Until the late 19th century to emulate Raphael was the goal for most artists succeeding him. Yet today he is not as well-known as this might suggest. Is this because his biography is less dramatic than Caravaggio’s? or his career less tormented than Michelangelo’s? This lecture asks “what is the magic of Raphael?” It takes a fresh look at Raphael, exploring what he achieved, and looking, as if for the first time, at the beauty and grace of his work.

With 40 years' experience as a lecturer, Chantal has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art on the MA in Fine and Decorative Arts since 1989, and as a freelance lecturer for a number of societies and institutions in London. She has an MA in History of Art from Edinburgh and a PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University

This lecture begins by considering Dali’s early life and influences and the variety of styles he tried before developing and settling on his own idiosyncratic style. Dali came late to Surrealism, nevertheless he is often regarded as the archetypal Surrealist. The lecture illustrates Dali’s personal response to Surrealism, in particular the approach he called his ‘paranoiac critical activity’, one which spawned works such as The Persistence of Memory and Metamorphosis of Narcissus. 

Angela has a PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. Author of numerous articles and several books, she has taught for several universities and contributed to television programmes, most recently an episode of Digging up Britain’s Past.

Ancient Greek painted pottery is greatly admired, and with good reason. This talk, will attempt to make the beauty of Greek ceramics more readily accessible and comprehensible. It will concentrate on gaining knowledge and understanding of the physical forms, stylistic features, subject matter, composition, emotional content, function and development of ancient Greek pottery. Emphasis will also be placed on the relevant social, political and religious contexts.  

Steve achieved a degree in Classics and then a PhD at Bristol University.
Since graduation he has taught Classics in a number of establishments, and now operates principally for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education.

We are pleased to be welcoming him back to Honiton, many of you will remember the talk he gave on the Elgin Marbles.

In the midst of its traumatic struggle, Ukraine is trying to protect its art and reclaim its heritage. But Russian and Ukrainian art were intermingled for 250 years.  With a wealth of illustrations, this lecture maps three consecutive revolutions in style, as painters in both Ukraine and Russia experimented with social criticism, then modernism and then confronted social conformity. This talk includes work of painters little known in the west as well as others who became key figures in modernism.

Gabriel Chanan took up lecturing on art history in 2015, building on his lifelong interest in the arts during a career as a social researcher and policy analyst. He also ran a small theatre company performing at arts centres and festivals till 2020. He was awarded an MBE for services to community development.

From hotels, restaurants and tube stations to apartment blocks, offices, picture houses and lidos, the British public fell in love with Art Deco architecture of the 1920s and 1930s and embraced it whole-heartedly. This lecture considers a selection of iconic Art Deco buildings both in our capital city and around Britain.  Pamela will explore the development of this architectural style within the context of its social and economic environment and how, during a challenging interwar period, Art Deco architecture promoted such great civic pride as well as such luxury for its personal clients.

Pamela has over 30 years of lecturing experience.  She has also conducted numerous guided tours and residential trips. She specialises in British Domestic Architecture and Modern British Art, with a particular love for the 1920s and 1930s. She has an MA Hons Art History from St Andrew's University.

Whether drawing duchesses or portraying princes, John Singer Sargent (1856–1925) was high society’s leading portraitist. Flaunting a consummate technique, his luxurious canvases mirrored his subjects’ wealth. This talk charts the artist’s life and his prolific output, showing that, like the era he came to represent, Sargent was always on the cusp of seismic change.

A writer and broadcaster. Appears on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent appearances include Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas worldwide, and talks for the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals, the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum and the V&A. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, was published in 2023.

The lecture will trace the story of Banksy’s humble beginnings as a tagger on the streets of Bristol in the 1980s to one of the most recognisable names in the art world.  Pepe will examine the reasons behind his incredible rise, looking at some of his famous stunts and discuss what his influence has been on the art market today and look at what his legacy might be. 

Pepe qualified as a London blue badge tourist guide in 2011, specialising in the graffiti and street art of East London. Prior to becoming a blue badge guide he was a tour manager  travelling extensively all over the world.

Back to our normal second Tuesday of the month!

Landscape photography is a way of life and an essential method of expression for Charlie Waite. In discussing his work Charlie refers to pre-visualisation first used by the great American landscape photographer Ansel Adams and refers to Adams and other artists and photographers who have shaped his work.

Charlie Waite is firmly established as one of the world’s leading landscape photographers. His style is unique in that his photographs convey a spiritual quality of serenity and calm. He has established a worldwide reputation for his particular approach. Over the last 35 years he has lectured and exhibited his work all over the world.

This lecture is on the first Tuesday of the month (this month only!)

Joseph Wright (1734-1797) arrived in Bath from his native Derby in November 1775. Wright was best known for his ‘candle-lights’, nocturnal views of scientific experiments and traditional industries. In Bath, however, he re-invented himself as a landscape painter drawing on recollections of ‘wonderful sights’ in Italy, which he had recently toured.

Amina Wright has three decades of experience as a curator of historic art collections and exhibitions.. She has also worked for English Heritage and the National Trust and has an MA in Christianity & the Arts from King’s College London. 

Glass is a marvellous material. Everything about it makes it an incomparable plastic medium in the hands of an ingenious artist, offering his imagination and talent almost limitless scope for discovery. [René Lalique] Glass: tough, fragile and unpredictable; colourful or colourless; capable of flowing like metal or being carved like stone. To be shaped it must be heated and reheated to extreme temperatures and as it cools it may shatter explosively without stringent precautions. No two pieces will ever be identical, and what you think you placed in the kiln will rarely if ever come out exactly as you expected and planned.

Justine Hopkins studied History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. We are delighted to welcome her back to Honiton. She came in November 2017 and talked about sculpture.

Murder, poison, corruption and incest: all perfect ingredients for sensational popular culture. But in an age known for its brutality and church corruption were the Borgias really so bad? This lecture reveals the real family that dominated the Papacy and Italian politics during the last decade of the 15th century.

Novelist, broadcaster and critic. Sarah Dunant read history at Cambridge, then worked for many years as a cultural journalist in radio and television. . Her last five novels have been set within the Italian Renaissance. She is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s A POINT OF VIEW

His childhood in Falmouth has been described as "a very happy and healthy one" and the long summer days spent on the beach and swimming in the sea had a lasting effect on Tuke.  In 1883, Tuke returned to Britain having been working abroad and moved to Newlyn.Tuke's style was more impressionistic than that of the other Newlyn painters and he only stayed a short time. However, he remained close friends with many of the artists until his death.

Catherine Wallace has a degree in Fine Art from Canterbury College of Art, and a Masters in Museums and Gallery Studies (Art History) from St Andrews. Curator of Falmouth Art Gallery 1993-2000. Organised exhibitions including Women Artists in Cornwall 1880-1940, and on Thomas Cooper Gotch and Henry Scott Tuke. We are delighted to welcome her back to Honiton - she has previously talked us about the artists who worked in Lamorna.

The reputation of Velásquez has long eclipsed the others who painted for the Hapsburg Court. Velásquez had the benefit of Rubens, Titian, Poussin to study in the royal collection and he was also allowed artistic freedom in his own compositions to find a modern idiom in his work. Goya had similar experiences in the Bourbon Court; both men accepted the traditions of the courts but also explored the ‘everyday’ and allowed ordinary experiences to filter into their subject choice.

Alice has lectured for Oxford University Department of Continuing Education since 1998. 

This lecture explores Kandinsky’s journey from figurative landscape painter to modernist master, as one of the first artists to develop a radically abstract language. It examines how, from his early landscapes inspired by the Bavarian countryside and folk imagery from Russian fairy tales and legends, Kandinsky’s style evolved after he moved to Germany and co-founded Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider) group. The lecture looks at how Kandinsky came to see painting as an alternative pathway to spiritual reality, increasingly stripping away descriptive detail by reducing recognisable elements.

Rosalind Whyte is an experienced guide at Tate Britain, Tate Modern, the Royal Academy and Greenwich. Lectures at Tate.

This lecture explains why Stonehenge must be regarded as architectural in its layout and construction. It then explore how, over the last two centuries, this iconic structure has inspired painters, potters and poets. Blake, Turner, Constable and Moore are amongst those who have all been drawn to this magnificent ruin, resulting in a diverse catalogue of images and impressions.

Julian Richards studied archaeology at Reading University and have since worked as a professional archaeologist, in commercial archaeology, for English Heritage.

In this lecture, we are going to look at famous art thefts, discuss what motivates art thieves as well as examine what aspects the thefts have in common. We will also look at where the burglars made mistakes, which enabled investigators to swoop in and recover stolen masterpieces.

Shauna Isaac has been active in World War II art restitution for several years and has worked with families and government organisations to recover Nazi looted art.

A look at some of opera's greatest rivalries, spats and tiffs, ranging from the throw-away remark to full in-public fighting. They certainly make for a spicy history. 

We are delighted to welcome Tim back to Honiton. He appeared on Zoom with his talk 'How do they make that noise?', we look forward to hearing him in person. He is an opera singer who is based in the west country.

