips with the intricate history of modern art.

Through movements such as Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism and many more, you will learn to identify the key characteristics of significant modern movements alongside the analysis of their historical significance. Across four weeks you will learn about the downfall of academic art, the rise of abstraction, and the contradictory, anti-modern impulses of opposing movements. A critical understanding of modernity and modernism is emphasised throughout the course and taught alongside all our examples.

You will develop skills in art historical analysis through weekly assignments which receive individual feedback at the end of the course. Resources for extended research are provided via the online Workflow interface, where the discussion continues outside of weekly lectures.

Who this course is for

If you are interested in art and enjoy visiting galleries and would like to deepen your knowledge of modern art, then this course is for you. You will develop and shape your understanding and opinions, which could give you a greater appreciation for art that you can apply to your own artwork or to a degree application.

Key information

Topics covered

  • The key movements of modern art from Impressionism through to Abstract Expressionism
  • The historical and social conditions of modernity
  • How to identify, analyse, and discuss modern artworks
  • Manifestos of modern movements
  • The concepts of modernism and anti-modernism
  • The role of the arts academy
  • Differences between traditional fine art and modern art

Learning outcomes

  • By the end of the course you will have an understanding of;
  • Influential modern art movements
  • How modern art movements contribute to contemporary art today
  • How to analyse and discuss an artwork
  • The foundations of Modernism
  • Receive a digital badge and certificate of attendance

Materials

Course Specific Materials:

  • Paper and pen to take notes

Please see our Guide to taking online short courses.

Tutor

Theo Carnegy Tan

Theo Carnegy-Tan is an arts academic from London, and he has taught Short Courses with Central Saint Martins since 2014. Previously has given a number of talks at the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, and has worked in the archives of Zaha Hadid Architects and the Mucha Foundation. His writing has been featured in Another Gaze, MAP, and The Quietus among others

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