PAST MEETINGS Here are details of our past meetings, to give you an idea of the variety and scope of the lectures. Also members might like to use the links to find out more. Study Day Wednesday 6th March 2024 The Artistry of Glass through Time Simon Cottle The special day of study of glass begins with an hour long presentation of the History of European glass from the early Renaissance to the end of the 19th century. It focuses on how the Venetian glass makers inspired those craftsmen further north of the Alps over the following centuries with their magnificent ‘cristallo’. The movement of glass-making to northern Europe where the aristocracy patronised the industry is an important part of glass history. Wonderful and majestic table glass and other utilitarian vessels made for the royal courts of Europe became commonplace in Germany whilst in Holland styles closely followed those of Venice and England. From the sublime to the ridiculous, the lecture shows how all the major glass decorating and making techniques came together in the 19th century to create extraordinary glass masterpieces in the face of the introduction of machine-making processes. Following a session devoted to the examination of glass brought along by attendees, the afternoon will be devoted to a study of British Glass from 1580 to 1900. The extraordinary development of lead crystal glass in the 17th century contributed to a production over the next 100 years which contrasts greatly with those of Europe. The English further influenced the German makers in the 19th century leading to styles which can be difficult to distinguish. However, there is a special focus on the individual styles pioneered by the British before 1900 which may amaze the viewer. Friday 15th March 2024 Please note this will not be available on Zoom Thomas Heatherwick - a modern Leonardo? Ian Swankie The past decade has seen the meteoric rise of this extraordinarily versatile British designer, with his acclaimed Olympic cauldron, the iconic new London bus and designs for a spectacular new HQ building for Google. Over the last 20 years the Heatherwick Studio has used an intriguing combination of curiosity and experimentation to produce a vast range of solutions to design challenges around the world. This talk looks at the problems presented and the wonderfully creative ways in which Heatherwick and his team have responded. Friday 16th February 2024 Tintoretto ‘Il Furioso’: Painter for the People Julia Musgrave In sixteenth-century Venice, Tintoretto, helped by his studio assistants, produced work so quickly that he was nicknamed ‘Il Furioso’ by his contemporaries. He had received almost no formal training and without the benefit of an apprenticeship in the studio of a major artist, he had to find work the hard way: by undercutting prices and delivering faster than his competitors. His work, characterised by muscular figures, dramatic gestures and movement, takes the art of the Mannerist period into the excitement of the Baroque. By the end of his life he was working for the wealthiest in Venice and for international patrons. Yet, he never forgot his roots and the poorer churches and ‘scuole’ which had supported him in his earlier days. What might have driven his ambition, and why might he have given so much of his work away? Friday 19th January 2024 Banksy - Fraud or genius? Pepe Martinez  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. We 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. Finally, we will consider what his legacy, if any, might be. Friday 15th December 2023 From Dingley Dell to a Christmas Carol Vicky Bailey Ideal for Christmas time in the festive spirit! This tour ranges from Dickensian Christmas stories to traditional Victorian Christmas activities and the inspiration for ghost stories at Christmas. Friday 17th November 2023 Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Dr John Stevens An introduction to Rabindranath Tagore’s remarkable life and work, including his novels, poetry, songs and paintings and the role his art played in the story of India’s fight for independence. Tagore is arguably the most important Indian artistic figure of the modern era. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, claimed that he had 2 gurus: Gandhi and Tagore. A renowned poet, novelist, composer and painter, he became a global sensation when he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913, the first non-European to do so.  