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ARTS SOCIETY
Lecture titles available for the Arts Society (former NADFAS)
Lecture Synopses
These lectures are available for national and international branches of the Arts Society and other groups, by arrangement.
Russia:
1.From Peasants to Czars: A Portrait of 19th century Russia
Only in the mid 19th century did Russian painting start to look East rather than West for its inspiration, finding home grown heros amongst Russian peasants rather than princes. Artists, not least the "Peredvizhniki" or "Wanderers", at last began to put Russia's outdated social order under critical scrutiny, revealing not just problems for newly liberated sets, but also for their masters...This lecture reveals the fascinating insight into this moving story afforded by the paintings of more than a dozen superb artists, yet whose work is still relatively unknown in the West.
2. Isaak Levitan and the Poetry of Landscape
Of all the Russian artists that emerged in the latter half of the 19th century, Isaak Levitan is considered the one who most captured the character of the Russian landscape. No-one put it better than his great friend Anton Chekhov , who wrote: “He rendered like no other the inexplicable charm of our humble poverty, the shoreless breadth of our virginal expanses, the festal sadness of the Russian autumn, and the enigmatic call of the Russian spring.” Able to find visual poetry in the simplest yet most characteristic features of the landscape, Levitan’s paintings enchant with their many moods, depicted in a style which is sometimes reminiscent of French Impressionism, an influence he flatly denied. The lecture also reveals the tensions caused by Levitan’s own Jewishness, a faith which precluded him from ever becoming truly accepted by the land he loved so much, and which is key to the poignancy of such seminal works as “Above Eternal Rest” and “Bells at Eventide”.
3. Russia in Revolt
Parallel almost to French Impressionism, In Imperial Russia another movement called "Critical Realism" was causing its own sensation as it questioned both traditional approaches to style and subject matter. By exposing the regime's many injustices they also helped chronicle the road to revolution itself. By the early years of the 20th century the art world itself was also in turmoil, as new movements emerged that questioned the very nature of art itself.
4.From Russia with Love
Following the changes that came about through the “Peredvizhniki” or "Wanderers" the focus of Russian painting changed from academic rigour to the many moods of the Russian landscape itself, capable of telling its own story as powerful and as moving as any historical or mythological drama. Artists such as Savrasov and Levitan, Shishkin and Kuindzhi to name but a few, found a haunting and elegiac beauty in this hitherto neglected but vast subject matter. From her majestic forests and moonlit marshlands, her snowbound villages, gigantic skies, endless horizons and unstoppable rivers, artists such as these from the latter half of the 19th century distilled the very essence of the Russian landscape and gave it a voice we have only just begun to appreciate.
5. Decoding the Russian Icon
Why is it that so many icons appear so similar, so dark, so primitive even? It takes a trained eye to reveal the fascinating language of icons, the symbolism of colour and line, the meaning of reverse perspective, elongated fingers and faces and desexualised features. Combine this with an understanding of the process of creating or “writing” an icon and the many variations of a particular theme, and suddenly it all makes sense. It will also touch on how the icon became the source of inspiration for the Russian avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century.
6. Fabergé: The Romanov Sunset
As peasants starved and the drums of war and revolution drew ever closer, the Imperial family seemed increasingly remote, wrapped up in a private world of palaces and privilege. At its most extreme, this was reflected in the series of exquisite Easter eggs created by Russia’s master goldsmith, each one containing a unique “surprise”. This lecture examines the fascinating insight that these gave into the glittering but final chapters of the Romanov dynasty.
7.Setting the Stage on Fire: Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
At the end of the 19th Century, Russian art, music, ballet and design were brought together in a ground breaking, novel way as the gifted and dynamic impresario Sergei Diaghilev, through his company the “Ballets Russes”, set about opening the eyes of western audiences to what his mother country and its latest generation of avant garde artists had to offer. But that was only the start. Before long some of the greatest names from the West were also on board, Picasso, Matisse and Coco Chanel to name just a few.
8. After the Revolution: New Art for a New Age
Jubilant that the years of Czarist oppression were now over, most Russian artists, especially the Avant Garde, welcomed the new regime, only to become quickly disillusioned. By 1932 virtually all freedom of expression had been sacrificed on the altar of "Social Realism" and art of all kinds used as a tool of blatant propaganda. But like it or hate it, every picture tells a story, and this one is as compelling as any.
Norway, Scandinavia and Germany:
9. The forgotten Genius of Anders Zorn
Of all the artists to come out of Sweden, only Anders Zorn achieved enduring international acclaim. His talent was evident from early childhood, and it was prodigious. Equally at home with watercolour and oil, he was a master of both landscape and portraiture, a characteristic he shared with his contemporary rival and friend, John Singer Sargent. Like him, he was the darling of the belle époque, and he went on to make his fortune painting America’s great and good, not least three American presidents. Stylistically similar, to Sargent, he also had the knack of conveying character with a few broad brushstrokes. This lecture examines some of his most iconic works, from his dazzlingly competent watercolours of his native Sweden to his gloriously confident portraits of American high society figures such as Isabella Stewart Gardner.