From Holbein to the arrival of photography, the English have always kept a special place in their affections for the miniature. these portraits providea ‘keyhole’ into the lives of Tudors, Stuarts, Georgians and Victorians. The aim of this lecture is to provide a tour through three centuries of wonderful portraiture and the changing ages they represent: a tapestry of English history seen through the eyes of its miniaturists.

We are delighted to welcome Mark back to Honiton, he last talked to us about the amazing angel hammer beam roofs in East Anglian churches.

This lecture looks at the life and work of this country's greatest animal painter, putting Stubbs in the context of British sporting artists of the eighteenth century more generally. It focuses on his depiction of equestrian subject such as The National Gallery's Whistlejacket but also looks at the broader themes he addressed.

Christopher Garibaldi

We are delighted to welcome Chris back to Honiton after his extremely popular talk about Munnings in June 2022. Now an independant researcher, his former posts include Director of Palace House, Newmarket and Senior curator and Assistant keeper of art at Norwich Castle Museum.

Bonaparte:

Illustrated with many wonderful works of art, this lecture tells the extraordinary story of the rise of the son of a lawyer in Ajaccio, Corsica, to become Emperor of the French before finally being defeated and sent into exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. It also attempts to explain the nature of his genius as an administrator and a military commander, assessing his achievements and his failures, his strengths and his weaknesses. Among the topics covered will be his marriage to Josephine de Beauharnais, his relationship with the Duke of Wellington, and his place within history. It is in some ways a very human story, but one which focuses on one of the most remarkable men who has ever lived.

Stephen Duffy:

Educated at New College, Oxford, and formerly Senior Curator of the Wallace Collection where he had particular responsibility for exhibitions and nineteenth-century paintings. He has given countless tours of the Collection for visiting groups and many lectures on its art and other related subjects. His latest publication, The Discovery of Paris, is a book on early nineteenth-century watercolour views of Paris by major British artists.

Jewellery in Art

Paintings are a wonderful source for the jewellery historian. This talk explores what jewellery was worn and how it interacted with dress, as well as what jewellery was worn by particular people and how this changed over time. Paintings can show us lost jewels which have been destroyed or stolen. 

But should we trust paintings? In this lecture, we will look at whether jewels in paintings reflected real life use or were artistic inventions. We will also look at some iconic surviving jewels, like the pendant given by Elizabeth I to Sir Francis Drake. 

Jewels in paintings can send a message, whether it is the gold chain worn by Renaissance artists or the diamond ring on the little finger of an eighteenth century gentleman. Looking at jewels in paintings enriches our understanding, not only of jewellery but also of art. 

Rachel Church

Rachel Church studied history at the University of Cambridge, followed by an MA in Museum Studies from Leicester. She was a curator at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 1998 to 2021 and worked on major museum projects such as the refurbishment of the Silver Galleries, the British Galleries and Sacred Silver and Stained Glass Galleries. She was part of the core team which redisplayed the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery. She has researched and written widely about jewellery, including Rings (V&A / Thames and Hudson, 2011 and 2017) and Brooches and Badges (V&A / Thames and Hudson, 2019). Her website www.thelifeofjewels.com explores stories behind jewellery and its history.

Unfortunately Stella Lyons is unable to be with us to give her lecture on Andrew Wyeth and Magic Realism. We are very grateful to Geri Parlby for stepping in to talk about a topic which is very topical.

Fake News has been around since the time of the Egyptian pharaohs and art has always been one of its favourite media. In this talk I will be uncovering the subtle art of spin and propaganda in art from the glories of Ancient Mesopotamia to the Norman Conquest and then onto Elizabethan England and the dark days of Nazi Germany. Every picture tells a story—whether it is true or not is an entirely different matter.

The Impressionist Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries produced some of the finest snow paintings in the history of art. Although the 17th century Dutch masters had painted snow, it was not a common subject amongst landscape painters until its rediscovery by the Impressionists. Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley all painted snow, often standing for hours in the open air to capture the subtleties of light and colour produced by a recent snow fall. They were helped by a series of cold winters in Europe in 1879-1880 and 1890-1891, but they were by no means the only Impressionists who painted snow and ice. The Norwegian artist Frits Thaulow, a close friend of the French Impressionists, was a master of depicting snow, while it can be argued that the most impressive snow paintings were actually done by the American Impressionists. Vast in scale and concept, the snow scenes of artists such as Willard Metcalf, Childe Hassam and John Twachtman are a revelation to British audiences who often know little about the achievements of the American Impressionists. They capture the silence, beauty and grandeur of an American winter.

This is a lecture rich in wonderful images which combines paintings by both well known and lesser known artists.

Julian Halsby

Studied History of Art at Cambridge. Formerly Senior Lecturer and Head of Department at Croydon College of Art. Publications include Venice - the Artist's Vision (1990, 1995), The Art of Diana Armfield RA (1995), Dictionary of Scottish Painters (1990, 1998, 2001, 4th edition 2010), A Hand to Obey the Demon's Eye (2000), Scottish Watercolours 1740-1940 (1986, 1991), A Private View - David Wolfers and the New Grafton Gallery (2002). Interviews artists for the Artist Magazine and is a member of the International Association of Art Critics and The Critics Circle. A practising artist, he was elected to the Royal Society of British Artists in 1994 and appointed Keeper in 2010.

It is now around 200 years since the purchase of the so-called 'Elgin Marbles' from Lord Elgin, by the British Parliament. This lecture, beautifully illustrated with specifically taken slides and video, will explore the aesthetics, the back-story, and the heated debates surrounding these fascinating and controversial works of ancient Greek art: what do we mean by 'the Elgin Marbles'? How and why were they originally created? Why are they so highly regarded? What happened to them between their creation and Elgin's time? How did he acquire them? Why are they now in the British Museum? And why are there such passionately held views both for and against their repatriation to Greece?

Dr Stephen Kershaw

As a Classics Tutor for Oxford University Department for Continuing Education, Professor of History of Art for the European Studies Program of Rhodes College and The University of the South, he has spent much of the last 30 years travelling extensively in the world of the Greeks and Romans both physically and intellectually. He has published A Brief Guide to the Greek Myths (Robinson, 2007) and A Brief Guide to Classical Civilization (Robinson, 2010) and is currently working on A Brief Guide to the Roman Empire.

Jonathan Weeks was born into a farming family in Buckinghamshire and educated at Merchant Taylors’ School. While studying archaeology at Reading University he developed an interest in Medieval Musical instruments, particularly in the crumhorn and shawm. Thus began his collection which now amounts to nearly 50 examples. After 15 years working on the farm he moved to Somerset and began lecturing in earnest principally on the instruments but also on late Medieval paintings.  In 2018 life changed immeasurably when his house was destroyed by fire. Miraculously most of the instruments survived, but not much else.

A Blast from the Past:

This talk/demonstration features his collection of 18 woodwind instruments of the Middle Ages. These are reedpipes, shawm, bagpipe, double bagpipe, bladderpipe, hornpipe, crumhorn, cornemuse, kortholt, bone whistles, flute, double pipe, gemshorn, pipe and tabor, early recorders, portative organ and small hurdy-gurdy.

He talks about each instrument and its evolution and its place in Medieval life in a lively and amusing manner He will proceed to play an appropriate tune on each one. As it is nearly Christmas expect some festive tunes!

 It is an unusual talk that has something for everyone, and the eyes and the ears of everyone. He says he doesn't use notes at all (only musical ones!)

We are pleased to welcome Ian back to Honiton. 

A Londoner with a passion for art and architecture, Ian is an official guide at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Guildhall Art Gallery and St Paul’s Cathedral, and gives tours around each venue. He is also a qualified and active freelance London guide and leads regular tours for various corporations and organisations. Since 2012 he has led a popular weekly independent art lecture group in his home town of Richmond in West London. He is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Art Scholars, one of the City livery companies.

Pots and Frocks

Grayson Perry is now a core part of the art establishment, a Turner Prize winner, Royal Academician, popular broadcaster and colourful character. He’s possibly one of the world’s best-known contemporary artists. His works of ceramics, textiles, tapestries and prints are highly sought after. Often controversial, he tackles difficult subjects in a poignant yet witty way and holds a mirror up to society. This talk will examine Grayson Perry’s work, his exciting and thought-provoking exhibitions, and the unique character inside the flamboyant frocks of his alter-ego Claire.

For a poor girl from Derbyshire, Laura Johnson didn’t do too badly. She was made a Dame in 1929 for her services to art and in 1936 became one of the first woman to be elected as a full Royal Academician. She was also a member of the Royal Watercolour Society, the Royal Society of Painter- Etcher and President of the Society of Women Artists. She had numerous articles written about her in her own life- time.

In this talk Catherine traces her style of painting and the wide range of subjects she tackled throughout her career. From her early years as a student at Nottingham School of Art where she met her husband Harold followed by the work she did at Staithes in Yorkshire. There is then a particular emphasis on her time in Cornwall between 1907-1919 as the light, landscape and artists she encountered there had a powerful effect on her art and personality. Catherine also looks at Laura's relationship with her husband Harold Knight and how his work and personality contrasted but also complimented hers.

