Course overview

Discover for the first time, or re-visit an old favourite, this course will introduce you to a wide range of artworks from the national collection of Tate Britain in London. We explore specific works by historical, modern and contemporary artists in relation to wider cultural and social contexts. The aim of the course is to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking at and discussing art in London’s galleries. On this course, we examine work by prominent artists as diverse as Anthony Van Dyck, Joan Carlile, William Blake, JMW Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, Gwen John, Sarah Lucas and Lubaina Himid.

Course description

Get closer to the national collection at Tate Britain, a renowned collection of art from the 16th century to the present day. Exploring a range of paintings, sculptures, works on paper, film and digital art, we consider how artworks have been acquired for the collection. This course encourages you to develop confidence and visual literacy skills when looking and discussing artworks. We explore how selected historical, modern and contemporary works reflect on the broader cultural and social contexts in which they were produced. We explore how artworks help to tell the story of British history, starting with portraits produced by British and European artists after the Reformation; and continuing with history paintings, landscape, portraiture and other genre paintings and sculptures up to the Industrial Revolution. Going into the 20th and 21st centuries, we consider how new forms of artists challenged traditional art forms through their use of new forms of media and subjects. Throughout the course we also identity how artists from earlier periods have influenced the work of following generations. We consider also how the current Tate Britain displays reflect over 50% of female artists from the Collection, an important step for equity and representation in this famous collection.

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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