Friday 20th October 2023 The Art of Art Deco Pamela Campbell-Johnston Art Deco has the reputation of being the most glamorous and popular style of the 20th Century - during the 1920s and 1930s. We will review its development within the context of its social and economic environment and look at specific examples of objects d’art, including silver, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, clocks and architecture. The range of designers, craftsmen and artists that we will contemplate will include, but not limited to, E-J Ruhlmann, René Lalique, Tamara de Lempicka, Jean Dupas, Georgia O’Keeffe, Eileen Gray, Romain de Tirtoff (Erté), René Vincent and English ceramicist, Clarice Cliff. In addition to examples of domestic and civic Art Deco buildings in the UK, we will also touch on certain architectural buildings across the world, thus confirming Art Deco’s full global reach and appeal. AGM willbe held before the meeting, please be seated by 10:45am Friday 15th September 2023 The Green Man in English Churches  Imogen Corrigan More correctly called ‘foliate heads’, there was a proliferation of Green Man images around the year 1400A proliferation of Green Man images existed around the year 1400. The lecture discusses how the image may have evolved from pagan and classical times and its purpose. Green Men may have originally been connected to ancient fertility rites, yet the majority show either distorted or very mature faces, seeming to contradict an association with May Day frolicking. We learn more about their meaning and take into account the historical events of the time and their effect on the nation’s imagination. Study Day Wednesday 1st November 2023 10am to 3:30pm The Soul, Art and Healing Power of Gardens Timothy Walker There are three lectures in this study day. 1. The evolution of the creation of gardens 2. The garden as art 3. The healing garden Gardens can be said to be a place where nature, art, science, and spirituality meet on even terms. This three-lecture study day looks at this relationship from which we benefit so much. Sutton Hoo – Day Visit Thursday 29th June 2023 – 7 30am to 6 30pm We warmly invite Arts Society members (National Trust, and non National Trust members) to join us on an day excursion to Sutton Hoo, Suffolk. Discover the incredible story of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon King and his treasured possessions, and the significance of the finds. ‘Sutton Hoo provides one of the richest sources of archaeological evidence for the Anglo-Saxon period of England's history. The discovery in 1939 changed our understanding of that era, and a time that had been seen as backwards was suddenly illuminated as cultured and sophisticated.’ The cost includes coach travel with comfort stops, entrance (for non-National Trust members) and Royal Burial Ground guided tour and access to the remainder of the Sutton Hoo site: • Welcome centre & Ship burial installation. • High Hall exhibition – Rendlesham Revealed & the Court and Bookshop • King’s River Café • Tranmer House & Keepers’ Café • Observation tower – divided into small step platform climbs. • Picnic areas • Extensive woodlands & fields 16th June 2023 Micheal Howard David Hockney: A Certain Generosity of Spirit This lecture will celebrate the inspirational work of one of Britain’s best known artists whose work is instantly recognisable and speaks directly to us of the joys and challenges of being alive. We will share the journey of his life from Bradford to London; to New York and Los Angeles and back to Yorkshire and then his return to LA. His art is a sounding board of his vivid and colourful life and a reminder of the joys of looking, making . . . and living. 19th May 2023 Paula Nuttall Bruegel; Peasants, Proverbs and Landscapes 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. 21st April 2023 Dominic Riley The Whole Art of the Book Why was the best paper made from the worn out clothes of peasants? Why did leather have to be tanned outside the city walls? Why is gold leaf so thin that it is measured in atoms and cannot be touched with the hands? Why do printers have to do everything upside down and backwards? Why did gold finishers get paid more than other bookbinders despite not washing their hair? And why is the art of bookbinding itself, surely the most complex of all hand crafts, as beguiling and enchanting today as it was when it was invented on the banks of the Nile 2,000 years ago. This lecture is a ‘Through the Round Window’ for grown-ups, and tells the fascinating story of everything that makes a traditional hand bound book. 10 March 2023 Chloe Sayer The Splendours of Mexico, Ancient and Modern This study day comprises 3 lectures, each exploring an aspect of the Art and culture of Mexico and Mesoamerica. 