The end of the fifteenth century saw radical changes in Dutch and Flemish art. This was the disrupted period of the Reformation, but also of the rise of the Northern Netherlands and the great towns such as the trading port of Antwerp. In this period there grew a more international outlook and we see the impact of influences from Italy and Renaissance classicism but given a particular local twist. This applies to architecture as well as painting. An age of growing self-awareness, we will look at the portraitists like Matsys and his contemporaries as well as the changing religious painting of this time. We will also consider the fantastic imagination of Bosch, discussing the meanings of his work, and examine the context and work of Pieter Brueghel the elder and his sons.
Course aim
This course traces the development of Flemish and Dutch art at the end of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, including Bosch and Pieter Brueghel, and considers the meanings and contexts.
Do I need any particular skills or experience?
- You will need your own personal email address so that you’re able to login to the WEA’s digital learning platform: WEA Canvas. You will need to be able to understand how to follow URL links to pages on the internet. If you want to understand more about Canvas please visit: http://bit.ly/WEAonline
- You will need to be able to follow links to join our WEA live video learning platform: WEA Zoom. If you’d like to understand more about our video learning platform, Zoom please visit: http://bit.ly/WEAonline and http://bit.ly/ZoomSpec
- No skills or experience needed
- This course is suitable for beginners and improvers
By the end of the course I should be able to:
- Outline the development of the visual arts in the Flanders and Holland at the end of the fifteenth century and the sixteenth century
- Describe the effect of classical influences in painting
- Identify some of the key features of landscape painting in the sixteenth century
- Discuss the achievements of Bosch and Brueghel in the context of their time
How will I be taught?
- The WEA’s digital learning platform, Canvas will be used to provide resources or to support lessons, enable assessment, provide learner feedback and for other activities for individuals away from the course. If you want to understand more about our digital learning platform please visit: http://bit.ly/WEAonline
- The WEA tutor will use a range of different teaching and learning methods and encourage you and the group to be actively involved in your learning
What kind of feedback can I expect?
- A range of informal activities will be used by the tutor to see what you are learning which may include quizzes, question and answer, small projects and discussion
What else do I need to know?
- What you need: You will need an internet connection, speakers, a microphone and a webcam so that you can use our video learning platform, Zoom. If you’d like to understand more Zoom please visit: http://bit.ly/ZoomSpec
- You will need a personal email address to join the WEA’s digital learning platform, Canvas so that you can receive resources, record your progress and achievement and to work with others and share ideas. If you want to understand more about our digital learning platform please visit: http://bit.ly/WEAonline
- Nothing else is needed
Pre-course work, reading and information sources
- No pre reading or pre course work is required
- No pre reading is required but research on the subject on the internet or in the library may be helpful
What can I do next?
- Progress to another WEA course
- Progress to a course with another provider
Download full course information sheet







