This course is now full

This three-session course explores the many meanings and effects of light in art.

Across six hours, we will examine how artists have used lighting not only to model form, create depth and define texture, but also to shape emotion, guide attention, and construct meaning. From dramatic chiaroscuro and candlelit interiors to radiant landscapes and shimmering urban scenes, different types of lighting transform how we experience an image.

Beyond technique, we will consider the symbolism of light — as divinity, revelation, reason, or modernity — and how changing scientific and philosophical ideas influenced its representation.

Finally, this short course also investigates light as atmosphere: the particular glow of a sunset, the sharp clarity of Mediterranean noon or the blue light of a Nordic summer evening. Through close visual analysis, participants will learn to see how light structures composition, evokes place and time, and becomes one of art history’s most powerful expressive tools.

Pictured above: Wilhelm Hammershøi, Sunbeams or Sunlight. “Dust Motes Dancing in the Sunbeams” (1900), Oil on canvas, 70 × 59 cm, Ordrupgaard

Online course (Zoom)

Mondays, from 10 am to 12

3 weeks, starting on Monday 13 April and ending on 27 April 2026

Cost: £42

If you miss a session, you will have the slides and “video-notes” to catch up.

Payment is via Stripe with your bank card. It is easy and safe. If necessary, refunds can be processed with Stripe. Once you’ve paid, I get an email, and I will then email you the course’s Zoom link and further details. Please check the terms and conditions to see the policy about cancellations and refunds. If you have any issues or questions, do not hesitate to get in touch (see “contact” above).

This course in now full. To join a waiting list, please get in touch (Click on “contact” at the top of this page)