Cornish Modern & Contemporary Art

Course Introduction

This course looks at the development of  artists embracing  the modern movement in art from the 1920s  – 1960s in Cornwall. It also looks at figurative painters from the 1950s to the present day. It starts with St. Ives modernism and the split between representational and abstract artists in the late 40s including Barns-Graham, Ben Nicholson, Sven Berlin through to the expressionism and spiritual paintings of  artists such as Peter Lanyon and Michael Finn. The history of naïve art from Alfred Wallis to Chris Tate  is also included. A selection of tutors and students at Falmouth College of Art (now University College Falmouth) from 1950 onwards are surveyed. Contemporary printmakers and sculptors are also included as well as painters responsible for the recent revival in plein air Cornish landscape painting.

Artists covered in this course include:

• Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
• Barbara Hepworth
• Alfred Wallis
• Joan Gillchrest
• Bryan Pearce
• Francis Hewlett
• Ray Atkins
• Denis Mitchell
• Breon O’Casey
• Paul Lewin
• John Trigg
• Tim Shaw and many more

A list of artists included in each lecture and a Further Reading list will be sent via email with the links to each lecture for you to watch on YouTube once you have paid.

The Lectures

Image credits: Lecture 1 – Ben Nicholson, Lecture 2 – Bryan Wynter, Lecture 3 – Joan Gillchrest, Lecture 4 – Breon O’Casey, Lecture 5 – Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, Lecture 6 – Francis Hewlett, Lecture 7 – Paul Lewin