Brian looks at a series of iconic photographs ranging across records of historic events, fabulous portraits and scenes of emotional release and joy.  He discusses the power of these images by women photographers and the stories behind them.

*Return visit by members’ requests

This lecture explores Brian’s passion for the woven art produced by the Nomads on basic ground looms.  These exquisite 19th century weaving have now virtually disappeared.

This lecture had to be cancelled from our programme last year due to Brian’s illness so we are particularly glad to have him with us.

We will be taking an artistic journey across the Near and Middle East to see when artists brought these mysteries to the fashionable salons of Europe.

Skagen is the northern most part of the Jutland Peninsula, a spot noted for its annual light in the summer.  From the 1870s to the beginning of the 20th century this Fishing Village was home to an artist colony.

Influenced by French Modernism they painted ‘en plein air’ representing scenes from everyday life and becoming a nexus for free artistic expression.
 

Please come and join us for our annual lunch at The Commodore Hotel, Instow.

In 1745 a minor Princess from Saxony married Prince Karl Peter Ulrich, heir to the Russian throne.  She went on to become Empress Catherine the Second, the sole ruler of Russia.  

We can be sure that this will be a vibrant and stimulating lecture from the popular Andrew Prince who has educated and entertained us on several subjects over the years.

Stella explores how artists have depicted “the bone structure of the landscape, the loneliness of the dead of winter".  Including the work of David Freidrich, Monet, Bruegel and Andrew Wyeth.
 

Jane explores how potters have looked to the natural world for inspiration, ranging from the Tang Horses, through dishes swarming with snakes and lizards, to life like flowers carried by the ladies of the court of Louis XV.

Was the English Arts and Crafts Movement the most important art movement this country has produced?

Kirsty introduces the highly individual group of artists who produced architecture, craft and art at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century.

Kirsty is a professional storyteller as well as an art historian so this promises to be an absorbing lecture.

In forests dreams and reality meet and mingle in strange ways. This lecture explores the fascination of Shakespeare’s Forest of Arden through to Tolkien. Along the way we shall pass through Gainsborough's half imaginary woodlands, and Constable's remembered groves. Before enjoying Samuel Palmer's exultant celebrations of blossom and bough, the meticulously observed trees of the Pre-Raphaelites and exploring the abstract creations of Ivon Hitchens, David Nash and Andy Holsworthy.

Members Book Sale: As part of this months meeting we thought that the subject of Bristish Trees in Art and Literature would lend itself to holding a book sale as a way of recycling our books.  We would like to invite Members to perhaps donate 1-2 books each which will be for sale at £1 per book, with proceeds going towards our funds.

Please note: Our publicised programme for today has been changed because Brian Macdonald is unfortunately unwell. We hope to book him for our next season.

We are very lucky to invite David Worthington. David Worthington (born 1962), is a British Sculptor in Stone and fellow of the Royal British Society of Sculptors. He graduated from Oxford University in 1984 with a degree in Philosophy and Theology, before studying Fine Art in London, Barcelona and New York. As a maker he also curates and writes about art.

Working primarily as a Sculptor in Stone, David has 25 years professional practice, including working as a carver for Anish Kapoor. His subject matter Brancusi was the son of a peasant from Romania, yet he went on to be recognised as one of the most important Sculptors of the 20th century.

Our next lecture will be on 11th March and we are excited to be focusing on the revolutionary design movement of the Modern Period with Mark Hill. Mark Hill is a British antiques expert, TV presenter, author and publisher. If you watch the BBC Antiques Roadshow you will know his infectious enthusiasm and knowledge. His talk will look at ceramics, furniture, glass, lighting and metalware. This subject matter is in response to Members’ requests and has something for everyone who is interested in mid century modern design.

This fascinating lecture examines how the phoenix of French fashion rose from the ashes of war to become a renaissance that fused theatre, ballet, fashion, modern art and opera into one ingenious driver that brought Paris back onto the world stage.

This lecture takes a look at some of opera’s greatest rivalries, spats and tiffs. Are they intrinsic or part of opera? We hear and see examples of great singers from the past to the present. Tim Mirfin is an opera singer who has performed in all major Eoropean countries, Australia, the US, Russia and the Middle East and this lecture promises a lively look at the world of opera from the inside.

This lecture seeks to unravel the myth and iconography behind the proliferation of the story of the adoration of the Magi, from its Eastern pagan roots to its current Christian interpretation. It is illustrated with beautiful artworks from across the centuries.

This lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and individual places in a shifting cosmos.

In Brighton Constable was confronted with the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan life. He developed techniques such as slapping and tickling to create the movement and textures in some of his most fabulous depictions of Britain’s coast and sky. This lecture also includes Sarah’s work on BBC 1’s ‘Fake or Fortune’.

Almost everyone has memories of visiting their local baths. Simon tells us particularly about those built in the late Victorian and Edwardian years, rich in decorative tile work, stained glass, polished wood and terracotta detailing and takes us up to the 1920's and 1930's when Art Deco and Modernist Lidos became the urban beaches of their day.

There are many ways to make a braid. Jacqui's lecture takes a broad overview of Kumihimo, revealings its history and connection with the Samurai

In this talk Andrew brings to life the fascinating events and people who created some of Britian's most beautiful cathedrals, objects, jewels and glittering palaces

From glittering Roman silver, Spanish galleons filled with gold and emeralds, to the fabled Russian Crown Jewels, so much astonishing treasure has been created and then lost to time and history. Here, Andrew traces the stories of fabulous pieces that disappeared, the people who owned them, and their rediscovery.

Diego Rivera was a giant figure of the Mexican mural movement, while Frida Kahlo was best known for her self-portraits. We will explore some of Diego’s murals and ideas on democratic art in Mexico City and Detroit. In the work of Frida Kahlo, we will discover why she has become an icon of feminism and self-discovery. Recently, she became the most valued painter in Latin America after her self-portrait 'Diego and I' was sold for $34 million at a major auction house in New York.

Stella Lyons has had to cancel her lecture at this time due to illness. We have secured Kathy McLaughlan who is also an accredited lecturer with The Arts Society, her subject is Edward Hopper with focus on 'The Nighthawks'.

Hopper was a painter of loneliness and melancholy: from solitary figures in offices, motels and diners, to deserted towns. He portrayed a changing America and the isolation of the individual in the modern city. His works are visually stunning, characterised by striking colours, cinematic and cropped compositions which heighten tension. 

Sarah brings alive the spirit of a Medieval Christmas. In addition to her reproduction medieval harps, she also brings the dulcimer and gemshorn to the musical mix, performing carols, music and readings. With extracts from literature and manorial household accounts, she pieces together life in a medieval manor house at Yuletide. In addition to her reproduction medieval harps, she adds the plucked psaltery, hurdy-gurdy, hammered dulcimer, and gemshorn to the musical mix, performing carols, music and readings for an atmospheric and musical seasonal celebration. 

MS SARAH DEERE-JONES

Sarah is a graduate and prize-winner from the Royal Academy of Music and in 2015 was elected an Associate. She performs, writes and lectures about the harp regularly in America, Australia, Europe and UK. All lectures are presented digitally and include live music and songs on harps and other instruments depending on subject matter. 

Steven will look at O'Keefe's iconic landscapes, cityscapes, skull paintings and notorious outside flower paintings

Faber and Faber is the last of the great publishing houses to remain independent. As the grandson of its founder, Toby Faber grew up steeped in its books. He was managing director for four years and remains on the board. This lecture traces its history through its illustrations, covers and designs. It will feature artists from Rex Whistler and Barnett Freedman to Peter Blake and Damien Hirst and design concepts from the typographical excellence pioneered by Berthold Wolpe to the various ‘grids’ used by the agency Pentagram.

Slides will range from book covers and photos of key individuals to illustrations of the concepts behind the designs. The talk will also be peppered with personal insight and anecdote, whether it is Lord of the Flies being rescued off the slush pile, or the decision made while he was Managing Director to turn down Life of Pi.  