Laura’s obsession with capturing performers both at the ballet and the circus in the 1920s and 30s is analysed along with her portraits of gypsies.

Her important years as an official war artist in the Second World War complete this overview.

We are pleased to welcome Catherine back to Honiton. She holds a degree in Fine Art from Canterbury College of Art, and a Masters in Museums and Gallery Studies (Art History) from St Andrews. Curator of Falmouth Art Gallery 1993-2000. S

She Organised exhibitions including Women Artists in Cornwall 1880-1940, and on Thomas Cooper Gotch and Henry Scott Tuke, and lectured to the Friends of Penlee House Gallery, Friends of Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and the Royal Institution of Cornwall. Publications: Under the Open Sky:The Paintings of the Newlyn and Lamorna Artists 1880 - 1940. 

Having worked in the antiques business since 1985 Matthew has seen markets come and go, rise and fall and sometimes disappear altogether. Different times generate different markets and today ‘no one wants brown furniture’ is a mantra that is regularly repeated as an unquestionable fact of life. This talk will examine the changes in the market in recent times and explain why ‘no one wants to buy your wardrobe’.

Matthew worked as an auctioneer and valuer with a number of firms and is currently a senior valuer and head of department at Lawrences in Crewkerne, one of the country's leading provincial auctioneers. He completed a PhD in the Arts and Crafts Movement and has written on design history for a number of publications and worked as a senior lecturer in Higher Education.

The Silk Road was a series of trade routes that linked the Far East with the West. The routes began to develop in the 1st century BC and were actively used by merchants for more than a millennium. This lecture explains the history, illustrated with examples of the art and architecture created along its routes.

PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. Author of numerous articles and several books including A Timeline of Art History (2013). Has led a number of cultural tours on the continent and has lectured extensively in design history.

Until the 1970s an art history student could well believe there were no women artists in the entire history of Western Art. None appeared in the key texts. Is this because there were none?

Subsequently brave Feminist Art Historians have attempted to rewrite the ‘canon’. Were there any great women artists?  Were they correctly attributed?

This lecture will discover Old Mistresses and look at contemporary women artists from Artemesia Gentileschi to Tracey Emin.

Now working as a freelance lecturer in the History of Art, Lynne originally trained as a fine artist and has taught painting, drawing and printmaking in higher and adult education. She lectured as an art historian for the universities of Sussex and Bristol where she introduced 'Understanding Art' to the Lifelong Learning programme and residential summer schools.

From the early sixties, when he left the Royal College of Art more famous than his teachers, Hockney's paintings have shown a charm and humour that sets them apart from others of his generation. A naturally gifted draftsman, his love of ingenious visual devices has led him to experiment with a whole range of  different techniques. From the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photo-montages of the mid-eighties, this lecture follows the career of an artist whose wit and imagination has never faltered.

Douglas read Fine Art at Magdalene College Cambridge and has been a lecturer on paintings since 1980.   He is presently a regular lecturer at The Study Center, Christie's course 'The History of Art Studies' and other London courses.

This month our meeting will be on the FIRST tuesday of the month.

Caravaggio – A man of proverbial rebelliousness, painting in a style which he knew would drop a bomb on the art world he grew up in. He painted with startling immediacy, rejecting his peers’ obsession with highly artificial designs and stale quotations from earlier works of art. But he was also fortunate to be painting at a time when the Church wanted to harness the power of his art to enforce its message. This lecture considers the unlikely alliance of artist and patrons, considering why the establishment was prepared to accept him, outrageous lifestyle and all, and at the same time, examining why his art is so powerful for us today. 

Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe  

MA in History of Art from Edinburgh, PhD from the Warburg Institute, London University. With 40 years' experience as a lecturer, Chantal has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art on the MA in Fine and Decorative Arts since 1989, and as a freelance lecturer for a number of societies in London, Italy and America. Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the making and the physical painting to her lectures and study sessions.

The Wilton Diptych is one of the most beautiful, yet enigmatic, paintings ever made; it can be seen at The National Gallery in London. The hammer-beam angel roof of Westminster Hall has been described by the architectural historian John Harvey, as ‘the most outstanding individual work in the whole history of English art’.

Both appear in the last decade of Richard II’s turbulent reign and they represent the high watermark of a period rich in artistic achievement. This lecture will focus on these two works of art but will also include other examples of art and architecture from late medieval England.

Mark was born in the Scilly Isles, educated at Truro School and is a graduate of Birmingham University with a Master’s Degree in late Medieval History. He has spent over 20 years lecturing in Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor history in further and higher education.

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 Nativity Scenes or cribs started as display pieces for Italian churches in the 1300s. Often made out of terracotta, these early sets were displayed year round. Since then they have evolved into a wonderfully diverse variety of artistic scenes. In this lecture we will be looking at the art form of the crib from the carved masterpieces of the medieval era to the extraordinary semi-pagan variations of South America. Christmas will never be the same again! 

Geri is a former Fleet Street journalist and film PR. She has a first-class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology doctorate from Roehampton University in London. She has been lecturing for the past 14 years both in the UK and Internationally

When Kenneth Clark set up the War Artists scheme in 1939 he hoped to employ British artists and keep them safe. In this wide-ranging lecture we follow the fortunes of those chosen, from Eric Ravilious and Edward Ardizzone to Laura Knight and Paul Nash. We will see how the experience of war inspired different artists, examine some of the striking artworks created during the conflict, and commemorate the lives of those who did not come home.

Having studied history at Cambridge, James enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary art in New Mexico. Subsequently he started writing and lecturing about 20th century art. James also curates major exhibitions in museums around the country,

In 1897 Gustav Klimt broke away from the imperially endorsed art institutions in Vienna and founded the Secession movement and Gustav Mahler arrived to take charge of the Opera House in the city. Comparing these two totemic talents, this lecture places Klimt and Mahler in context, asking what fundamentally links and, indeed, divides them.

Gavin is a writer and broadcaster appearing on Radio3 and 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and concert programmes worldwide. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Christopher was previously Director of Palace House, Newmarket and Co-Director of the Attingham Summer School for the Study of Historic Houses and Collections.

Alfred Munnings, the son of a Suffolk miller, left school at the age of fourteen and a half when he was apprenticed as a commercial artist. Attending evening classes at the Norwich School of Art, Munnings would go on to become one of the most successful English artists of the first half of the twentieth century, ending his long career as President of the Royal Academy.

This lecture looks at his amazing and extensive artistic output from his early life as a commercial artist, through the extraordinarily evocative and powerful depictions of Canadian soldiers during the First World to his mature work as this country’s leading sporting and equestrian artist. It also touches on the controversy around his views on modern art and as such acts as an accessible examination of the tensions between figurative painting and non-representational art during the early twentieth century.

Charles has lectured extensively on design, illustration and photographic styles as they have influenced the building of brands focusing on the role of posters and poster artists in the history of advertising. He has himself created posters for major brands including British Airways, Nestlé, Sony, General Motors and Shell.

This lecture considers the technical innovation combined with creative genius and remarkable craftsmanship that enabled the Poster to become the world’s first effective method of mass communication. From ‘Les Chats’ by Edouard Manet to ‘Saxoleine’ by Jules Cheret and ‘Moulin Rouge’ and ‘Divan Japonais’ by Toulouse-Lautrec, you’ll see inspirational work by generations of superb artists who made the poster great: magnificent Mucha, socially-conscious Steinlen, and many more. Learn how an effective poster is designed and how it plays on the mind; and why most posters today go unnoticed. 

Catherine has a degree in Fine Art from Canterbury College of Art, and a Masters in Museums and Gallery Studies (Art History) from St Andrews. Curator of Falmouth Art Gallery 1993-2000. Organised exhibitions including Women Artists in Cornwall 1880-1940, and on Thomas Cooper Gotch and Henry Scott Tuke. Has lectured to the Friends of Penlee House Gallery, Friends of Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery and the Royal Institution of Cornwall.

This lecture gives an overview of art in Cornwall from the late 19th century to the start of the Second World War that was created in and around the remote villages of Newlyn and Lamorna in West Cornwall and the port of Falmouth.

It begins with the Social Realism of artists such as Walter Langley and Frank Bramley who captured the harshness of life for families in the fishing community of Newlyn.

This lecture then looks at the fame that artists such as Stanhope Forbes achieved both at home and abroad in the 1880s and 90s with his depictions of village life and his fascination with capturing low light levels. It also surveys the maritime art of Henry Scott Tuke and Charles Napier Hemy who were based in Falmouth, 28 miles east of Newlyn.

Some of the artists created magical fantasies rather than images of stark realism and the colourful Pre-Raphaelite inspired creations of Elizabeth Adela Forbes, Henry Meynell Rheam and Thomas Cooper Gotch are included here.

The influence of the Forbes School of painting, which was established in 1899 at Newlyn by Stanhope and his wife Elizabeth, is shown in the work of some of their students such as Dod and Ernest Procter.

