In 2026, the Exeter course proudly celebrates its 20 th anniversary. Do join us for another
facinating course, as we journey through 18th- and 19th-century European art, from
Hogarth’s biting satire and the elegance of Reynolds and Gainsborough to the drama of
David and Goya. Explore the passion of Romanticism with Blake, Turner, and Constable,
then step into the Victorian imagination of Alma-Tadema and Leighton. Finish with the bold
realism of Courbet, Manet, and the Barbizon School, who took art outdoors and to the
people.
There will be 5 one day sessions, on the 13th & 20th February and the 6th, 13th & 20th
March 2026, each running from 10.30am – 3.30pm. The cost for the 5 days is £150.
New participants are most welcome – no prior knowledge is required only a love of art and
history.

De-coding History’s Art - From Satire to Splendour: European Art’s Great Transformation (1700–1900)

Session 1: William Hogarth to the ‘Grand Manner’ – from the satirical to history painting
and portraiture – Joshua Reynolds, Angelica Kaufmann, Thomas Gainsborough and the
grandees of the Royal Academy

Session 2: Age of Enlightenment, Revival and Revolution –– from the battles of
Benjamin West, John Singleton Copley and Jacques-Louis David to the madness of
Francisco de Goya

Session 3: Neo-classicism to the birth of Romanticism – From Antonio Canova,
William Blake, Henry Fuseli to J.M.W.Turner and John Constable

Session 4: Last of the Romantics: Victorian Fantasy, Empire - Wander through
enchanted forests and imperial visions in the imaginative art of Sir Edwin Landseer,
Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and Frederick Leighton—ending in the haunting brilliance of
Richard Dadd’s mad fantasies.

Session 5: Art for the People: Realism and the Rise of Painting en Plein Air - witness
the bold new realism of Gustave Courbet and Jean-François Millet, as they turn their
brushes toward workers and the land, while the Barbizon School and Édouard Manet
pioneer painting under open skies and Rosa Bonheur depicts the majestic beauty of
animals in motion.