Lecture

This lecture spans from 1825 until the artist’s unexpected death in 1837 and explores Constable’s late style through his paintings and oil sketches as well as watercolours, drawings and prints. These 12 years are characterised by expressive brushwork, first developed in his plein air oil sketches from nature, as well as his full-size preparatory sketches. He also turned to watercolour with an enthusiasm missing since the early 1800s, and some of his late drawings show the same freedom of expression as his paintings from the same period.

Constable also explored the possibilities of printmaking, working on a series of mezzotints designed to promote his use of light and shade, which had become a powerful vehicle of expression in his later work. This chapter in Constable’s career had an important impact on the next generation of painters, heralding the beginning of important movements in the late 19th century.

Lecturer

Sarah Cove ACR is an experienced lecturer, presenter and teacher. From academic papers at international conferences to a talk for primary school children, her lectures have encompassed every type of audience, venue and age range. She has given public lectures at most of the major UK galleries, the National Galleries of Scotland, Wales and Ireland, in Copenhagen, Lisbon and at venues across the USA, Australia and New Zealand. Sarah has been an Accredited Lecturer for The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) since 2003. She also lectures to charitable organisations, art societies and special interest groups. In addition to lecturing, Sarah has given Gallery Talks in front of the paintings at Tate, the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery, London, the V&A and the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne.

In 1866 William Bürger, a pseudonym for Étienne-Joseph-Théophile Thoré (1807-69) published in the Gazette des Beaux-Arts his article called “Sphinx of Delft” about the mysterious painter called Vermeer, and so began the modern-day revival of Vermeer. However, this lecture will begin by tracing Vermeer’s origins, his early training and influences, and how he came to the genre of painting domestic interiors. The lecture will look at his earliest known paintings and how he gradually migrated to the genre of domestic set-piece paintings we know him for today. This lecture will also set Vermeer in the context of contemporaneous Dutch artists and contemporaneous Delft artists; tracing the early beginnings of the town of Delft, its rise in prosperity and the low points of the town also. We will see how Vermeer went from being referred to as ‘the excellent and famous Vermeer’ in 1669 to being declared bankrupt towards the end of his life in 1675. How did it all go so wrong, were the signs there at the beginning or was there some great disaster in his life that prompted his financial demise? Finally this lecture will look at the late 19th century and 20th century revival of Vermeer that became the cult of Vermeer, and why this cult of Vermeer endures to this day.

Lecturer

Art historian Leslie Primo is an author, broadcaster, and graduate of Birkbeck, University College, with an MA in Renaissance studies. He lectured at the National Gallery, London for 18 years, and has appeared on the BBC speaking on Michelangelo and presenting on JMW Turner. He contributed to the Oxford Companion Guide to Black British History, and has a forthcoming Thames & Hudson book called, The Foreigners that Invented British Art. He currently teaches art history at Imperial College, and lectures for the Royal Academy, London.

Lecture

The mansions built during America’s ‘Gilded Age’ came in all shapes and sizes, but many of them were inspired by - some may say copied from - various classic English houses. They were built and lived in by an eclectic mix of millionaires, all with their own aims and ambitions staked within: the man dubbed ‘the American Prince of Wales’; the woman who swapped a necklace for what is now a flagship store on New York’s Fifth Avenue; both the victim and the accused of one of the most highly publicized crimes of the 1980’s. Their counterparts in England were no less colourful . This talk will delve into the characters, quirks and frequently amusing stories behind these truly international treasures.

Lecturer

Mark is a writer, the founder of HouseHistree.com, and lectures regularly at societies, festivals and clubs in both Europe and the United States. After leaving Stowe School, Mark worked for twenty years as a plumber in London. However, his real passion has always been for history, particularly the history behind houses through the characters that conjoin to create them. His special interest lies with the great American houses and their relationships with those in Europe, both socially and architecturally.

Lecture

Regrettably the much awaited published lecture on Grayson Perry will not now take place due to a family emergency causing the lecturer to cancel. 

The replacement lecture looks at the origins of that odd artistic beast, the opera singer and explores why and how the extraordinary noise that they make has come about. The lecture also looks at some of the other challenges facing the singer in performance. The talk is aimed to engage those that don't necessarily like opera as an art form as much as those that do.

Lecturer

Tim Mirfin graduated in Law from Gonville and Caius College Cambridge, where he was also a choral scholar. He studied singing at the Royal Academy of Music as a postgraduate scholar, followed by the National Opera Studio. He was principal artist for Welsh National Opera and has a wide and varied concert repetoire, ranging from Baroque Oratorios to modern day premiers. Tim made his recital debut at the Wigmore Hall in 2001. He has sung operatic roles in all major European countries, Russia, Australia and the Middle East. He also gives masterclasses and teaches singing in and around Exter, where he now lives. 

Lecture

Gustav Klimt and his colleagues broke away from the imperially endorsed art institutions in Vienna in 1897 and founded the Secession. In the same year Gustav Mahler took charge of the Opera House in the city. Comparing these two totemic fin de siècle talents, this lecture places Klimt and Mahler in context, asking what fundamentally links and, indeed, divides them.

Lecturer

Gavin Pluley is a writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent talks include the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is published in June 2022.

Please note that the original lecture "Journey of the Magi - Myth and Reality has been transferred to April 2023 due to the rail strike. David Tovey has stepped in at short notice to deliver his lecture on "Cornwall's Forgotten Art" that would have been delivered in April 2023.

Lecture 

Surely there cannot be another place of such quaint rarity - medieval charm set in a gem of Cornwall’s most rugged rock scenery - unique and inimitable.”

(Western Morning News, 12/8/1925 )

Since the 1880s, Polperro has been the haunt of countless artists and yet nothing has been written on its development as an art centre and its particular characteristics.  There is not even a list of artists known to have worked there.  This seemed particularly strange given that paintings of Polperro by distinguished foreign artists kept on appearing at auction.  Accordingly, since 2018, the subject has been  been researched in depth, resulting in the publication of two books, one dealing with the pre-1920 period and one with the post-1920 period that provide the groundwork for this lecture.

Lecturer

David Tovey read Jurisprudence at Pembroke College, Oxford. After twenty years as a Solicitor, he returned to University to read History Of Art at The University Of Warwick. He is now an independent art historian, specialising in Cornish art. His particular interest in St Ives art derives from the fact that his great-grandfather, William Titcomb, was one of the early settlers in the colony.  However, he also has an extensive knowledge of artists of the Newlyn School and other artists working in the Cornish art colonies at Lamorna, Polperro and Falmouth in the years prior to 1950.

Since 2000, David has written a number of highly acclaimed books on Cornish art (see St Ives Art Books) and has curated, or assisted with the curatorship of, several exhibitions on behalf of Tate St Ives, Penlee House Gallery & Museum, Penzance, Royal Cornwall Museum, Truro, Cheltenham Art Gallery and Worcester Art Gallery (see Cornish Art Exhibitions). He is now recognised as the leading authority on early St Ives art. His project for 2021 was the History of Art in Polperro resulting in two books and an exhibition at Falmouth Art Gallery.

Lecture

Annalie’s lectures focus on aspects of Romantic and Victorian literature.  She uses her knowledge and personal experience of literary houses - and their collections - to offer a unique perspective on writers and their works.  She is particularly interested in the material culture of writers’ lives, including the quirky and interesting; from the collar worn by Emily Bronte’s dog, Keeper, to William Wordsworth’s ice-skates, and with all these insights a history of literary tourism is born. Beginning in Stratford in the 18th century with the cult of Shakespeare, we move north to Scotland and then end with the founding of museums dedicated to Wordsworth, the Brontes and Jane Austen.