In the early 1900s the Lamorna Valley, 4 miles south of Newlyn attracted many artists who were predominantly landscape painters and a second colony was established there under the guidance of Samuel J. Lamorna Birch. Artists who visited the valley included Laura and Harold Knight and A.J.Munnings and the works they did whilst living there are also shown.

David has over 25 years experience of working and living in Asia. Whilst living in Hong Kong he assembled a collection of approximately 700, predominately Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Imperial and related textiles/costume accessories. Past Committee Member of the Hong Kong Textile Society and frequent speaker on Imperial Insignia and Badges of Rank.

This lecture focuses on the costume and dress accessories that would have been worn for formal occasions (Regulated Court Costume), or informally, at the Imperial Court or in Provincial Government during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Initial consideration will be given to formal, mandated, Court Costume and Insignia of Rank worn by the Imperial Family plus the Civil and Military Officials. The focus will then move to a review of the full scope of the Emperor’s Wardrobe from State Robes, and regalia, through to informal wear Consideration will also be given to robes, and dress accessories, worn on a day to day basis or for special occasions by other members of the Court either in their official capacity or in their private lives. Particular focus will be given to the highly decorative clothing of high ranking Chinese Ladies and will consider the design of items such as informal robes, outerwear, headwear and ornamental accessories. 

Jeremy is a prolific lecturer and writer, the author of over 100 books. Many concern aspects of eighteenth century British, European and American political, diplomatic and military history but he has also published on the history of the press, cartography, warfare, culture and on the nature and uses of history itself. He is Emeritus Professor of History at The University of Exeter. He lectures around the world to popular and academic audiences.

This illustrated talk considers the artistic and cultural interests of George III, and George himself as a major subject for painters.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE GIVEN BY ZOOM - Members will receive a link by email

Gillian studied for a BA (Hons) Latin and Ancient History at Exeter University and then branched out into archaeology. Ex-BBC, lecturer for British Museum and York University, an award winning writer and author who specialises in relating the ancient world to our modern lives

Ancient Greek art blossomed and then the Romans took that art – the sculpture, frescoes, vase painting, architecture and so much more – and made it their own. New media, new styles and new expressions burst forth, and this vibrant cocktail created the basis for Western Art for millennia. Just what did those Greek and Roman artists achieve that was so world-changing? It wasn’t just the media they expressed themselves in and the unforgettable works they created which have been echoed over the millennia, it was a mind-set that established how we would look at art for centuries to come.

This talk explores how and why we owe so much to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and we identify the tell-tale marks of our debt to classical art around us today. 

Locally based bass, 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 has a wide and varied concert repertoire, ranging from Baroque oratorios to modern day premiers. In 2001 he made his debut  at the Edinburgh Festival and his recital debut at the Wigmore Hall.

We look forward to hearing the answer to the question in the title and, of course, to hearing Tim sing!

Paula was formerly a lecturer at the Courtauld Institute and the British Institute of Florence.She is a specialist in Renaissance art, both Italian and northern European, on which she has published widely. 

The art of Pieter Bruegel the Elder (c. 1525/30-1569) is a byword for the depiction of genre subjects and landscapes. This lecture explores his work and its meanings, from his beginnings in the style of Hieronymus Bosch, to the development of a highly original art that offered an alternative to the Italianate art then in vogue. Working for an elite circle of connoisseurs, at the end of his short life he produced some of his greatest masterpieces, including the Peasant Dance and Peasant Wedding, and the lyrical Months of the Year, which rank amongst the greatest achievements of Netherlandish painting.

We are pleased to welcome Lydia back to Honiton, she talked about the art of Georgia O’Keefe when she was with us before. She has an MA in the History of Art from Courtauld Institute, London, (19th-20th century art - Distinction for thesis on Matisse's Illustrations to Poetry) and is a painter in her own right. 

The magnificent Royal Academy exhibition of 2016 opened the public' eyes to the extent to which artists loved to cultivate their own gardens and how they were in turn inspired by them to create experimental work. We will trace the parallel developments in the history of gardening and the history of modern art from the Impressionism of Monet, Renoir, Pissarro and Morissot in the late 19th century, to the near abstractions of Matisse and Kandinsky in the 20th.

How do dealers, auctioneers and museum staff determine whether a piece is by one painter or another? What role does the signature play, and what are the key clues to look for when deciding who painted the picture? Chantal has 40 years’ experience as a lecturer, she has taught at Sotheby's Institute of Art since 1989, and as a international freelance lecturer. Having also trained as a paintings conservator, she brings an understanding of the actual physical painting to her lectures.

Todd will guide through 25 ornamental Devon landscapes recaptured through paintings, drawings and sketches'. Although he was born in America Todd has spent much of his life in Devon. His first visit was on a school trip in 1973. He studied for his PhD at Exeter University where he still works. In 2014 he was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to Devon's history.

To mark the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven, born in December 1770, Sandy guides us through the life and work of this brilliant, cantankerous visionary and astonishingly original composer with visual illustrations including a selection of contemporary portraits and musical examples of his work. Sandy is one of the UK’s most versatile music commentators with a career that combines broadcasting, performing and lecturing. He spent a decade as one of the core team of presenters on BBC Radio 3.

Roger is a landscape architect and an experienced writer, photographer and lecturer with a particular interest in the unique history, architecture and traditions of our canal network. Roger provides a picture of our 2000-mile inland waterway network. Features range from sweeping aqueducts to tiny bollards, from colourful historic narrowboats to 'Roses and Castles' artwork and grand World Heritage Sites to quirky listed buildings. He is a landscape architect and an experienced writer, photographer and lecturer with a particular interest in the unique history, architecture and traditions of our canal network.

Western Art from ‘Down Under’ is often overlooked and neglected. We will be lead to an understanding and appreciation the modern art of Australia and its place in the history of Western Art.

Paul is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. He is also a visiting tutor at Marlborough College and a tutor at MCSS.

In the second half of the nineteenth-century an extraordinary group of purpose-built studio-houses were built in London’s Holland Park. Frederic Leighton‘s house with its vast studio and exotic Arab Hall provided an inspiration to other artists who commissioned houses of their own. These houses provide fascinating insights into the wealth, status and taste of successful artists of the period. Daniel is Senior Curator of Museums with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and is responsible for two of London’s most significant house museums: Leighton House Museum and 18 Stafford Terrace.

2019 was the centenary year of the death of Auguste Renoir In this lecture Jacqueline will consider his early training and influences as a boy copying painters in The Louvre. She will examine his extraordinary use of vibrant colour and loose brushstrokes as well as his sometimes-flamboyant lifestyle and warm sensual approach to painting a variety of different subjects. Attention will be paid to his loves, muses and to his children; one of whom will go on to be a famous French film maker. We will hear about his exotic travels to Algeria, Spain and Italy and end with a consideration of his paintings in later life despite progressive deformities in his hands.

Jacqueline appeared in the Arts Society Connected lectures at home series earlier in the year and says that the Renoir lecture is full of colourful images to match his colourful life.

Tate Britain’s exhibition at the end of 2004 compared and contrasted the works of these two famous siblings. Augustus said after Gwen’s death in 1939 that in 50 years he would be remembered as her brother, rather than as a great artist in his own right.

Frank is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, lecturer for the Art Fund, the National Trust and other organizations. 

Meeting will be held using Zoom.

This is a journey through the 60s in music and images, following the Beatles from the Hamburg in 1960 to Abbey Road in 1969. Their rise to global fame was aided and recorded by an impressive roster of photographers. The innovative covers for releases turned album design into an art form in its own right. An associate lecturer with the Open University, Barry’s interests and his teaching extend from medieval architecture to contemporary British Art.

Meeting will be held using Zoom.

CANCELLED due to the Coronavirus pandemic. How do dealers, auctioneers and museum staff determine whether a piece is by one painter or another? What role does the signature play, and what are the key clues to look for when deciding who painted the picture?

Artists before the 18th century usually worked with a number of assistants around them, who were trained to reproduce the style of the master as closely as possible. How can we study these workshop productions, distinguishing between master and pupil, master and copyists? In this lecture, we consider clues, weigh up their relative usefulness, and learn some of the tricks of the connoisseur. The lecture ends with a chance to try out your skills, identifying artists in“spot the artist”.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

CANCELLED due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Tate Britain’s exhibition at the end of 2004 compared and contrasted the works of these two famous siblings. Augustus said after Gwen’s death in 1939 that in 50 years he would be remembered as her brother, rather than as a great artist in his own right. That exhibition and this lecture enable viewers to make up their own minds.

Frank is a lecturer and guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, lecturer for the Art Fund, the National Trust, and other organisations. 

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

This lecture scheduled for the FIRST Tuesday of April has had to be CANCELLED due to the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Western Art from ‘Down Under’ is often overlooked and neglected. Painters like Sidney Nolan and Arthur Boyd from the ‘Heide School’ working in a naïve and expressive style, John Brack’s figurative paintings give a social critic of Australian post-war culture, John Olsen’s celebratory abstract expressions of the landscape, Brett Whiteley’s personal vision of his life in Sydney, Fred Williams' landscapes and Jeffery Smart’s surreal depictions of urban life are all essential in our understanding and appreciating the modern art of Australia.

