Inspired by Winston Churchill’s love of painting on the French Riviera, study the many and varied ways in which artists have captured ‘la campagne’ in this two-session course.

Discover how landscape only began to play a significant role in French painting in the 17th century, when artists looked to Italy and began creating idealised works inspired by Classical Antiquity. Learn how French landscape painting evolved from the nostalgic and pastoral visions of the 18th century to the direct observation of nature in the 19th, when artists captured recognisable landscapes with a new immediacy and realism. From the Barbizon School to the Impressionists, Post-Impressionists and Fauves, explore how French painters embraced their native landscape with remarkable enthusiasm and imagination.