Fine Art Painting BA(Hons)

Image: Ed Brooks-Beckman in the painting studio

Fine Art Painting at the University of Brighton offers you a studio-based, in-depth education in the creative, intellectual and practical knowledge and skills of painting. The course offers you time and space to focus on the diverse aspects of the practice, from method and materials skills acquisition to the development of a personal visual language and an informed critical philosophical position.

At Brighton there is no house-style or one set of rules. You are encouraged to undertake a personal journey over your three years of study, one that seeks to test the boundaries of painting. In this way you are encouraged to find your own position and context for your work. By fostering this atmosphere of individual exploration, the course creates an environment where discussion, debate and the daily interchange of ideas becomes a common currency.

Image: Elisha Enflield, 'Bunk' 2011, oil on board, 15x12cm. Exhibited at Burt Brill Cardens Graduate Show.

Painting maintains a central role in the world of contemporary visual practice. It is perhaps the very technological complexities and diversions of modern life that add weight to the simplicity and directness of the painting process. Emphasis is placed upon the unique nature of the discipline, promoting a broad definition of painting while at the same time contextualising the activity firmly within the wider terrain of fine art practice and critical debate.

Fine Art Painting is one of the few courses in the UK that offers specialist study in the subject. All studio lecturers are established professional painters, guaranteeing that you are taught by tutors with specific and up to date knowledge of the medium. Likewise, technical provision, methods, materials and skills acquisition are all focused on painting and its unique requirements.

Image: student field trip to the Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin

Lectures in historical and critical studies equip you with an understanding of the context and history of the medium. Alongside studio-based work you will also receive professional development, exploring a range of issues from documentation and specific writing skills, to lectures and seminars developing your understanding of the contemporary art arena.  

A vital resource in all Fine Art disciplines at Brighton is the studio. From the outset of your studies you will be given your own workspace. Your studio is more than just a place to work, it provides you with an arena in which to discuss yours and others work, encouraging the exchange of ideas and forming a strong sense of group identity and support with your peers.

Image: Working with digital aids in the painting studio

Images: Luke Beachey, (Left to right) 'Ursula,' 'Untitled,' 'Catapult,'; all oil on canvas, 160 x 120 cm. Exhibited at the annual Burt Brill and Cardens Graduate Show.

Painting as a discipline is not isolated from other subjects but part of the wider fine art arena, itself forming a part of contemporary life, drawing inspiration from, and contributing back to global culture. For example you will have contact with students from the other Fine Art courses, encouraging you to interrogate your ideas and assumptions regarding your own subject. You are also encouraged to exhibit with students studying on the separate Fine Art, Performance, Photography and Moving Image courses, both formally in exhibitions in the gallery at Grand Parade, and informally in other events you will develop within the surrounding locality.

The course structure allows you to gain physical, critical and cognitive skills , incorporating historical understanding and professionalism. Learning and Teaching methods comprise: lectures, seminars, group tutorials, individual tutorials, technical demonstrations, workshops, peer-learning, independent and online learning.

Image: Burt Brill and Cardens Graduate Show; installation and works by Peter Barwick (details below) 

Central to your learning is the direct contact you receive via individual tutorials, seminars and group crits, together with peer-learning and studio debate. Through these, learning is tailored to individual artistic development. Online learning is used to maximize personal contact by ensuring necessary back up material is available as a 24/7 accessible resource.

The primary site of learning is your studio. Vital for production, discussion and critical reflection, here you exchange knowledge and information with staff and peers, continually negotiating and redefining your learning. Therefore your primary responsibility is your full time attendance, not only to make paintings, but also to participate in the exchange of ideas.

Year one

First year tuition develops your ability to produce self-directed work. Studio practice units emphasize experimentation and risk-taking within a critical but supportive environment; workshops cover all technical essentials of painting; the HCS programme discusses the contexts of art; seminars introduce you to professional development.

Image: Hollie Brown, untitled tryptic, gloss on canvass (detail from central panel); from second year exhibtion, Here & Now.

Year two

In your second year you continue to produce self-directed work, but greater emphasis is on its relationship to the worlds of cultural and political debate. The interim show teaches you about key issues of exhibiting publicly. The extension studies programme allows you to explore topics outside your usual learning range, while HCS lectures are tailored to painting.

In your second year, as part of the extension studies programme, you will have the opportunity to work with staff and students from across the faculties of Art and Media, alongside the faculty of Design and Architecture, choosing from a wide range of courses ranging from the practical to the theoretical.

Year three

In your final year you produce a body of work to professional standard, exhibiting it in the acclaimed, annual graduate shows; write a research essay to define and contextualise your practice; and receive professional development lectures on subjects ranging from self-employment to project management, networks and planning strategies.

Assessment for studio units are based on artwork and writings; historical and critical work is assessed through written work and presentations. Written feedback alerts you to your progress. At these points you complete your own self-assessment matching the form used by your tutors. These encourage you to reflect on your development.

Image: Burt Brill and Cardens Graduate Show, works by Rosie Gam, Grace May Ballantyne, Robbie Fife

Images:

[Top] Luke Beachey, (Left to right) 'Ursula,' 'Untitled,' 'Catapult,'; all oil on canvas, 160 x 120 cm. Exhibited at the annual Burt Brill and Cardens Graduate Show.

Image: Hollie Brown, untitled tryptic, gloss on canvass (detail from central panel); from second year exhibtion, Here & Now.

Peter Barwick.'FLOSS DREAMS' 2011 oil on canvas 150x150cm; 'A TRIBUTE TO A PAINTING I DID WHICH WAS BETTER' 2011 oil on canvas 210x150cm; 'FRANZ’S LONELY BIRTHDAY LED TO THE UNTIMELY DEATH OF WALKER' 2011 oil on canvas 210x150cm (partially visible on right, bottom)
Titles of top row (L-R) all only partially visible:
'I GUESS THIS WILL DO, I MEAN, IT’S PROBABLY TOO LATE TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING BETTER' 2011 oil on canvas 210x150cm; 'I THOUGHT THIS WAS FINISHED AND THEN IT WASN’T; BUT NOW IT IS AND I’M PRETTY SURE ABOUT IT THIS TIME' 2011 oil on canvas 150x150cm; 'PORTRAIT OF A LANDSCAPE WITH SPACESHIP FEAT. STILL LIFE WITH BOWL OF FRUIT IN RENAISSANCE STYLE' 2011 oil on canvas 150x210cm

[Bottom] Visitor to Burt Brill and Cardens Graduate Show, visible works by Rosie Gam, Grace May Ballantyne, Robbie Fife.