Paul is an Art Historian and a National Gallery trained guide with many years of experience working in education. He is also a visiting tutor at Marlborough College and a tutor at MCSS.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

We will hear about the many projects around the country attempting to harness people’s potential, often in a place where they are able to concentrate for the first time. Fine Cell Work teaches inmates to sew, most of whom are men, as women only make up about 8% of the prison estate.

Magdalen studied history of art at UEA and worked at Agnew's for over ten years; since then has been organising exhibitions and writing articles, concentrating on C19th/20th women artists. She also works with charities that help ex-offenders through art and education. She has lectured for the Art Fund, National Portrait Gallery, Pre-Raphaelite Society amongst others

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

Big Ben is one of the most iconic buildings in the world – it identifies the UK and democracy in the Western world. You will be taken on a virtual tour of the interior. Tim will explain the historical background and then take you behind those magnificent clock faces to show and explain the workings of the enormous clock mechanism; before finally taking you into the belfry and presenting before you – Big Ben, the most famous bell in the world!  

Tim spent his earlier career as a detective in the Metropolitan Police. On retirement he became a City of London tour guide. He used the knowledge gained to become a guide within the Palace of Westminster. His many guests have included Michelle Obama and Bill Gates.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

Sicily has long been a crossroads between East and West. Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards have all ruled over the island and contributed to its rich cultural heritage. From remarkable Greek temples, the villa at Piazza Armerina with some of the most magnificent mosaics of the late Roman world to the court of the Norman kings of Sicily which was one of the most brilliant in Europe: the mosaics of the Palatine chapel in Palermo and the cathedral at Monreale are jewels of 12th century art. 

Sue works as a tour guide and lecturer in India and the Middle East. She was formerly lecturer in Assyriology and Ancient History at the Universities of London and Cambridge and has worked as an archaeologist.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

The London Christmas season was invented at Covent Garden. Most of what we now consider to be quintessential Pantomime can be traced to Covent Garden during its first 200 years. Panto has moved on to the Palladium but you can see its origins in the seasonal operas and ballets the Royal Opera House puts on every year. This lecture will include current ROH Christmas offerings.

Sarah Lenton has worked principally at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne and English National Opera. She writes programme articles and websites, she gives lectures on the operas and ballets in the rep. and does live opera broadcasts and podcasts for BBC Radios 3 and 4.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

An illustrated talk exploring the relationship between the making of an image and the way in which it is perceived by the viewer. 

Charlie is one of the world's leading landscape photographers and he has lectured for 25 years throughout the UK, Europe and the US. He has held numerous one-man exhibitions in London, exhibited twice in Tokyo, and has been awarded prestigious Fellowships by the British Institute of Professional Photographers and the Royal Photographic Society. He was invited by the Royal Academy to exhibit in 2015's summer exhibition.

£7.50p for guests or visitors payable on the door

Hogarth brings pots, crocks and all manner of chinaware onto his stage as bitpart players in his social dramas. We delve into the stories, we reveal and even identify particular ceramics and show how Hogarth’s images themselves became sources for the ceramic workshops of Europe and China. You will look at Hogarth and ceramics with new eyes. 

Lars Tharp 

Lars is a Ceramics as well as a Hogarth specialist. Born in Copenhagen, he read Archaeology at Cambridge, was at Sothebys for sixteen years, and is today London's Foundling Museum's 'Hogarth Ambassador'.He is a regular lecturer and broadcaster. He has presented numerous programmes on TV and radio, and has contributed to ‘The Antiques Roadshow’ he writes on many subjects, is passionate about music and shares Archie (a black Labrador) with his wife and their two grown-up daughters.

This lecture is open to as many relatives, friends and neighbours as our members would like to invite.  There will be no charge for visitors, although any donations gratefully received.

A personal account by the landscape painter and art historian, Lydia Bauman, of her journey through New Mexico in search of the iconic motifs painted by American painter Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986).

Hear of the insights and discoveries made about the life and work practice of the legendary painter and see how the desert of New Mexico, Miss O'Keeffe's 'backyard' for over fifty years - inspired a very different artist working today in London.

Lydia Bauman

Born in Poland and studied for her BA in Fine Art at University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne and an MA in History of Art from Courtauld Institute. Has lectured to diverse adult audiences, notably in London's National Gallery and MFA Boston USA.

Click here to read article on The Arts Society website

The late 19th century marked a defining moment in Norwegian art as romantic painters began to turn to their own land for inspiration painting the stormy seas, towering glaciers and rugged landscapes of their home. Before this point, artists were encouraged to paint a tamed and constrained form of nature, far from the sublime and towering fjords of Norway. This talk looks at the artists who challenged this concept; Adelsteen Normann, whose work is widely credited with popularising tourism to the Norwegian fjords, Peder Balke, who captured the far north with drama and romance and the painter Nikolai Astrup, who interpreted the landscape as a mythical, eerie entity in his luscious and colourful paintings.

Stella Lyons 

Stella  Lyons gained her BA in the History of Art with a 1st class in her dissertation from the University of Bristol, and her MA in History of Art at the University of Warwick. Stella also works as an artist’s model for the internationally renowned figurative artist, Harry Holland.

NB This lecture is on the FIRST TUESDAY of April

Prague, reduced to a near ruin under the communists, has now been restored to its former glory, a unique blend of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture. The lecture looks at the rich fabric of Prague's past, its legends and its history, as well as the artists, composers, statesmen and rogues that have illuminated this fairy tale city.

Douglas Skeggs     

Cambridge Fine Arts. Writer, Artist, TV Presenter. Lecturer to many London art courses. Director of the New Academy of Arts. Author of 6 Novels.

This is the story of the epic rivalry between the two giants of British art, J.M.W. Turner and John Constable. As unlike in background and temperament as their paintings were in style, these two creative geniuses transformed the art of landscape. This lecture/study day sets them head-to-head and examines their differences, their similarities, their battles and their shared triumphs. But who will ultimately be crowned star painter? As well as giving an overview of Turner and Constable, the subject provides an enjoyable overview of the British art world during the nineteenth century. 

Nicola  Moorby

An independent art historian specialising in British art of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Formerly a curator at Tate Britain she has curated a number of exhibitions and has published widely on J.M.W. Turner

At the turn of the twentieth century, the British Empire held sway over approximately one quarter of the total population of the world. British imperial power was projected through a variety of artistic mediums, from fine portraiture and grand imperial buildings to more popular forms of imagery. British artists also produced countless images of people from all over the globe who had become subjects of British rule. Through considering a variety of paintings, buildings and objects from across the Empire, this lecture provides a fascinating insight into the ways in which the British viewed themselves and their subjects in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

John Stevens

Dr John Stevens is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London. He appears regularly in the Indian media, and was recently a guest on BBC Radio Four’s In Our Time, discussing the poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore. 

The history of this enduring and peculiarly British institution, from its origins in 16th century Italian commedia dell’arte through the influence of 19th century music hall, to the family shows that are still much loved today. On the way we examine the origins of some of the stories used in pantomime as well as such traditions as the (female) principal boy and the (male) pantomime dame. The talk is interspersed with personal anecdotes from the speaker’s years of working (and appearing) professionally in pantomime.

Ian Gledhill

Ian Gledhill has had a very varied career, from designing underground railways as an engineer for London Transport, to appearing in pantomime with Julian Clary.

Brought up as a house pet by a Director of the Dutch East India Company in India, from a young age, Clara was shipped to Holland in 1741 and spent nearly 20 years touring Europe as one of the wonders of the age.  She visited all the major Courts of Europe including to King Louis XV of France, dying in London in 1758. She was recorded in paintings, prints porcelain, bronze, clocks and even hair styles.  This talk explores the charming story of this magnificent beast, only the third or fourth rhino to be seen in Europe, through contemporary records and works of art.

Clive Stewart-Lockhart

Studied on the Sotheby's Works of Art course and has now been working in the fine art world for 40 years. He has been a specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow for over 20 years.

Emma Lady Hamilton (1765-1815) was an extraordinary woman who broke through barriers of class and privilege to win a unique place in European history. She would have emerged famous in her own right even without her epic love affair with Britain’s greatest naval hero, Admiral Lord Nelson, which has obscured her own brilliance and artistic achievements first captured by the great portrait painter George Romney. The lecture, illustrated with paintings, drawings and caricatures, captures the beauty that propelled her to celebrity status before her fortunes unravelled after the death of Nelson.  

Peter Warwick

An author, historian, high-profile event organiser and a recognised authority on Admiral Lord Nelson.

The first liner to establish a regular service by steam across the Atlantic .The Concorde of its era it carried the rich and famous,including stars of the London stage.

