Eric Ravilious is revered as a fine watercolourist, one who captured the essence of southern England, and later portrayed the beginning of the Second World War. His wife Tirzah Garwood, who sacrificed her artistic career for husband and family, is now recognised for her woodcuts and illustrations. John Nash and Gilbert Spencer were contemporaries, both often overshadowed by their better-known brothers. However, like Garwood, they are now the subject of new books and exhibitions that showcase their undoubted talents. We will assess what unites our chosen artists and how they engaged with the changing face of the land.
British Landscape Painters: Eric Ravilious, John Nash, Gilbert Spencer
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Courses starts: 25 Apr 2025
Week 1: John Nash: Wittenham Clumps and World War One
Week 2: Gilbert Spencer: Art Schools and Early Years
Week 3: Eric Ravilious: The House at Furlongs
Week 4: Field Trip Dulwich: ‘Tirzah Garwood: Beyond Ravilious’ *Meeting at Dulwich Picture Gallery, London at 12:30 on Friday 16th May. Entry price expected to be around £16-18. Full details will be given in class.
Week 5: John Nash: Bath, Dorset and Book illustrations
Week 6: Eric Ravilious: The South Downs and Coastal Scenes
Week 7: Tirzah Garwood: A Re-discovered Artist
Week 8: Gilbert Spencer: War artist, Wales and Dorset
Week 9: Eric Ravilious in World War Two
Week 10: John Nash: World War Two and Wormingford
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace / Friend, Andy
- Long Live Great Barfield: The Autobiography of Tirzah Garwood / Garwood, Tirzah & Ullmann, Anne
- Gilbert Spencer: The Life and Work of a Very English Artist / Gough, Paul
- Ravilious / Russell, James
Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Dr Jan Cox
Dr. Jan Cox has been awarded a BA (Hons) by Oxford Brookes University, an MA from Bristol, and a PhD from the University of Leeds (Nordic Art). He specialises in nineteenth-century European art and British art of the early twentieth-century.
Course aims
To explore the depiction of the countryside in the early twentieth century.
Course objectives:
To examine the art of leading portrayers of the British landscape.
To analyse the different methods and media of artistic production that were utilised.
To discuss issues surrounding the changing face of the British countryside
Teaching methods
This course will be taught seminar style with a variety of teaching methods including:
- Presentation of PowerPoint images and key texts to provide a stimulus to discussion.
- Use of film to provide a stimulus for discussion and provide background information.
- Case studies of specific artists and their circle.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
-possess a comprehensive knowledge of the art of Eric Ravilious, Tirzah Garwood, Gilbert Spencer and John Nash.
-be able to analyse the reasons and motivations behind their artistic production.
-have an understanding of the range of media that were employed by these artists: Oil, watercolour, ink, woodcut and others.
Assessment methods
Option 1: Choose two landscapes by two of our four featured artists and analyse and discuss them. Your assignment may include - but is not limited to - subject, style, artist's intentions, use of colour, social background, historical and political context. (2 essays x 750 words)
Option 2: Choose a picture by two of our four featured artists that share a common theme (however broad) and analyse and compare them. Your assignment may include - but is not limited to - subject, style, artist's intentions, use of colour, social background, historical and political context. (1 essay x 1500 words)
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)
Level and demands
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.