Lecturer

Following a career in teaching, Annalie spent several years working on education programmes at museums and literary houses across the UK, including the Wordsworth Trust, Grasmere; Wordsworth House in Cockermouth; Jane Austen’s House in Hampshire; and the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.   At Jane Austen’s House, Annalie won 2 Sandford Awards for Excellence in Heritage Education; she also worked with the British Library, the Bodleian Library, and Chawton House Library in promoting Austen’s work to young people. 

Lecture

Food is essential to survival-and it's certainly one of the great pleasures of life. No surprise artists have chosen it as motifs in their works...But there's a lot more to food paintings than meets the eye. Cindy will present a veritable tasting menu for you to unravel the meaning of these images!

Lecturer

Cindy Polemis is an art historian and an independent lecturer. She has a B.A in History from Oxford University  and as a mature student she graduated from Birkbeck College, London University with a B.A  and then M.A.  in History of Art. She spent many years as a radio producer and presenter for BBC World Service. Since 2016 she has been an official art guide at Tate Modern and Tate Britain and has lectured independently. She is an accredited lecturer for The Arts Society and has also recently delivered numerous online lectures in conjunction with Art Historical London and The Royal Overseas League. She has worked as the Visual Arts correspondent for Standpoint Magazine in the UK. Cindy has accumulated a wide range of art historical knowledge ranging from 18th century European and British art to the contemporary international art scene. She has been an official art guide for both Frieze and Frieze Masters art fairs in London.

Cindy loves to share her passion and enthusiasm for art with her audience in an engaging and accessible way:her lectures are stimulating and fun but she always sends her audience away thinking differently about what they have seen and heard. Cindy was a trustee at London’s Museum of the Home, previously known as The Geffrye Museum, which re-opened in 2021 after a major refurbishment. She continues to be involved with the museum.

She loves gardening, and is interested in highlighting the connections between art history and the history of garden design which she brings to life in walking tours she conducts at Kew Gardens in London.

Lecture

British artists first travelled to India in the mid-eighteenth century, and views of the country remained a popular subject for numerous British artists, professional and amateur, throughout the period of the Empire. Their work encompassed both India’s natural scenery and its rich architectural heritage. But what were the issues facing artists from one culture engaged in portraying scenes from another? How was their work shaped by European aesthetic theories? And what was the impact back in Britain of the material they produced?

Lecturer

Prasannajit de Silva completed his doctorate in 2007, researching the art of the British in India during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. His lecturing covers British visual culture of the eighteenth, nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries, including art produced in various colonial settings. He is particularly interested in the relationship of aspects of art, architecture, and design to their broader cultural, social, and political contexts, and also teaches courses on the methods and theoretical approaches of art history. His current work includes roles as Associate Lecturer at Birkbeck, University of London and Sessional Lecturer for the WEA.

Lecture

Jewellery and Fashion are often seen as two entirely separate and distinct fields of design, but this is very far from the case. The design of jewellery and fashion is intertwined.

In his talk, Andrew guides you through the extraordinary decades and events between 1890 and 1929, where the great couturiers collaborated with the finest of jewellers to produce jewels and clothes of outstanding quality and glittering opulence. Andrew also discusses the clients and patrons of immense wealth who commissioned the jewels and the inventiveness in which they were often sewn onto gowns of sumptuous fabric.

Lecturer

With a passion for his craft, Andrew Prince began making jewellery from childhood. Having been dazzled by jewels in the V & A, at the age of 9, and from 16 tutored in the subject by Antiques Road Show’s Ian Harris, he has designed jewellery for Harrods and many celebrities and was commissioned to produce jewels for the main characters of Downton Abbey which inspired him to create a talk based on this and the changing styles of the period portrayed.
 

Lecture

The long shadow of the Arts and Crafts Movement has hung over English gardening for most of the twentieth century. The dominance of Miss Jekyll and the enduring popularity of gardens at Hidcote and Sissinghurst have proved to be an enduring legacy. There were always subversive undercurrents of alternative styles and influences which, as the new century gets into its stride, have gained a greater importance and momentum. Post-Modernism, rich in symbolism, has, in gardens like Portrack, Little Sparta and Througham Court, explored the worlds of literature and science; while plants, for centuries an abiding passion of English gardeners, have continued to cast their spells, with newly-discovered plants enriching gardens across the country.

Lecturer

James graduated from the Inchbald School of Design in 1990 (Dip ISD) and became Head Gardener, Old Rectory Farnborough 1990-92 followed by Faculty Director, Design History, Inchbald School of Design. He has been a lecturer for The Arts Society since 1995 and also lectures for the NACF (National Arts Collection Fund), the Oxford Italian Association and other groups. He specialises in garden history in England from 1600 and history of French and Italian gardens. James is the Organiser of The Arts Society's garden study days and various tours to the best private gardens in the UK, Italy, France and South Africa. "Garden Mania", his book on garden ornaments was published in 2000.

Lecture

‘If there is such a thing as a purely American tradition in Art, it is represented at its best in the straightforward canvases of Andrew Wyeth.’ — LIFE magazine, 1948.
 Andrew Wyeth is one of America’s best-known Realist painters of the 20th century. In a career spanning 75 years, he created paintings of everyday life in Pennsylvania and Maine that were imbued with mystery and emotion. He painted with an exacting detail that led to his style being termed ‘magic realism’. This talk looks at his poignant landscapes, his scandalous ‘Helga’ series and his moving portraits, including a focused look at his most iconic work, ‘Christina’s World’.

Lecturer

Stella is an art historian who studied the History of Art at Bristol University and has lived in Florence and Venice. She lectures widely in the Uk and Europe for societies and travel companies and runs her own courses in South Wales. She offers more than thirty five lecture titles specialising in 19th century painting. Stella also works as an artist's model for the artist Henry Holland.

Lecture

William Morris led a revolution against the products of the machine age. The first of our ‘passionate potters’, William de Morgan, was a friend of Morris who rediscovered the secrets of Near Eastern lustre glazes. In contrast, the eccentric and argumentative Martin Brothers created a range of elaborate salt glazed pots unparalleled in their imaginative breadth. Sir Edmund Elton, the ‘potter baronet’, made pots which combine startling glazes with exotic forms. And finally, Bernard Leach, the father of English studio pottery, not only married the arts of Japan and England but created a legacy that is still alive today.

Lecturer

Julian studied archaeology at Reading University and has since worked commercially as a professional archaeologist for English Heritage, for the BBC and as an independent. He was elected a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1992 and awarded an honorary doctorate. He has been involved in teaching and outreach projects, lecturing widely in continuing education to groups and societies and to special interest tour companies. A career in broadcasting involved researching and presenting Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings for BBC2, and Mapping the Town for Radio 4. He authored a number of English Heritage publications on Stonehenge, including the previous and current guide books to the monument and landscape. Guest curator of Wish you were here, an exhibition of his own extensive collection of ‘Stonehengiana’ is currently on display at the new Stonehenge Visitor Centre. He also curated an exhibition for the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute in Vienna, in 2016

Lecture

A seventeenth-century prodigy, painter Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–1654) fell into virtual obscurity in the centuries following her death. 

A resurgence of interest in her life and work has meant that she is now considered one of the most eminent painters of the Italian Baroque, with her recently discovered Self Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria(1615–1617) acquired and restored in 2018 by The National Gallery. Initially working in the style of Caravaggio, she was producing professional work by the age of fifteen.

Portrait of an artist – Artemisia Gentileschi presents an intriguing lady leading a colourful life, ahead of her time in a world of male artists. While not a learned analysis, Mrs Hadley shares her own enthusiasm for this remarkable artist now receiving the recognition that she deserves.

Lecture

Years of working as an artist within the Criminal Justice System in England and Germany have given Angela unique insights into the destructive and costly cycle of crime, prisons and re-offending. In this thought-provoking talk she offers a deeper understanding of the minds, lives and challenges of offenders. With extraordinary slides of art projects and prisoner’s art, she demonstrates how within the process of creating art of any discipline, there are vital opportunities for offenders to confront their crimes and develop the key life skills so essential in leading a positive and productive life.