Helen Doe 

Her latest book, The First Atlantic Liner, features the stories of the passengers and crew on Brunel’s first ship which linked Bristol, Liverpool and New York. Fighter Pilot, is her biography of a Battle of Britain Pilot and it was warmly reviewed, and became a best seller. She was co editor and major contributer to the award winning The Maritime History of Cornwall and her PhD research led to the groundbreaking Enterprising Women in Shipping in Nineteenth Century.

She has appeared on many Radio 4 programmes and on TV. In August 2018 she appeared in the 'Who do you think you are?' programme about the Paralympic athelete Jonnie Peacock. A well known speaker, she is much in demand as a cruise ship guest lecturer and is an accredited lecturer for the Arts Society (previously known as NADFAS)

She is a Fellow of the University of Exeter, where she teaches part-time on a range of courses and supervises postgraduates. She is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) and a Trustee of the British Commission for Maritime History.

Before studying at Exeter, she worked as a marketing consultant for a range of companies inside and outside the UK. Before that, her main career was in sales and marketing with IBM UK.

https://www.helendoe.uk/about-helen/

Frank Thrower was one of the most prolific and successful glass designers of the late 20th century.  From the inception of Dartington Glass in 1967, he provided the creative and marketing drive that contributed to the company’s considerable success.  As sole designer for over 20 years, he produced over 700 innovative and popular designs.  This lecture looks at the history of the company, Frank’s life, and the major phases of, and the influences behind, his well-known designs.  

Mark Hill - In 1996, he joined Bonhams as a porter, and then became a Junior Cataloguer in their Collectors Department. He moved on to join Sotheby's in London as a Specialist in their Collectors Department.

He has contributed to DK Collectables Price Guide (by Judith Miller) and has been co-author of the annual Miller's Collectables Price Guide from 2009 to 2014. He has also contributed to a number of other titles in association with Miller including Buy, Keep or Sell? for the Reader's Digest, Decorative Arts and DK Collectors' Guide: 20thC Glass.[

In 2006, he founded his own publishing company, Mark Hill Publishing Ltd, specialising in producing books on new and developing areas in 20th century design.

He is the antiques columnist for the Daily Mail, and has lectured widely, including at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He is also a member of the vetting committees for a number of major international fairs, including the Olympia Fine Art & Antiques Fair and the British Antiques Dealers' Association's annual fair. He is also a co-founder of Antiques Young Guns, a website and internet-based association that promotes young people working in the Antiques Trade. In 2010, he fronted National Antiques Week, organised by Antiques Are Green. In 2014 he rediscovered the copper etching plates for a series of etchings by Pierre-Georges Jeanniot inspired by Francisco Goya and Jacques Callot and covering The Rape of Belgium, which he restored and published after they were banned in 1915 and subsequently lost.

As a nation we love horses, whether or not we know a hock from a fetlock.  This lecture looks at the enormously important role these beautiful and dignified animals have played in man’s life , work and art, from the time of the Lascaux paintings to the present.

VAL WOODGATE - Lecturer and Guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, also at many other London Galleries, for the National Trust and other organisations. Lecturer for Tate on P&O Cruises.Former member of the teaching team at the Dulwich Picture Gallery. Script-writer for the Living Paintings Trust, which brings art to the blind and partially-sighted.

Lecturer to NADFAS (the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies) throughout Britain, and to related organisations in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

From http://www.thewoodgates.co.uk

We will be taken on a journey beginning in Outer Mongolia in the 5th century BC, to the Caucasus, Persia and Afghanistan, learning about the nomadic tribes of these countries and their woven rugs, carpets and dowry bags.  These tribal weavings illustrate the skill of the women who produced exquisite works of art, using vegetable colours and age-old designs.  Brian will bring with him examples of these, now highly desirable and collectable, works of woven art.

Brian Macdonald - I have been dealing in antique and old tribal rugs, dowry weavings and decorative carpets from the Near East and Central Asia since 1979.

From 1972-1977 I lived and worked in Iran, spending the best part of a year amongst two tribal groups, the Afshar of Kerman province and the Qashqa’i of Fars, making me fortunate enough to be one of the few world dealers to have spent time ‘in the field’. I also travelled extensively throughout Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey and in 1990 I was elected a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society for my work amongst the Persian Tribes. I have returned to Iran several times in recent years, travelling, sourcing and collecting exclusive weavings.

I have been a lecturer for NADFAS (The Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies) - to be re-branded as The Arts Society this year - since 1986. The third edition of my book Tribal Rugs – Treasures of the Black Tent is currently being reprinted and will be available from early June 2017. Please e-mail me if you would like to be informed when I have them in my possession.

For 16 years I owned the well reputed Samarkand Galleries in Stow-on-the-Wold, eventually selling the premises in 2005. Today, I continue to work from my base in the English Cotswolds as a dealer, consultant and lecturer, always stocking an exquisite inventory of antique rugs, dowry bags and carpets from the tribes and villages of Persia, Turkey, Afghanistan and Central Asia. What is extremely important to me is quality rather than quantity.

I actively travel throughout the UK sourcing exceptional pieces for clients throughout the world. I am continually ‘finding’ quality antique stock and the items illustrated on this website are by no means my entire inventory.

Victorian designer William Morris was a man of many faces.  He is probably best known today as the creator of wallpaper, fabrics and stained glass windows, but he was also a poet, artist, philosopher, typographer and socialist.  Less well known are his links to the richest copper and arsenic mine in Europe and his toxic green wallpapers that are said to have poisoned thousands of people across England.

Dr Geri Parlby

Geri is a former Fleet Street journalist who couldn’t resist the lure of academia. She returned to studying fifteen years ago and now has a first class honours degree in History and Theology, a Masters in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute and a Theology PhD from Roehampton University.

Geri has taught for the University of Exeter for the past seven years and also lectures intermittently for the University of Plymouth and the University of Roehampton. She is a regular lecturer for the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts and heads up their South West Area History of Art Foundation course.

I’m a rather idiosyncratic art historian who studies history through art rather than the history of art.
I have a particular fascination for sacred art and deciphering what clues ‘holy images’ might be offering us as to the politics of religion.
You’ll find me rooting around in a variety of unusual places either in person or virtually. One week I’m in the catacombs of Rome, playing cherchez la femme with the oldest images of the Virgin Mary ever created, then in the cathedrals of Peru in pursuit of gun totting arch angels.
I’ve been known to flit from researching the 21st century narco-saints of Mexico to solving the runic riddles of an 8th century Anglo Saxon relic. Then on to the voluptuous goddess figures of Neolithic Catal Huyuk in Anatolia to the mysterious Black Madonna statues of western Europe.
Goddesses, saints, virgins and angels with a generous smattering of sinners in between – everything is grist to my mill.

This lecture charts the way in which ceramic production has evolved from 6000 years ago until the present day.   We will learn about the major changes that have shaped the way pots are produced and distributed, for example the effects of the Industrial Revolution on rural potteries, and we will look at the works of William de Morgan (1839-1917).  This is an extraordinary story, with some beautiful pots and about some inspiring potters.

Julian C. Richards FSA, MIFA - After three years Richards left the world of commercial archaeology and joined English Heritage to work on its Monuments Protection Programme (MPP). Returning to his roots in fieldwork, he inspected sites and prepared reports on the protection of important archaeological sites in Wiltshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

In the mid 1990s Julian was asked to contribute to a TV programme about the construction of Stonehenge. His ideas led eventually to the programme Meet the Ancestors.

Meet the Ancestors was commissioned in late 1996. In the spring of 1997 he took a year's leave from English Heritage to work on it. He resigned his day job to work full-time in broadcasting and writing when a second series was commissioned.

As of 2005 he has presented six series of Meet the Ancestors, a five-part series Blood of the Vikings in 2002, both for BBC 2. In addition, he has written books to accompany both series. For Radio 4 he has presented eleven series of Mapping the Town.

Richards is also responsible for creating two site-interactive games: Hunt the Ancestor (for which he won a British Archaeology award) and Viking Quest, for the BBC History website. He has also been a regular contributor to the BBC History website and magazine.

He also received a British Archaeological Award for the programme Chariot Queen. On his personal website he also notes receiving a Blue Peter badge.

In 2007 he published 'Stonehenge: The story so far' (English Heritage) (ISBN 978 1 905624 00 3). Other works include 'Stonehenge; a history in photographs' (English Heritage) (2004) and 'The amazing pop-up Stonehenge' (English Heritage) (2005).

Julian lives with his family in Shaftesbury, Dorset where he maintains his special interest in the prehistory of Wessex and particularly Stonehenge.

He is patron of the Friends of Cromford Canal.

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_Richards

‘Gods, Goddesses, Heaven and Hell.’ Kevin Karney.

Mankind has always sought to understand where we come from, where we go to, and who is in control of our destiny.  There have been gods and goddesses from time immemorial.  This lecture considers the extraordinary influence that Plato and Aristotle had on the shaping of all thought about the heavens until the late Renaissance, and then how the Church and Establishment moulded the ideas of the Greek philosophers and astronomers to build a heavenly cosmology.

Kevin Karney - After a long career in the global Oil & Gas Business, specialising in Production Technology & Information Technology, now acting as a Magistrate and a Lecturer on the History & Science of Sundials and cosmology.