10. Masters of the North: the Golden Age of Nordic painting
Dazzled by the impact of impressionism it is easy to overlook the stunning achievements of Nordic painters during the 19th century. From the national romanticism of Norways’s Adolph Tidermand and Hans Gude, to the mythical landscapes of Finland’s Pekka Halonen and the impressionistic, moody interiors of Norway’s best known female painter, Harriet Backer, this lecture showcases the range of visual creations that helped shape a unique cultural identity, forged in part from a battle against the elements and social deprivation as much as political power and provincialism during the turbulent years of the 19th century.
11. Helsinki: a Jewel of Art Nouveau
Strangers arriving in Helsinki are often surprised by the belle époque architecture, which is at once familiar yet strange; familiar in that it seems to recall the elegant lines of Renee Mackintosh perhaps, yet strangely populated by unusual faces and creatures, mythical characters from Finland’s legends and her national epic, the Kalevala. This 19thcentury work of literature full of heroic tales dating back to the mists of time greatly inspired Jean Sibelius to compose some of his finest music, and artists such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela to paint some remarkable works. The lecture shows how art, architecture, music and literature came together in Finland’s quest for nationhood in the latter years of the 19th century and at the same time helped turn its capital city into a jewel of art nouveau, but with a distinctly Finnish flavour.
12. Midsummer Magic: an introduction to some of the glorious paintings of the Nordic impressionists and realists of the late 19th century
Cloaked for months of the year in snow or mist, it is only in summer that the more benign character of Norway, Denmark and Sweden is revealed, providing the inspiration behind the ravishing paintings of artists such as Kitty Kielland, Anders Zorn, Eilif Peterssen and Peder Severin Krøyer to name just a few. Often working in small communes, such as at the north Danish coastal village of Skagen these artists adapted the style of impressionism to the limpid light of the Nordic climate, a light which is hauntingly beautiful in the long hours of summer and especially at twilight. Midnight bonfires, moonlit promenades and the midsummer dance are all favourite subjects of these artists who depicted a world of summer stillness and tradition just as it was about to be shattered by the firestorm of World War I.
13. Edvard Munch: Paintings of Pain and Passion
Although known worldwide for his legendary painting “the Scream”, few people know its long and tortuous prelude, nor its surprising aftermath. Haunted by disease and death and fuelled by alcohol and raging romantic obsession that only ever ended in catastrophe, it is understandable why he produced such tortured images, images whose provocative and scandalous impact he nonetheless learnt to exploit financially to great effect. Through an examination of seminal, often autobiographical paintings from earliest youth through to his final years, this lecture helps shed light on just what made this Norwegian artist tick, and just why his work became so central to the European expressionist and symbolist movements.
14. From Sagas to Silver
Marvel at how ancient Viking myths and symbols have inspired Nordic arts, crafts and jewellery for generations.
15. Skagen, a Summer Idyll
Listen to the fascinating story of how this tiny village on the tip of the Jutland Peninsula became a Northern paradise for artists from all over Europe in the years prior to World War One.
France, Spain and the Low Countries
16. Monet and his Gardens
Everyone knows about Giverny, but few about the gardens that preceded them and the personal circumstances that were their motivation. Late in life Monet admitted that he may have owed his love of painting to his love of flowers and gardening, which he had developed in early youth as an antidote to his unhappiness. This lecture unfolds the detail behind that statement, which is both moving and beautiful, as Monet struggles with his family, his love and his art. So many of his iconic works have their subject matter located in and around his garden, from his teenage home at Saint-Adresse, his rented homes at Argenteuil and Vétheuil to his great creation at Giverny, which became his only subject in his final years. Through diary entries and letters as well as paintings, the lecture reveals with specific horticultural and painterly detail the development of this life-long passion which climaxed in his monumental waterlily series, and which he shared with his other great gardening friend and colleague, Gustave Caillebotte.
17. Promenade Parisienne, a Walk with the Impressionists through 19th Century Paris
The landscape of Paris changed dramatically with the arrival of Louis Napoléon and his prefect, the Baron Haussmann. Ramshackle medieval streets were replaced by elegant apartment blocks and broad boulevards. Vast structures of cast iron and steel from the Gare du Nord to the Eiffel tower vied with Notre Dame for attention, and what were once sleepy villages like Montmartre quickly became as popular with pleasure seekers as they were with artists seeking cheap studios…Windmills that once ground corn were turned into dance halls and quiet spots by the river invaded by day trippers who now had access to the whole of Paris via its burgeoning railway network. All this and more besides is recorded in fascinating detail by artists such as Pissarro, Renoir, Monet and Caillebotte to name but a few, so why not take a walk with the impressionists through the changing streets of this iconic city?
