Whistler, Sickert and the Avant-Garde

Fascinating online course from the London Art History Society on James Whistler and Walter Sickert and their role in introducing avant-garde art to England.

Via 10 lectures over five weeks Jo Rymer led us through aspects of the two artists careers and set them in the context of European art at the time using a small selection of their work to guide us through the main themes.

I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t start with a broad overview of each artists’ work but did also appreciate the more academic concentrated look at themes from Whistler’s “Symphony in White” and “Nocturne” series to Sickert’s work in Dieppe and Camden Town. However since I’ve found myself wondering about other themes such as Sickert in Venice and Whistler’s more general portraiture. I guess it’s good to leave us wanting more!

One little gripe was that there were a few mentions of aspects of how Degas influenced Sickert which were glossed over as there had been a previous course on the subject. I understand that many people had done both but it would have been useful to have had a quick recap for newcomers.



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