Picasso and Matisse were major figures in a vibrant era for art, with a fine supporting cast from ‘The School of Paris’ which included Chagall, Soutine and Kisling.
1925 saw major exhibitions of Art Deco at The Paris Exhibition and the first major Surrealism show; also the arrival of Black American performer Josephine Baker, who became the sensation of the age. Photographic boundaries were pushed forward by Man Ray, while the venerable Eugène Atget was revered by the Surrealists. The innovative epic film ‘Napoleon’ (1927) directed by Abel Gance is still revered by film directors and critics alike.
We examine a number of key issues in art: Post-WW1 Nationalism and the idea of a return to order in the 1920s, the establishment of the Côte d'Azur as Paris’s ‘elsewhere’, and the simultaneous embracing of both modernity and nostalgia.
Our week includes a visit to Tate Modern in London to examine art from French Modernist artists at first hand.
This course is part of the Oxford University Summer School for Adults (OUSSA) programme.