Lecturer

Angela has been giving talks and presentations on art in prison for 15 years to a wide variety of audiences. Illustrated with vibrant photographs taken while running art projects in England and Germany and supported by current debates and statistics, she offers a very personal set of insights into the prison environment. She now specialises in talks to schools but also lectures in a wide variety of forums aimed at provoking ethical /philosophical debate.

Lecture

Public Art is a contentious subject. It is the most visible art form and therefore is an easy target. But how do they come to appear in our public spaces? This lecture tracks the development of public art over the last century and looks at various examples to see why are some loved and others loathed. It also explains the process of procurement from the initial commissioning to the production and installation. Drawing from my own experience and using case studies I take the audience through this process and try to show why we are all richer with the presence of art on the streets.

Lecturer

David Worthington has been drawn to abstract sculpture since seeing a Barbara Hepworth in a school history book aged 10. He graduated from Oxford University in 1984 with a degree in Philosophy and Theology, then studied fine art in London, Barcelona and New York. A maker, he also curates and writes about art. He was shortlisted for the Jerwood Sculpture Prize in 2009.

He has carried out public commissions in the UK, America and Japan. His work is in the museum the Creative Cities Collection Beijing China. He has had solo shows at the Lefevre Gallery, Sladers Yard, Horatio’s Garden, the William Bennington Gallery, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and in October 2017 at the Lightbox Gallery Museum, Woking.

Lecture

William Blake: Poet, Painter and Philosopher; Rebel, Radical, and Revolutionary.  Called mad as often as visionary by his contemporaries, he created his own mythology to tell the truths he saw as fundamental to all existence.  Yet Blake was also a passionate participant in the affairs of his own day; his paintings and poetry, complementary and inseparable, reflect the conditions of eighteenth century London as well as the fabric of Time, Space and God.  Today they are enjoyed by schoolchildren and continue to baffle scholars of art and literature alike.  This lecture examines the paradox of William Blake, and his celebration of life in all its diversity and richness.

Lecturer

Dr. Justine Hopkins is a writer and freelance lecturer in Art History, currently living in Bristol. She took a BA Hons degree at Bristol University, reading English and Drama, then changed direction and did an MA in Art History at the Courtauld Institute.  After eighteen months working as an archaeological illustrator, partly in Belize, she returned to Art History, gaining a PhD from Birkbeck College, London for her research into the relationship between science, religion and landscape painting from the French Revolution to Darwin’s Origin of Species. Since then she has worked freelance as an Art History lecturer and writer: for Bristol, London, Oxford and Cambridge Universities; Tate Britain and Tate Modern, the National and National Portrait Galleries; the Victoria and Albert Museum; Sotheby’s, Christies’ and assorted independent institutions. 

Lecture

Kathe Kollwitz was a German artist who worked with painting, print making and sculpture. Her most famous art cycles include "The Weavers" and "The Peasant Wars" which depict the effects of poverty, hunger and war on the working classes. Despite the realism of her early works, her art is most closely associated with Expressionism. Kollwitz was the first woman to not only be elected to the Prussian Academy of Arts, but also to receive honorary professor status.

Lecturer

Dr Angela J Smith gained her first degree in Art History at Leicester University, followed by her doctorate at the Warburg Institute under the tutelege of J.B. Trapp. She spent a decade teaching mature learners in  a "Lifelong Learning" course at Leicester University. Some of her other activities have centered on developing modules for undergraduates, including the architectural and cultural history of the English Country House and a survey of English Church Art and Architecture. In between her many teaching committments, Angela worked as a researcher for the National Inventory of Continental European Paintings as well as publishing numerous articleas and reviews, and setting up a publishing company.

Lecture

During the Eighteenth Century there was an unprecedented growth in the popularity of children's portaiture. Painters such as Gainsborough began to produce beautiful and poignant images of his own children and in keeping with the changing times, showed how artists and their patrons began to perceive children for the first time, not as undersized adults, but as unique individuals with distinct personalities. Gainsborough's portrait of his daughters chasing a butterfly, painted around 1756, is an example of how artists began to show an almost obsessive interest in childish qualities of innocence, purity and spontaneity.

Gainsborough and his wife Margaret had three daughters, the eldest, Mary, died in infancy. He painted his surviving daughters, who remained inseparable throughout their lives, at least half a dozen times, and with each image of them together they lose a little more innocent joy. No other 18th Century artist left so many images of his family and relatives, all painted for love not money.  

Lecturer

Since 2001, Amina has been the Senior Curator and Curator of Fine Art at the Holburne Museum, Bath. She has particular interests in Eighteenth Cenury British Art and Old Master Paintings, and has published books on Georgian Bath, Wright of Derby and George Stubbs. Current projects include and exhibition and book on the early career of Thomas Lawrence and an MA at King's College London in Christianity and the Arts. 

Lecture on line by Zoom commencing at 2p.m.

Fake news has been around since the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs and art has always been one of its favourite media. This lecture will be uncovering the subtle art of spin and propaganda from the glories of Ancient Mesopotamia, to the Norman Conquest and then on to Elizabethan Engalnd and the dark days of Nazi Germany.

Every picture tells a story  - whether it is true or not is an entirely different matter!

Lecturer

With a BA in History and Theology, an MA in the History of Art and a Doctorate in Theology based on the early iconography of the Virgin Mary, Geri's first career was as a journalist on a variety of Fleet Street newspapers, then moving on into entertainment PR. She has taught at the Universities of Exeter, Plymouth and Roehampton where she is an Honourary Research Fellow. Her description of herself is that of an idiosyncratic art historian who studies history through art rather than the history of art. The scope of her interests covers a wide portfolio from prehistoric art, the history of medicine in art, the birth of Fleet Street, the early days of the film industry and of course the very topic and exceedingly topical focus of today's lecture, fake news.

Lecture on line by Zoom commencing at 2p.m.

in January 2016, Kate Strasdin was given a pink silk covered volume that contained a secret world of past lives of a community in the mid-19th century and stories told through samples of fabric pasted carefully into the pages of the book. Kept for many years, this diary is gradually revealing its secrets and the lives lived of Anne Sykes, her family and friends in Lancashire from the 1830's.

This lecture looks at how textiles can tell us about the lives of our ancestors and the textile manufacturing of a nation.

Lecturer

Kate has worked as a curator of textiles and dress for over twenty years and is Honourary Deputy Curator at the Totnes Fashion and Textile Museum. She is a Senior Lecturer in History and Theory which oversees four degree courses in Fashion and Design at Falmouth University and a special visiting lecturer for the De Tao Masters Academy Shanghai.

Publications include "An Easy Day for a Lady" (Costume Journal 2008) and "Empire Dressing - the Design and Realisation of Queen Alexandra's Coronation Gown" (Journal of Design History 2012). Kate's book on Queen Alexandra's wardrobe was published in 2017 and she is working on her next book "The Secrets of a 19th Century Dress Diary". She is one of the youngest practitioners of the dying art of Honiton Lace making.

Lecture - on line Zoom event commencing at 2p.m.

Cleopatra for whom Mark Antony is believed to have thrown away his chance to rule the Roman Republic has been inspiring painters, poets and film makers for over two millenia. Their voluptous depictions of her show the changing concepts of beauty and the racial and sexual assumptions underlying them. Images range from Roman to Renaissance to 20th century film stars such as Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and Amanda Barry. Cleopatra became a screen onto which artists have projected their exotic and erotic fantasies.

Lecturer

Lucy is the author of "The Pike: Gabriele d' Annunzio" which won the Samuel Johnson Prize, the Duff Cooper Prize and the Custa Biography Award and also of "Cleopatra and Heroes."

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Historical Association, she has reviewed for all of the UK's serious newspapers and for Radio 3's Night Waves, judged five literary prizes and spoken at numerous literary festivals. She teaches creative writing at Arcadia University and at Arvon. Her novel Peculiar Ground was described as "almost Tolstoyan in its sly wit and descriptive brilliance" ( The Guardian ) and "full of drama, vivid characters, wit, gorgeous writing and fascinating detail" ( New York Times).

