Put simply, the Course is a nine-week introduction to some of the most thought-provoking achievements in the Western world, from the Classical Past to Today. Conducted through on-site visits and a series of lectures by a team of world-class experts chosen for their charisma and ability to communicate, the Course includes not only Art – painting, sculpture and architecture, but also music, world cinema, some global issues, literature, history. It is an exciting and enriching experience for everyone.

The John Hall Venice Course is unique. The heart of the experience is living as a resident, engaging in the life of an Italian city – a huge cultural mind-opener. Not just another art tour but also the great European music tradition, world cinema, contemporary issues plus cookery, photography, painting and Italian.

Coming on our Venice Course takes less than 3 months out of your ‘year’. Most universities and Oxbridge colleges are not against a gap year if time is well spent: the Venice Course is well regarded. With a world-class team of experts and privileged private visits, it is an inspirational experience impossible to get anywhere else. It is impossible to do on the cheap.


Itinerary:

There is an introductory week in London, followed by six weeks in Venice, followed by an optional week in Florence and six days in Rome.

London

We start with an introductory week in London. Lectures are held in a private lecture room at the National Gallery, Tate Modern and Christie’s, and introduce art historical themes which will be followed through in Venice, Florence and Rome.

The week includes a private visit to the Venetian section of the National Gallery, and advice about how to appreciate a painting. During this week students are also shown cutting-edge contemporary work in architecture (visiting Richard Rogers & Partners studio, architects of the Pompidou Centre, the Lloyds Building, the Millennium Dome and Heathrow Terminal 5), painting and sculpture (visiting a major contemporary art gallery). At a practical level there is the opportunity to learn about the commercial art world from a Christie’s specialist. (Note: accommodation and meals are not provided during the period in London).

Venice

From London we travel to Venice where we spend the next six weeks. Venice’s imperial history and the range of its artistic achievements are renowned, while its advantages as a centre for study and living are incomparable – its human scale, its lack of noise and violence, its sense of separate identity and the unforgettable beauty of sky and buildings reflected in the waters of lagoon and canals. The length of our stay in Venice allows a leisurely and residential style of living and makes possible the various activities which our students enjoy while there.

Florence

Florence is the city of the Renaissance. Here, students can study at first-hand the progress of art out of the middle ages under the influence of Cimabue and Giotto, into the new perspective-dominated realism of Brunelleschi, Masaccio and Botticelli and on to the virtuosity of Raphael and Michelangelo – the history of art as propagated by the first art historian, Giorgio Vasari, himself a painter and architect in 16th century Florence.

Rome

We conclude our course in Rome, where the imposing remains of classical antiquity blend with the magnificent churches, palaces, fountains and piazzas of the Renaissance and Baroque popes and cardinals. Our visit to Rome includes the special privilege of a private visit to the Vatican Museums, to include Raphael’s Stanze and the Sistine Chapel – an unforgettable experience and the Villa Borghese Galleries, with masterpieces by Bernini, Caravaggio, Raphael and Titian.

 

Dates & Fees

  • £10,480