Specialties: Artificial Lift, Gas Lift, Hydraulic Fracturing, Information Planning, IT Strategy Development, Integrated Audit Processes, Practical Corporate Risk Management, Well Engineering Experienced Hire Recruitment, Gnomonics, HIstory & Development of the Equation of Time

From https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-karney-60071a14/

Using illustrations from illuminated manuscripts, readings from literature and contemporary accounts, Sarah will bring alive the spirit of a Medieval Christmas, a time of joy and celebration for some, but hardship and suffering for others.  Playing her reproduction medieval harp, she will give us carols, music and readings for an atmospheric and musical seasonal celebration.

Sarah Deere Jones, harpist Sarah studied classical pedal harp at the Royal Academy of Music where she gained her LRAM and LGSM diplomas in harp performance and was awarded the Julia Leney prize, in 2015 she was elected an Associate to the Royal Academy. She performed in London for years with professional symphony, opera and ballet orchestras and gave solo classical recitals to Arts clubs and music societies for both in UK and America. Her compositions and virtuoso playing on lever harp have been broadcast in UK, Europe and America, and she has done guest interviews on Classic FM, BBC Radio Four and appeared many times on television. Her book about her time working as solo harpist aboard the QE2, 'Maiden Voyage' was featured on BBC Radio Four's only travel programe 'Excess Baggage' in 2011.

Sarah is now director of the Cornwall Harp Centre providing residential courses and on-line lessons to harp students from all over the world, and her sheet music arrangements and compositions are in great demand and have broken new ground in the world of the lever harp. From http://www.sarahdeere-jones.co.uk/harpist.htm

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR DETAILED NOTES PROVIDED BY DR HOPKINS AFTER THE LECTURE

 Modern sculpture is mysterious to many people.  The works of Epstein, Moore, Hepworth, Frink and their contemporaries stand at the heart of our time, yet too often we are intimidated where we should be enthralled.  This study of sculpture in the C20 shows form manipulated to explore emotion, materials dictating meanings.  This lecture will prove that we can all be explorers.

Justine Hopkins – ‘I grew up surrounded by writers and artists, so the fact that I've made my career as a freelancer juggling commitments to Art History (as lecturer, biographer and reviewer), and writing Historical Fantasy fiction has a certain feeling of inevitability about it. I love both sides of what I do, and I can honestly say I've never been bored by any of it, which has to be about as good as it gets’. Visiting lecturerV&A.

https://uk.linkedin.com/in/justine-hopkins-64138062

http://justinehopkins.wixsite.com/justine-hopkins

Notes about the lecture, by the speaker:

ADVENTURES IN 3 DIMENSIONS: 20TH CENTURY SCULPTURE IN BRITAIN

I became a sculptor to make things real.  

  (Henry Moore)                                   

                                                                                                                                     ARTISTS

Alfred Gilbert   1854-1934

Frederic Leighton   1830-96

Hamo Thorneycroft   1850-1925  

George Frederic Watts   1817-1904

Jacob Epstein   1880-1959

Frank Dobson   1888-1963

Alan Durst   1883-1970

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska   1891-1915

Eric Gill   1882-1986

Michael Ayrton   1921-75

Anthony Caro   1924-2013

Elisabeth Frink   1930-93

Barbara Hepworth   1903-75

Henry Moore   1898-1986

Eduardo Paolozzi   1924-2005

Tony Cragg b.1949

Antony Gormley   b.1950

Anish Kapoor   b.1954

David Nash b.1945

FURTHER READING

Susan Beattie   The New Sculpture 1983   Yale University Press

Andrew Causey   Sculpture since 1945 (Oxford History of Art) 1998

                                                                                    Oxford University Press

Penelope Curtis    Sculpture 1900-1945 (Oxford History of Art) 1999

Oxford University Press

Penelope Curtis & Keith Wilson   Modern British Sculpture 2011   Royal Academy

Herbert George   The Elements of Sculpture 2014   Phaidon

D.J. Getsey    Sculpture and the Pursuit of a Modern Ideal in Britain

                                                                                    Ashgate Publishing 2004

Alison Stace   Sculpture Parks and Trails of Great Britain and Ireland 2013  

A&C Black Visual Arts

William Tucker    The Language of Sculpture (new ed.)   Thames & Hudson 1992

There is also an excellent series published by Lund Humphries in association with the Henry Moore Foundation: British Sculptors and Sculpture, which includes monographs of many less familiar artists.

FURTHER EXPLORATIONS

The increasing number of Sculpture Parks in this country provide opportunities to see sculpture in what many of the makers regarded as its natural habitat – the landscape.  Among the best are:

• The Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden, St Ives, Cornwall 

• The Cass Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood.

• The Henry Moore Foundation, Perry Green, Hertfordshire

• The Ironbridge Open Air Museum of Steel Sculpture, Telford, Shropshire

• The New Art Centre Sculpture Park and Gallery, Roche Court, Wiltshire

• Sausmarez Manor Art Park, Guernsey

• The Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield (you might also take the opportunity to visit the Hepworth Wakefield - not a sculpture park, but with a wonderful collection of modern art and many of Hepworth’s maquettes and working models.)

And in addition – keep your eyes open wherever you go.  City, town and country – there’s more sculpture out there than you might think!

SLIDE LIST  

Slide 1:

Leslie Illingworth   ‘Inspiration’ (Modern British Sculpture) 1953   [Daily Mail]

Slide 2:

It takes courage to be a sculptor

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska   Hieratic Head of Ezra Pound 1914   (marble)  

                                                                        [National Gallery of Art, Washington DC]

Michael Ayrton  Watching Figure 1954   (bronze)   [Private Collection (pc)]

Henry Moore   Hill Arches 1972-3   (bronze)    [Henry Moore Foundation, Herts]

Slide 3:

How something feels

Hamo Thorneycroft   Oliver Cromwell 1895-99   (bronze)   [Houses of Parliament]

Elisabeth Frink   Walking Madonna 1981   (bronze)   [Salisbury Cathedral]

Slide 4:

Because I have something to say
Frederic Leighton   Athlete Wrestling with a Python 1877   (bronze)  

[Tate Britain (TG)]

George Frederic Watts   Physical Energy 1902   (bronze)   [Kensington Gardens]

Slide 5:

Stay what is fleeting

Alfred Gilbert   Shaftsbury Memorial (Eros) 1886-93   (bronze & aluminium)

George Frampton   Peter Pan 1912   (bronze)   [Kensington Gardens]

Slide 6:

Stone in its inmost being

Hamo Thorneycroft   Joy of Life 1895   (bronze)   [pc]       

Eric Gill   Joie de Vivre (A Roland for an Oliver) 1910   (Hoptonwood stone)  

[University of Hull]

Slide 7:

Synonymous with art atrocity

Jacob Epstein   Infancy 1908   (plaster model for stone)  

[Original carvings on Zimbabwe House, The Strand]

Figure in Flenite 1913   (Serpentine stone)   [TG]

Portrait of Einstein 1933   (bronze)   [V&A]

Slide 8:

Sculptural energy ... Sculptural feeling

Henri Gaudier-Brzeska   Red Stone Dancer 1913-14   (Red Mansfield stone)   [TG]  

            Sleeping Fawn 1913   (painted plaster from original marble)   [TG]

            Bird Swallowing Fish 1914   (painted plaster)   [Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge]

Slide 9:

Each piece is a sort of vessel  

Jacob Epstein   Rock Drill (Torso) 1913-16   (bronze)   [TG]

Frank Dobson   Manchild 1921  (marble)   [TG]

Slide 10:

Art should have a certain mystery

Henry Moore   Large Upright Internal/External Form 1981-2 (bronze)

                                                                                                [Henry Moore Foundation]

A Suckling Child   1930   (alabaster)   [Pallant House, Chichester]                         

Stringed Figure 1958-60   (bronze & strings)   [TG]

Slide 11:

An expression of the significance of life

Henry Moore   King and Queen 1952-3   (bronze)   [Glenkiln Estate, Dumfries & TG]

Slide 12:

A deep, strong, fundamental struggle

Henry Moore   Recumbent Figure 1938   (Green Hornton stone)   [TG]

            Barbara Hepworth   Mother and child 1934  (Cumberland alabaster)   [TG]

Slide 13:

Forms conveying emotion

Barbara Hepworth   Two Segments and Sphere 1937   (marble)  

                                    [Private Collection]

Single Form (September) 1961   (walnut)   [TG]

Stringed Figure (Curlew II) 1956   (brass & strings) [TG]

Slide 14:

Art feeds the spirit

Anthony Caro   Early One Morning 1962   (painted steel & aluminium)  [TG]

Slide 15:

Something watching

Elisabeth Frink   Bird 1952   (bronze)   [TG]

            Riace I 1986-9    (bronze)   [Yorkshire Sculpture Park]

Goggle Head 1969   (bronze)   [TG]

Prisoner 1988   (bronze)   [Bristol City Museum]  

Slide 16:

An accumulation of ideas

Eduardo Paolozzi   Cyclops 1957   (bronze)   [TG]

Michael Ayrton   Arkville Minotaur 1968-9   (bronze)   [London Wall, Barbican]

Slide 17:

A kind of semi-organised flux

Antony Gormley   Quantum Cloud 2000   (steel)   [River Thames, Greenwich]    

Anish Kapoor & Cecil Balmond   Orbit 2012   [Olympic Park, Stratford]

Slide 18:

To push and move and grow

Tony Cragg   Here Today, Gone Tomorrow 2002   (stone)  

[Cass Sculpture Foundation, Goodwood]      

David Nash   Black Dome 1986   (charred oak)   [Forest of Dean, Glos.]