1 Ancient Mexico and the Aztecs 2 The Maya Heritage 3 The Survivors: Continuity and Change 17th March 2023 Angela Findlay The Empty Chair in Art from Van Gogh to Ai Wei Wei We all use chairs! But over the past 150 years, artists across the world have been using the humble chair as a conduit for profound ideas on themes from protest, absence and memory to domestic or everyday life. In Europe, Egon Schiele, René Magritte, Gerhard Richter, Joseph Beuys used empty chairs for personal expression, while in America, Andy Warhol, Robert Rauschenberg, Joseph Kosuth and Bruce Nauman used chairs to develop the exciting new artistic movements arising in the sixties. The Palestinian artist, Mona Hatoum, adapted chairs to explore female identity and the Columbian artist, Doris Salcedo, stacked 1,550 between two buildings to remember anonymous victims of war. These are just some of the many diverse artists and uses of chairs we will be looking at in this talk. And as in all my lectures, my personal connection as an artist, who has worked with chairs throughout her career, will aim to bring the subject to life. 17th February 2023 Helen Oakden The Art of Paula Rego Many adore her art, few understand it. Rego’s confusing and confrontational paintings mix fairy stories with the socio-political context of her family and her homeland. Helen Oakden will talk about Rego’s life, the history of Salazar’s rule in Portugal, and delve into detail into the works recently seen in the Tate Britain’s exhibition, as well as some other important works by the artist including the mural in the National Gallery’s Sainsbury Wing café. 20th January 2023 Rosalind Whyte Constantin Brâncuśi Constantin Brâncuși was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century and a pioneer of modernism, Brâncuși is called the patriarch of modern sculpture. Lecture synopsis not available. 16th December 2022 Peter Medhurst The Twelve Days of Christmas The celebration of the period following Christmas can be traced back several millennia, and to at least two cultures – neither of them Christian. One of them is the southern Roman feast of Kalends on the 1st January, and the other, the northern Nordic festivals of Yuletide surrounding the celebrations of the Winter solstice. However, it was Pope Julius I who decided to subvert the gluttony, drunkenness and sun worship to Christian purpose, and by choosing the 25th December to celebrate the birth of Christ, he neatly bridged these cultures and paved the way for future Christmas festivities. And so it is that many of our modern Christmas customs and carols bear references to traditions that have nothing to do with the birth of Christ. Nonetheless, each year, Christ’s birthday on 25th December signifies the beginning of twelve festive days of celebrations and music making. In this lecture-recital Peter Medhurst explores the wealth of Christmas music, traditions and curious legends that are connected with them. Music performed includes: Deck the Halls with Boughs of Holly, The Coventry Carol, The Twelve Days of Christmas, The Wassail Song, The Three Kings – Cornelius. 18th November 2022 Sarah Burles ‘Les Trios Grandes Dames’ of Impressionism. The Impressionists were an innovative and radical group of artists whose took Paris by storm in the 1870s. Using new colours and techniques, they created paintings of modern life which shocked and horrified the art establishment. From the start the group included women artists but their contribution to Impressionism has often been overshadowed by their male contemporaries. Marie Bracquemond, Berthe Morisot and Mary Cassatt all exhibited regularly at the Impressionist exhibitions alongside artists such as Monet, Renoir and Degas. In 1894 they were given the title “Les Trois Grandes Dames d’Impressionisme” by the art critic Gustave Geffroy. This lecture will discuss the lives of each of these artists and their work, revealing their skill and originality as well as their willingness to take risks, despite the additional obstacles they faced as women. 2 November 2022 Chris Aslan Alexander The Silk Road Textile Journey Cottonpickers and Cosmonauts A Carpet Ride to Khiva We start the day exploring the Silk Road through the lens of textiles and how wool, silk and cotton changed the fortunes, cultures and landscape of Central Asia. Then we examine how Central Asia came under Russian and the Soviet influence and how art was used in propaganda, moulding and influencing the Muslim peoples now under Russian atheist rule. Finally we hear how independence of 'the -stans' has led to a resurgence in art and textiles, focussing on the silk carpet workshop founded by the lecturer, reviving 15th century carpet design based on Persian illuminated manuscripts. 21st October 2022