Lecture - on line Zoom event commencing at 2p.m.

Tamara de Lempicka dazzled Paris' artistic circles in the 1920's and 30's and seduced with her sylish portraits. She immortalised the atmosphere of wealth and decadence in Paris. As an artist she was one of the few able to embody the decorative style of Art Deco in her paintings. Stunningly beautiful, she engaged in the world of fashion and photography as well as presenting herself as the quintessential modern independent woman. Her extraordinary talent confirmed her reputation as one of the most iconic painters of her generation. 

The lecture examines de Lempicka's background and her output in Paris and will place her work in the context of Art Deco and painting styles of the period.

Lecturer

Claire gained her Doctorate in History at the European University Institute Florence and has an MA in the History of Design and a BA in the History and Theory of Art. She has worked at the Victoria and Albert Museum and lectured at the University of Warwick and now teaches at the Open University. She has lectured at the V & A and Courtauld Institute of Art as well as across Europe, America and Canada and has numerous publications accredited to her name.

Lecture

British artists first travelled to India in the mid-eighteenth century and views of the country remained a popular subject throughout the period of the Empire. The lecture covers the work of artists who travelled to India in the 18th and 19th centuries, including paintings, prints, archtecture and photography and as well as capturing the beauty and exotic nature of the country also discusses the imact such material had back in Britain.

Lecturer

Our lecturer completed his doctorate in 2007 researching the art of the British in India after obtaining his first degee in the entirely differt discipline of Mathematics. His field of interest covers the period of the last three hundred years involving art produced in various colonial settings, He is particularly interested in the relationship of aspects of art, architectural design to their broader cultural, social and political contexts and also teaches courses on the methods and theoretical approaches of art history. His current work includes roles as Associate lecturer at Birbeck College Univerity of London and Sessional lecturer for The Workers Educational Association.

Lecture

Based on her own experiences as an artist engaging with the prison system, the lecture will take you on a visual journey into a world that most people never get to experience first hand. In this world of bars and locked doors you meet characters whose stories are both shocking and moving and gain a sense of how colour and paint can impact on such an environment. The tales are by no means sentimental but infused with questions, insights and shocking statistics. After 20 years of working closely with offenders and the prison system Angela explains some of the issues behind the problems of crime and re-offending and looks at how the arts can best help enthuse people to want change.

Lecturer

Angela has been giving talks and presentations on art in prison for 15 years to a wide variety of audiences. Illustrated with vibrant photographs taken while running art projects in England and Germany and supported by current debates and statistics, she offers a very personal set of insights into the prison environment. She now specialises in talks to schools but also lectures in a wide variety of forums aimed at provoking ethical /philosophical debate.

Lecture

The Silk Roads continue to capture the imagination and in 2014 a section of the land route was designated a World heritage Site. Yet there was no single "Silk Road". Instead a complex network of trade routes spanned Afro- Eurasia,s mountains, plains, deserts and seas. From silk to spices, religion to dance, traffic in goods and ideas were all crucial to the development of civilisations through cultual interactions and economic activity.

Lecturer

Susan is a writer, scholar, lecturer and traveller of the "Silk Roads". She spent 25 years curating the collections of manuscripts from Dunhuang and other silk road sites now held at the British Library. She also helped found and then develop the International Dunhuang Project, now a thriving international collaboration working on the art and artifacts of the Eastern Silk Road. Her latest book "Silk, Slaves and Stupas; Material Culture of the Silk Road was published in March 2018. Susan has also currated several major exhibitions and organised field trips to archaeological sites in the Taklamkan desert.

Lecture

James Gillray may well be the greatest political cartoonist who ever lived. He did not invent the art of caricature but in his hands it became a highly sophisticated and inventive aspect of the visual culture of his day. Through his work we can get a glimpse of the riotous society in which he lived and see how the larger than life public figures and political personalities of the time were viewed by this master of disrespect.

Lecturer

Linda holds two first class degrees in Art History from Birbeck College, London. She has a broad knowledge of art history subjects but specialises in British Art since 1550 and twentieth century art. A vastly experienced lecturer in venues ranging from universities to cruise liners, she also acts as a guide at Tate Modern and Tate Britain, Dulwich Picture Gallery and other galleries.

Lecture

In 1585 when Armand-Jean du Plessis (later Cardinal de Richlieu) was born, France existed only as a geographical area, neither language nor law providing any unity. Richlieu provided both the military strategies giving France new defensible borders and inaugurated the unifying reforms which included the State's own national cultural identity. In the process Richlieu discovered the power of cultural propaganda and sought control of the country's literary and artistic activities and institutions. Working closely with the Royal Architect Lemercier, the Cardinal planned buidings of enormous extravagance including the chuch at the Sorbonne. As a collector he acquired many paintings and sculptures by contemporary artists which are now on view in Paris, Orleans and Tours. He also founded the Acadamie Francais.

Lecturer

Brian's career started in 1959 direct from National Service and has taken him to 43 different countries. He has worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The Natioal Theatre, Sadler's Wells and London Festival Ballet Companies, Scottish Opera, The Nottingham Playhouse, Manchester Library Theatre and Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop Company.

Approaching retirement he started to branch out into directing, writing scripts and giving talks.

Lecture

As adults we carry in our heads huge numbers of images from childhood and some of the most deeply etched come from illustrations in books that we read as children. Images of "Tigger" and "Toad" and even the "Tiger Who Came to Tea" will probably remain with us forever. In addition to a wide range of examples, the lecture will examine how illustrations contribute to the development of understanding and how the interaction of image and narrative creates such powerful memories.

Lecturer

John was formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant. In his professional life he developed a particular interest in presentation skills including the role of pictures in learning and the appropiate use of Power Point. John offers presentatins in an eclectic range of topics that are derived from his diverse interests and enthusiasms, such as pub signs and the Shakers of North America.

Lecture

The party theme takes us from Greek Mosaics, the Bible and the Renaissance to the 20th Century and traces the variety of merrymaking, banqueting, dances and music that was captured through Western Art.

Lecturer

Alice has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998. She lectures regularly at The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford and at the Oxfordshire Musem in Woodstock. Her busy freelance career includes organising History of Art study days with colleagues and regular weekly classes in Oxfordshire and Worcestershire. In 2004, Alice joined NADFAS and has since lectured throughout Britain and Europe, and is a tutor on study holidays. In 2010 she weas elected President of Banbury Fine Arts Society.

Lecture

As the most influential artist of the 20th Century, Pablo Picasso was as charasmatic as he was talented. The extraordinary energy to which he devoted to his work was matched only by the energy with which he pursued women. In 1927 Picasso met a beautiful blonde, Marie- Therese Walter on a Parisian street. Aged 17 she became the love of his life and his ideal muse and model for his Surrealist period in which he explored extreme physical and psychological states, often by rendering the human figure with imaginary and distorted forms.

Lecturer

Dr jacqueline Cockburn is a linguist and art historian with first degrees in French and Spanish and Art History, an MA in Applied Linguistics and a doctorate in Art History and Spanish. She is managing director of an art tour group and currently publishing a book called "A Taste for Art".

Lecture

The French New Wave critics of Cahiers du Cinema argued that Hitchcock films should be regarded as artistic masterpieces. He remains by far the most studied film director of all time. Using innovative and experimental techniques with sound and editing, Hitchcock thrilled, scared and maipulated anxiety in ways that made him into a cinematic genius.

Lecturer

John Francis is an international lecturer of note. Initially trained as a painter, he was awarded the Max Beckmann Memorial Scholorship in painting in brooklyn New York, and went on to be an artist in residence for the State of Texas. Later in his career, John produced and directed several short films and animations. He has taught film, art and pedagogy at the University of Exeter, Arts University Bournemouth, University Sains Malaysia, South Western College California, Brunel University London and recently at Kingston University.