Andy Goldsworthy   Ice Spiral (Treesoul) 1988   (river ice, tree, leaves and snow)

                                                                        [created Dumfriesshire, Scotland; ephemeral]  

Slide 18:

An instrument for thinking      

Jacob Epstein   Jacob and the Angel 1940-41   (alabaster)   [TG]

Antony Gormley   Angel of the North 1995-8   (steel & concrete)   [Gateshead]

Slide 19:

Sufficient explanation in itself

Barbara Hepworth   Conversation with Magic Stones 1973   (bronze)   [TG]

FINAL THOUGHTS:

My sculpture is sufficient explanation in itself.    (Jacob Epstein)

            A sculpture might, and sculptures do, reside in emptiness, but nothing happens

until the living human encounters the image.   (Barbara Hepworth)

Art is an instrument for thinking.    (Antony Gormley)

TUESDAY 10 OCTOBER 2017
‘The Cult of Gloriana: Art, Music and Politics at the Court of the Virgin Queen’- Mark Cottle.  Elizabeth I’s reign was one of the great creative periods of English history – literature, music, art, architecture and overseas exploration all reached unprecedented heights.  With passing reference to literature and architecture, this lecture will focus chiefly on the portraits, miniatures and music of Elizabeth I’s court. This lecture is open to as many relations, friends and neighbours as our members would like to invite. There will be no charge for visitors for this meeting.

Mark Cottle - Born in the Scilly Isles, educated at Truro School in Cornwall and a graduate of Birmingham University with a Master’s Degree in late Medieval History, Mark has spent over 20 years lecturing in Anglo-Saxon, Medieval and Tudor history in further and higher education.

He started ‘Exploring History’ in 2001, chiefly as a kind of personal crusade against the ever-increasing decline of medieval history in formal education. Exploring History is about bringing back a sense of the fascination with the richness, achievement and even mystery of a remarkable period in English history. From http://exploringhistory.co.uk/aboutus/index.asp

Anne Sebba is a well known journalist, TV presenter and novelist, known for her biographies of strong women who have carved out a life against the odds.  She previously delighted us with her lecture on Jennie Churchill.  In this new lecture, we will learn of the important and varying roles played by women during and after World War II, and of the life and death decisions which they had to make.  Yet, they still wore lipstick.  Why?

See Anna on Youtube discussing her book:

https://youtu.be/h9bC217NHgQ

Keir Davidson's talk follows the development of the tradition of Japanese gardens under the influence of the 'Pure Land' and 'Zen' schools of Buddhism and then examines how the Tea Houses and gardens grew from this tradition.

In the Iberian Peninsula the Christian and Islamic traditions met to intermingle and influence each other.  Hugh Ellwood will show us some marvellous examples of Art and Architecture which developed from the melting pot of these two cultures in places like Seville, Cordoba and Granada.

Jacqueline Hyman's lecture illustrates and describes many of the amazing artistic achievements during times of conflict, in particular the establishment of the Khaki Club by Louisa Pesel for shell-shocked soldiers.  She demonstrates how enthusiastic needlewomen responded to these tragic times to these tragic times, helping soldiers create exceptional pieces of art work which helped give them a purpose to live.

Doug Gillen, an exciting new young lecturer, has been heavily involved in documenting the street art scene in London and abroad through his project 5th Wall TV, and can offer us a genuine insight into this world.  When not filming he is an East End tour guide for Alternative London, specialising in culture and art.

Founded in 1018 Buckfast Abbey is now approaching its millenium year.  Nearly four centuries after its dissolution by Henry VIII in 1539, the Abbey was rebuilt by a small group of dedicated monks in a project lasting just over 30 years.  Using archive photographs from the 1880s to the late 1930s, Mark Cottle will tell the story of Abbott Vonier's great vision and how against the odds this was realised in stone.

'That Jocund World' is how Dickens himself described pantomime and theatre. He was the most dramatic of writers. His characters, setting and plots all demonstrate a sense of the theatrical, as does the story of his life.  In this lecture, Elizabeth Merry explores the world of the stage in Dicken's life and work.

The World of Maps extends from BC 3000 to Harry Beck's Underground Map of 1931. Hand-drawn sea charts have been superseded by maps which could be printed. In Yasha Beresiner’s lecture, we learn about the first cartographer to publish a regional atlas of a country; the production, in 1670, of the first road atlas; and the important rôle England played in the development of Maps of the World.

Have you ever wondered how bricks, an exploded shed or an unmade bed can be Art?  Why a dead cow and her calf were exhibited at the Tate?  Or how a urinal placed on a pedestal can be taken seriously as sculpture?  Val Woodgate may provide the answer in this lecture.

1.30pm the Society's Annual General Meeting followed by the lecture

Dr Geri Palby shows us that the moving image has been a powerful source for imagination from the first moment a magic lantern flickered into life in the 17th century.  In this lecture we will be looking at how the Motion Picture industry first developed through the late 19th and early 20th centuries, how it then went on to change the face of entertainment and inspire the imaginations of some of the greatest artists of the early 20th century.

Leslie Primo will look at the enduring western obsession with the so-called 'exotic' or 'noble' savage, starting with the discovery of the island of Tahiti in 1767 and charting the impact, through painted images, of the island and its people.  We will discover how the romanticised depictions of the island and its peoples by artists such as Paul Gauguin, bolstered these notions in the minds of Europeans.

This lecture explores four centuries of Shakespearean acting as we view, through the artist and photographer's eye, great actors from David Garrick to John Gielguid and from Sarah Siddons to Edith Evans.  Acting is the most ephemeral of the arts.  Today, we can view performances of the 20th and 21st centuries on film but the great British actors of the past are remembered visually through the brush of major painters such as Hogarth, Reynolds, and Zoffany.  In the 19th century it was the photographers who captured actors such as Kean, Irving and Ellen Terry, whilst painters like Sargent have left us with vibrant images of the Victorian theatre.

Biography

Frances Hughes has now spent 38 years in education, 20 as a head teacher, and is a freelance lecturer in art and theatre history.  She is Chairman of the Irving Society and of the Henry Irving Foundation.  Frances is the Tour Guide at the Garrick Club.

Reading List

Moelwin Merchant, Shakespeare and the Artist. OUP 1959

G Ashton, Shakespeare in Paintings and Prints. Studeo ed limited 1990

Brian Masters, Thunder in the Air. Oberon Books 2000

Julian Halsby will tell us how the Glasgow boys revolutionised painting in Scotland by bringing it into the mainstream of European art.  'The Boys' were young Scottish artists who looked to France for their inspiration and many of them studied in Paris.  They soon established a vigorous style of oil painting using large square brushes and thick paint in bold colours.  The work of the Glasgow Boys is surprisingly fresh and modern, and is still very popular today.

This lecture is based around the plans and images from Humphrey Repton's books on Landscape theory and practice.  We will learn how he intended to use his profession to bring an idealized, imaginary vision of England to life, in defiance of a changing world at home and abroad, the threat of revolution and invasion from France, the inexorable spread of industrialization and the rapid loss of traditional rural life.  We will look at his designs for gardens in the Tamar Valley in Devon and Cornwall.

Websites for further exploration:

The National Trust & Repton

Antony in Cornwall

Landscaping of the Tamar Valley, by Mavis Batey in Journal of the Cornwall Gardens Trust

There have been many successful women painters at work in Europe down the centuries, such as the Italian painters Sofonisba Anguissola and Rosalba Carriera and the Flemish painter Judith Leyster.  With Dr Smith we will look at the social constraints on them and why relatively few of them are known to us today.

Reading List

Margaret Barlow, Women Artists, Universe Publishing

Whitney Chadwick, Women, Art & Society, Thames & Hudson
Germaine Greer, The Obstacle Race: the fortunes of women painters and their work, Secker & Warburg

Jordi Vigue, Women Masters of Art

The lecture presents an intimate portrait of King Louis XIV, examining his patronage of the arts and special love for music and dance.  The atmosphere of the brilliant Court of Versailles is recreated through diaries, letters, paintings and music.

Biography

Jeanne Dolmetsch is the daughter of Carl Dolmetsch whose name adorned those little wooden instruments many of us played.

Reading List

Nancy Mitford: The Sun King, Michael Joseph, London
Ian Dunlop: Louis XIV, Chatto and Windus, London
Ian Dunlop: Royal Palaces of France, Hamish Hamilton, London