Course overview

This course will focus on a geographical area that may be intriguing for many of us: the North of Europe. Lately, in films and TV series, novels, and design, the Nordic touch has been quite popular. What about the visual arts? If you would like to know more about the history of Nordic art, this course is for you! In this course, you will learn about artists from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. We will cover Viking objects, Norwegian stave churches, Danish and Swedish medieval church frescoes, Finish national romantic painting and the Skagen painters. We will also study the art and craft of the Sami people.

Course description

In this course, you will learn about Nordic art, from the bronze age and the Vikings to the Skagen Painters and Edvard Munch. The aim is to deepen your understanding of Nordic art, culture, as well as history. We will proceed in a chronological order and study the following themes: - Bronze age rock carvings in Alta and Tanum - Art of the Viking Age - Medieval church frescoes from Denmark and Sweden - Rosemaling – a type of folk art - Art at the rival Danish and Swedish courts - The Golden Age of Danish painting - Bertel Thorvaldsen, a Danish neo-classical sculptor in Rome - The Skagen painters: the modern break-through - Romantic landscape paintings in Norway - Romanticism and Identity in Finnish painting: Gallen-Kallela - Icelandic painting - Symbolist painting in Scandinavia – Edvard Munch

- Sami arts and craft As we study these subjects, we will understand the works of art and artists’ lives in their historical context. We will also establish comparisons with contemporary artistic developments elsewhere in Europe. Doing so, we will identify singular features of Nordic art, and characteristics shared with European art.

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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