Lecture

There are many illustrious gardens on the shores of lakes Como and Maggiore in the mountainous region of Northern Italy. The ones described in this lecture include the Villa Cicogna Mazzoni with its 16th century parterre and water staircase, Isola Bella, a baroque extravaganza on an island in the middle of an alpine lake, Villa Melzi and Villa Carlotta two lakeside gardens made by rival Napoleonic grandees, and Villa Remigio a garden created by two Edwardian lovers , one Irish and one Neapolitan as a kind of alfresco theatre for celebrating their love of art and nature. These and other gardens set in this idyllic scenery and designed to capture and inspire a love for creativity in the natural medium.

Lecturer

Steven Desmond is an independent landscape consultant specialising in the conservation and management of historic gardens in Britain and Europe. As an established broadcaster and author he is especially interested in the idea of the garden as a an integral element and indicator of art and social history and believes that historic gardens throughout Europe are much more culturally intertwined than is generally supposed. His book "Gardens of the italian Lakes" with photography by Marianne Majerus is published by Francis Lincoln.

Lecture

During his lifetime Joshua Reynolds was amongst the most celebrated artists in Western Europe. He was a brilliant portraitist, impressario, a skilled networker and a master of spin. Through his paintings, his friendships and the manipulation of the media, Reynolds was - as this lecture will reveal - a driving force in the creation of the cult of celebrity which is so familiar to us today. 

Lecturer

Sarah Stopford is a guide and lecturer at Tate Modern. She studied Art History as part of her first degree at Harvard. After a further degree in English at Cambridge and a career as a teacher of English Literature in both the United States and England, she has returned to the world of Art History where her special interests are in British and post 1900 art, as well as the connections between literature and the visual arts.

Lecture

Shackleton set off from South Georgia in 1914 in his ship "Endurance". the members of the expedition included two photographers and a painter, their collective role to record events so that on their return home they could give shows to the public and so recoup the cost of the trip. The lecture contains remarkable images taken by Frank Hurley, a photo journalist from Australia using a brass and wood camera weighing 40lbs. The remainder of the images come from a folding Kodak camera using three rolls of film. The paintings were completed by the artist on their return. The images capture the truly challenging conditions found by the expedition and chart the story of the venture.

Lecturer

Born in the Scilly Isles and educated at Truro School, Mark is a graduate of Birmingham University with an MA in Medieval History. He has over twenty years experience lecturing in Anglo Saxon, Medieval and Tudor History. He is a crusader trying to prevent the decline in teaching of Medieval History with his own brand of enthusiasm, knowledge and skills as a communicator.

Lecture

The setting is a remote Cornish valley called Lamorna, the time the early 1900's, the characters include Alfred Munnings, his young wife Florence Carter-Wood, Laura and Harold Knight, Ella and Charles Naper, Captain Evans and Lamorna Birch. They all became very close and in the melting pot of creativity a tagedy occurs. The lecture looks at the art that was created and the story behind the tragedy.

Lecturer

Catherine Wallace orinates from West Yorkshire. She studied Fine Art at Leeds, Canterbury and St. Andrews gaining her Bachelor and Masters degrees focusing her studies on Wyndham Lewis about whom she curated a major exhibition for the Imperial War Museum. She was in charge at Falmouth Art Gallery for 8 years before becoming a freelance writer, curator and lecturer. She is the author of several books on Cornish Art and an experiencesd lecturer on this subject.

Lecture

The lute holds a special place in the history of art. Painters of the Italian Renaissance depicted golden haired angels plucking its delicate strings evoking ideas of celestial harmony. In the sixteenth century, during the rise of humanism, the lute was becoming a pastime of educated courtiers as depicted in work by the likes of Holbein and Titian. Throughout the seventeenth century, the instrument continued to play a key role in emphasing the intimate, debauched and transient pleasures of interior scenes by Jan Steen and portraits by Frank Hals. The lecture looks at the lute and other musical instruments as devices to express various aspects of the human character through the ages.

Lecturer

Adam Busiakiewicz is an art historian, luteist and lecturer. His academic achievements include a BA in History from UCL, a Masters Degee in Fine and Decorative Art at the Sotheby's Institute of Art, London and he is currently undertaking a doctorate in Art History at Warwick University after winning a CADRE postgraduate scholarship in 2017. He was the youngest Guide Lecturer at the Wallace Collection and is cuurently planning an article on the Grevilles of Warwick Castle.

Lecture

Qianlong was a noted scholar, who during his lifetime wrote and published over 43,000 poems, painted on virtually a daily basis and was accomplished in the art of calligraphy. It was as a collector of fine art that Qianlong created his greatest legacy. In his sixty year reign he amassed hundreds of thousands of works of art from both previous dynasties and the pinnacle of works produced in his own times. The collections spanned all genres, including paintings, porcelain, jade, textiles, enamelling, ivory carvings and snuff bottles. The lecture not only covers his involvement in art but also his capabilities as a ruler guiding his country to political, ecomomic and cultural prosperity.

Lecturer

David Rosier is a chartered insurer by profession and a Fellow of the Assurance Medical Society with extensive international experience as an author and lecturer in Medical Risk Assessment. He lived and worked in Asia for more than 25 years, where he assembled a collection of approximately 700 predominantly Qung Dynasty (1644-1911) imperial and related textile and costume accessories. Since 2004 he has been a regular lecturer to many organisations including the Embroider's Guild, oriental art and historical associations, costume societies, the National Trust and of course The Arts Society.

Lecture

The Maya created one of the most sophisticated civilisations in the ancient world. Their achievements in the arts and science make them one of the most remarkable cultural groups in the Columbian Americas. The lecture discusses the major achievements of the Maya as well as pointing out the common misunderstandings we have of them.

Lecturer

Dr Diana Davies studied at the Institute of Archaelogy London followed by a year travelling around Central and South America. The Maya site at Palenque Mexico inspired her to learn everything she could about the Maya. A PHd followed at Tulane University in New Orleans where she taught and continued expanding her knowledge. More site work ensued at San Bartolo Guatemala but a move back to the UK in 2012 saw Diana becoming involved with supporting teachers and children in pursuing studies about the Maya which had been incorporated into the Primary History Curriculm. Diana created a special module entitled "Journey Through the Mayan World" and visits schools to tell children of the exciting life of a Mayan Archaelogist. She is now an honourary reseach associate at the Institute of Archaelogy at UCL. She is chair of Coke Education, a charity supporting the education of Maya children.

Unfortunately Chris Foote- Wood is unable to deliver the scheduled lecture "Seaside Piers". Jackie marsh-Hobbes has kindly stepped in and will give her lecture entilted "A Passion for Piers".

Lecture

Enjoy a delightful look at the history of pleasure piers, these elegant structures which are remarkable examples of Victorian engineering. Diverse in design, often crowned with exotic palaces or pavilions, places of entertainment laughter and joy which have given pleasure to generations.

Lecturer

Jackie Marsh-Hobbes is a lecturer, specialist guide and researcher with a BA Honours degree in the History of Decorative Arts and Crafts from the University of Brighton.Jackie is a freelance guide at the Royal Pavilion Brighton and has taught in adult education for sixteen years ranging from craft based classes to local history, and for the University of Sussex on local architecture and researching the history of houses.

Lecture

Why did the aristocracy in London prefer foreign painters to native born Engish ones? Why did foreigners come in the first place? What was their motivation and what was the impact of foreigners on English art and art practice? Come along to the lecture to find the answers to these intriguing questions and much more besides.

Lecturer

Leslie Primo graduated from Biirkbeck Univerity College London with an MA in Renaissance Studies. He worked at the National gallery for fourteen years and taught a variety of history courses at Reading University. He currently lectures at the National Gallery and the National Porttait Gallery and teaches a variety of Art History courses at Imperial College London. His specialities are Medieval and Renaissance Studies and Italian Renaissance Drawing

Lecturer

Dr Todd Gay is an historian and pursued his interests and career at Exeter University. He was born in New England and became a British citizen in 2006, although his ancestors can be traced back to  Barnstaple in the 1620's. He has written more than 40 books on Devon which is probably more than any other Devon historian. He famously claimed that the cornish pasty was in fact invented in Devon in about 1460, which not only caused consternation in Cornwall, but even gained publicity as far afield as China. Todd was awarded an MBE in the 2014 NewYear's Honours List for his services to Devon's Heritage and continues to champion Devon's history.

Lecture

Turner toured the West Country during his earlier years as an artist and during his journey captured some iconic images of the local landscape. Some of these works were exhibited at the Tate Gallery in Penzance a few years ago and this lecture explores the beauty of these paintings and the techniques that gives them such life and vitality.

Lecturer

Sam Smiles is professor of Art History and Visual Culture at the University of Exeter and Emeritus Professor for Art History at the University of Plymouth. He has curated exhibitions and published widely on British art between 1750 and 1930 and his particular forte is the work of J.M. Turner on whose art is is a leading authority.

Lecture

This year it is 100 years since the passing of the Reprsentation of the people Act 1918. To mark the centenary of women first getting the vote after decades of struggle this lecture explores the story of the suffragettes through portrayals in art and their own artistic productions. it will also examine how contemporary artists choose to depict female politicians and the controversies surrounding these portraits with regard to power, dress and gender, all topics which were familiar to the suffragettes.

Lecturer

Dr Caroline Shenton is an archivist, historian and writer. She was formerly Director of the Parliamentary Achives and a senior archivist at the National Archives and is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and the Royal Historical Society. Her book "The Day Parliament Burned Down" was published in 2012 and won top prize at the inaugural Political Book Awards in 2013.

Lecture

Looking into the portrayal and role played by angels in paintings, engravings, illustrations and sculptures.

Lecturer

Caroline is a garden historian, writer, broadcaster, consultant designer and lecturer.

Artists were never far behind the explorers who opened up America in the 19th Century. Sometimes they painted what they saw and sometimes what they wished they saw. Either way painters like Alfred Miller, Frederick Church and Albert Bierstadt have left a powerful, if romanticised record of the country and the people that settlers found. This is a story on a big scale and among the slides illustrating the lecture are images of some of the largest and most grandeloquent paintings of the era.

Lecturer

Tony is an author and lecturer with an impressive business CV gained prior to changing to his current career trajectory. Still a non Executive Director of Faber & Faber and Chairman of its sister company Faber Music he was also the past Managing Director.

His books, "Antonio Stradivari" and "Faberge's Eggs" are as diverse in content as are his many and wide ranging interests.

For artists light can express emotions from El Greco's light of spititual ecstacy to the dangerous darkness of Caravaggio, from Turner's sublime sunlight to Samuel Palmer's melancoly moonlight. Throughout the millenia art and science have moved forward together in the quest to understand light. In this lecture, Alexandra explains how artists have painted temporal and spiritual light through the ages.

Lecturer

Alexandra Drysdale has been an accredited lecturer for NADFAS since 2004, lecturing both here and in Australia. Her lectures combine historical knowledge with personal expertise and artistic techniques, making her lectures both original and dynamic. She gives perceptive analysis of a painting's structure, its meaning and relationship to the history of art, putting particular emphasis on the symbolic language of the imagination.

Justinian and Theodora bowed to no man when they ruled the world's most powerful empire in the 6th century. A former prostitute and exotic dancer, Theodora was a woman with an unsavoury past, while her husband's roots lay in Balkan peasant stock, and yet together they inspired some of the most beautiful Byzantium Art. From the mosaics of Rowena to St Catherine's Monastery, to the architecture of Hagia Sophia who can ever forget this couple's contribution to our art heritage.

Lecturer

Geri Parlby is a former Fleet Street journalist and film PR, with a first class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate. She has been lecturing for the past ten years and now heads up the Visual Arts distance learning programme for Exeter University and is principal lecturer on NADFAS South West Area's History of Art Foundation course. She is also an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Roehampton and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

The SS Great Britain was the world's first great ocean liner and the most experimental steamship of its time. Launched in 1843, this iron hulled steamship revolutionised travel and set new standards in engineering, reliability and speed. The ship ran aground on her fifth voyage in 1846 on the sands at Dundrum Bay Ireland and took a year to refloat before re-entering service to once again ply the world's oceans. Brunel's masterpiece, preserved and fully restored, is now "re-launched" as the centrepiece of the award winning visitor attaction in Bristol Floating Harbour.

Lecturer

Ian was born and raised on Merseyside, where he spent many an hour watching the arrivals and departures at Liverpool’s busy Pier Head in the 1950s and 60s. This led to his lifelong passion for ships – especially ocean liners. He was a primary school head teacher and school improvement adviser in Bristol for many years, and has been a Visitor Services Volunteer with the SS Great Britain Trust since 2007.

Lecturer

Linda holds two first-class degrees in Art History and has a special interest in British art and the art of the twentieth century. She is an experienced guide and lecturer at Tate Britain, Tate Modern and the Dulwich Picture Gallery and also lecturers to secondary school audiences and independent arts societies.

This lecture tells of the creative genius and remarkable craftsmanship that enabled the Poster to become the world's first effective method of mass communication.

From Manet’s “Les Chats” to Jules Chéret’s “Electricine”, to Mucha, Steinlen and Toulouse-Lautrec, see inspirational work by superb artists who made the poster great.

Learn how an effective poster is designed and how it plays on the mind; and why most posters today go unnoticed.

Charles Harris has had a life-long career in advertising around the world, most of it as a Creative Director in global agencies. His work has earned him highly coveted international awards. His experience as a creator of posters gives his presentation about poster art a unique edge.

The setting is a remote Cornish valley called Lamorna; the time, the early 1900s, the characters include Alfred Munnings, his young wife Florence Carter-Wood, Laura and Harold Knight, Ella and Charles Naper, Captain Evans and Lamorna Birch. They all become very close and in the melting pot of creativity, a tragedy occurs. This talk looks at the art that was being created by these artists and the story behind the tragedy.

Lecturer

Catherine Wallace studied fine art at Leeds and Canterbury before completing a Master's degree in Art History and Museum Studies at St Andrew's University. She has lived in Cornwall for over twenty years and was curator of the Falmouth Art gallery during the 1990's. Now a freelance writer, curator and fund raiser, Catherine undertakes an extensive lecturing programme on different aspects of Cornish Art and Artists.

Thomas Alexander Heatherwick is an English Designer and the founder of a London-based design practice with a team of around 180 architects, designers and makers from a combined studio and workshop. Since the late 1990s he has emerged as one of Britain’s most gifted and imaginative designers with an innovative approach that has rightfully earned him a reputation as an "ideas engine"

Since 2010 Heatherwick has executed projects connected to both national and local identity. These include the Olympic Cauldron, the New Routemaster bus, the first new double decker bus commissioned for London in 50 years, and the UK Pavillion Expo 2010. Other notable proposed projects include the Garden Bridge, the renovation of Pacific Place and a plan for a biomass power station in BEI-Teeside. Some of these, like the new Routemaster and the proposed Garden Bridge, have encountered criticism, but the lecture shows how Heatherwick blends architecture, sculpture and engineering to produce te brilliant results that earned him the title's epithet from Sir Terence Conran.

Lecturer Anthea Streeter

Anthea Streeter studied Fine and Decorative Arts in London and at Havard. Since her return from America she has pursued a particular interest in 20th century architecture and design, teaching on several courses in Oxford and London

Lecture

This lavishly illustrated lecture uses only mosaics from start to finish, bringing the distant world of the Romans gloriously back to life with vibrant, colourful images full of action. This is the rise and fall of the Roman Empire but as you have never seen it before – through the eyes of the Roman people themselves and the contemporary mosaics they created to reflect and decorate their fascinating, colourful world

Lecturer

Christopher Bradley specialises in North Africa and the Middle East. He is a guidebook writer and photographer of note, supplying a number of photographic libraries with travel pictures including the Royal Geographic Society. He travelled the "Silk Road", initially as a Civil Engineer and then as a tour leader, author, and consultant. His books include The Berlitz Libya Guide 2009 and Insight Egypt Guide 2008. He has also worked as a tour leader and guide of specialist art tours to Tunisia and Libya and as a cameraman and TV producer for the National Geographic, BBC and Channel 4.

Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine over nearly five decades. Among the best-known of Rockwell's works are the Willie Gillis series, Rosie the Riveter, The Problem We All Live With, Saying Grace, and the Four Freedoms series. Rockwell's work was dismissed by serious art critics in his lifetime and led to the often deprecatory adjective "Rockwellesque".

Lecturer – John Ericson

Formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. His principal areas of research were course design and the role of pictures in both teaching and learning. He also found time to teach presentation skills to his academic colleagues, a topic close to his heart! He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. In 2008 and again in 2011, he undertook extensive lecture tours of Australia and New Zealand. As well as the talks he has developed from his professional background, he offers presentations on an eclectic range of topics that are derived from his diverse interests and enthusiasms such as antique corkscrews, the Shakers of North America and Norman Rockwell.

The lecture explores painted illusionistic architecture and its use in the enrichment of private and public interiors. Often inspired by ancient Roman originals, Renaissance Italians developed decorative schemes that influenced the courts of Europe and beyond. Panelling, fixtures and fittings all became integrated within architectural design. The introduction of movable oil paintings into these schemes shaped the subsequent evolution of picture hanging.

Stephen is a practising, exhibiting artist and his pictures have met with great critical acclaim and hang in private collections worldwide.

The Forbidden City was the Chinese Imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. Located in the middle of Beijing, it now houses the palace museum. The construction of the complex began in 1406 and consists of 980 buildings, covering nearly 8 million square feet and took fifteen years to complete using the talents of more than one million workers. The lecture looks at the lives and rituals of the Imperial Family from the first Ming Emperor to China’s last Emperor residing in the Imperial Palace.

Anne is a lecturer at the Victoria and Albert Museum. She is a guide for private tours of the State Rooms and the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace and lectures on British Paintings to American students resident in London. She trained and became a senior ceramics specialist at Christies and Bonham head offices. Between 1995 and 2002 she was resident in Shanghai and visited kiln sites and lectured to expatriate groups. In 2002 she catalogued the collection of Chinese porcelain at Kensington Palace and from then until 2005 was a committee member of the French porcelain Society.

Exeter Cathedral, along with Wells and Salisbury represent the most impressive expressions of Early English and Decorative Gothic. His lecture will illustrate the defining features of the cathedral together with some of the fascinating figures and events behind them. Exeter remains as a portrait in stone to rival the greatest of paintings.

Mark was born on the Isles of Scilly and was educated at Truro School, Cornwall and Birmingham University. His career has been spent in education and training both in the UK and abroad. He lectures at Exeter College on Medieval and Tudor History and at St Johns and St Marks Plymouth and at Bath University on Saxon and Medieval England.

Each art work tells its own story.

Shauna studied at the Courtauld Institute and Birbeck College London and regularly lectures at the Sotheby’s Institute of Art. She currently manages an art recovery company and served on the working group looking into looted art for the Holocaust Era Assets Conference where she was instrumental in drafting the Terezin Declaration on Nazi looting which was subsequently ratified by 46 countries.

Mr Punch is the most subversive puppet character of all time. His comic irreverence gave ”Punch” magazine its title. His anarchic vitality has inspired opera, ballet and punk rock and his enduring popularity has seen his likeness on goods ranging from Victorian silverware to computer video games. Appearing in England in 1662, Punch is descended from the Italian clown Pulcinella of the 15th century Commedia D’el Arte tradition. Even today the “Lord of Misrule” use his slapstick to dispense with oppressive authority be it politicians, political correctness or the devil, while proclaiming the notorious refrain “that’s the way to do it”.

Bertie is a member of the Inner Magicians Circle with Gold Star and has performed all over the world. In 2003 he was awarded the Carlton Comedy Award by the Magic Circle and twice won the award for Originality from the International Brotherhood of Magicians. A Ba(Hons) graduate in Drama, Bertie is married with two children, six light Sussex chickens, two pigs and a border terrier called Buttons, and still found time to become a NADAS lecturer in 2009.

*AGM commences at 1.30 p.m.

 The bleak mid-winter held little appeal to the artist for many centuries until Breugel painted Hunters in the Snow in the 16th century. From pristine backdrop to playful , yet sinister Dutch landscapes, from Turner’s tempestuous snowstorms and the subtleties of the Impressionists “effets de neige”, to its use as brutal symbolism of war, artists have now fully embraced the appeal and challenges of the neglected season of winter.

Sue originally worked in art and design publishing (Phaidon and Yale University Press). She now lectures for the National trust, U3A and the city literary institute. She is a qualified Blue Badge Guide, giving guided walks on various themes. She has published work on the lost world of the River Fleet.

Valerie is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern and for Tate Cruises, as well as being on the teaching team at the Dulwich Picture gallery. She is a script writer for Living paintings (art for the blind and partially sighted).

13th October 2015

Goldsmithing dates back to the third millennium BC, and most silver is made in the same way as it was in medieval times. Helen’s wealth of knowledge about antique and contemporary silver (and gold!) enabled us to understand more of the craftsmanship and technique involved in working with these precious metals. The lecture covered the basic processes of making and decorating silver, explaining the goldsmith’s workshop, techniques, and tools. It highlighted both the changes and continuities in one of the oldest and most revered of our crafts.

Dr Helen Clifford completed her doctorate at the Royal College of Art, learning the basics of the craft in the College Studios. She is now a freelance researcher, writer, and curator, specialising in 17th and 18th century decorative art and contemporary silver. She is a Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company, Curator of the Swaledale Museum in Reeth, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries.
 

The lecture is based on the Islamic manuscript, the Padshahnama (chronicle of the King of the World) which is the unique official history of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan, who ruled India from 1628 to 1658. He is best remembered for the building of the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The Padshahnama is illustrated with 44 of the finest Mughal paintings in the world. They vividly depict the very dramatic events in the Emperor's reign and the years before it. Most of the important individuals in Shah Jahan's court can be identified and the paintings tell the remarkable story of the intrigues of court life as well as the Emperor's Coronation, royal weddings, bloody battles and hunting scenes.

The book is the finest Islamic manuscript in the Royal Library at Windsor Castle and was given to King George III in 1797 by the ruler of the north Indian state of Oudh.

Mr. Everett is Librarian Emeritus of the Royal Library, Windsor Castle. He was Librarian there and Assistant Keeper of the Royal Archives from 1985 to 2002. During those 17 years working with the Royal Collection at Windsor Castle, he gained a deep and detailed knowledge of the Collection and of the history of the Castle and its occupants.

He has written several articles about the Royal Library and its contents. He wrote the official guide book to Windsor Castle, made the audio tour for visitors, taught a course on the history of the Castle and advised on a television film on it. He is working on two publications on aspects of the Royal Collection and on a history series for television. He lectures widely, both in Britain and abroad, particularly in the USA, and on cruise ships.

His responsibility for the Royal Archives, also housed at Windsor Castle, gave him a close involvement with the historical documents which describe the British Royal Family and their possessions.

He was educated at Cambridge University and, as an English- Speaking Union Scholar, did a Master's degree in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University. He did further post-graduate work at the London School of Economics. He had also been an English-Speaking Exchange scholar at Western Reserve Academy, Ohio.

He was in the British Diplomatic Service, 1967-81, serving in India and Spain. He was Assistant Private Secretary to Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, 1978-80; and Private Secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales, 1981-83.