18. Vincent in Arles
The eighteen months that Vincent Van Gogh spent in Provence are amongst the most turbulent and written about in the whole of art history, yet only recently have some of the most fascinating details surrounding his time there come to light. The lecture examines the background to Vincent’s fascination with the South where he hoped to find the light of Japan, and establish a studio of the South led by Paul Gauguin. Through close examination of the Arles paintings the lecture shows how over the course of just 18 months his own unique style finally emerged, but only after an appalling act of self-mutilation. The build up to the crisis is a fascinating story, rendered all the more poignant by its tragic aftermath and about which much controversy still remains.
19. Gauguin, Van Gogh and Emile Bernard: the Terrible Triangle
Most people are aware of the fight between Gauguin and Van Gogh, and of their time together in Arles, but few are aware of the background to that episode, that began on the coast of Brittany at Pont-Aven. It was here that Gauguin came to work alongside other artists attracted to the light and the looser style of artists such as Eugène Boudin who so influenced Monet. One of these young artists, Émile Bernard, stood out from the rest however. Confident and original, he adopted a unique style and approach that was much admired by Van Gogh and Gauguin, causing Gauguin to develop it into what became his own hallmark “cloisonniste” style. In addition, colour and emotions were associated in a revolutionary new way, leading ultimately to a new branch of art called Synthetism, a source of considerable discussion between the three and a cause of dispute between Gauguin and Vincent when he later moved to Arles.
20. Gustave Caillebotte: the Man in the Top Hat
Unlike most of his fellow artists, Caillebotte came from a privileged background that allowed him to indulge many passions from painting, gardening and boat racing on the Seine, all of which are chronicled in his own work. It was Caillebotte that helped finance several of the eight impressionist exhibitions, and who generously supported the likes of Monet, Renoir Pissarro and Sisley when they were on their uppers. His own distinctive paintings provide a fascinating insight into both his own lifestyle and the changing face of Paris during the 1870's and 1880's.
21. Dutch painting in the Golden Age: from still life to interiors, what stories do they tell?
With the breaking away of the Protestant Dutch Republic from the Catholic South, Dutch painting in the 16th century changed to reflect its new aspirations. In place of Catholic, religious painting came a focus on interiors that reflected the wealth, aspirations and interests of their owners and through some remarkable Vanitas paintings reminded them of their own mortality. Banquet and flower painting also served this purpose , with no better representation of transiency than the tulip, the craze for which reached incredible heights in the 1630’s. The lecture introduces some seminal works that characterise this most important period.
22. A Taste of Dutch
Discover the coded messages that hide behind the wondrously depicted banquet paintings from 16th century Holland. What looks like the left overs from a well-to-do Dutch breakfast is on closer examination a more far reaching statement about the perils of luxury and the precariousness and transiency of life. None of which stops us from marvelling at the incredible level of detail and exquisite mastery of technique and structure that even inspired Matisse and Dali to produce their own 20th century versions.
23. Just a Tulip
This lecture tells the fascinating tale of how how the simple tulip came to dominate Dutch flower painting during the first half of the 16th century, a genre which had already come into its own as a form of Vanitas painting. It looks in detail at the depictions of its cultivation and display by artists such as Ambrosius Bosschaert and Balthasar van der Ast and examines the circumstances behind the bubble that by the 1630’s had inflated the price to a preposterous and unsustainable level.
24. Johannes Vermeer. The Magic and the Mystery
Very few paintings survive by this remarkable artist, and very little documentation survives to cast light on his background, yet each painting is an Aladdin’s cave of fabulous detail, exquisitely painted and full of enigmatic mystery. This lecture helps explain the enduring fascination of paintings such as “the View of Delft”, “the Milk Maid”, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “the Little Street”. Through examination of the techniques used in their construction, the allegorical significance of repeated motifs such as the musical instruments and an exposé of some of the contemporary political and social background to the paintings, the mysteries are, partially, at least, revealed.
25. Brunelleschi and the Dome of Florence
Enjoy the story of the battle, both personal and technical, to build what remains one of the worlds most spectacular architectural achievements from the early Renaissance
26. Caravaggio , the Bad Boy of Art
Troubled, violent and always spoiling for a fight, this wild Italian artist utterly transformed the direction of European art forever. Find out why!
27. Antoni Gaudi: Turning Nature into Stone
The story of Spain's most iconic architect, from his childhood spent on its beaches forests and mountains to his finals years spent dedicated to the realisation of his ultimate fantasy, the "Sagrada Familia", is utterly compelling and immensely moving. We examine the theories behind his construction techniques and look in detail at how he applied the lessons of nature to create both magnificent private mansions and a temple, as he saw it, worthy of God himself.
Britain, America and Canada:
28. The extraordinary talent of John Singer Sargent
Few artists can match the achievements of this american artist who trained in Paris and spent much of his life depicting the world of the Belle Époque, from leisurely days on the Grand canal, to the society women of New York. His style is uniquely his own, impressionistic and realistic at once, flamboyant and spontaneous with a bravura and exactitude reminiscent of Velasquez and Van Dyck. Few can fail to be inspired by his exquisite handling of colour, tone and light, whether in oils or watercolour, landscape or portrait, his genius is universal.
29. The Battle of two Titans: Sargent v. Zorn
At the turn of the 20th century, Sweden's master painter, Anders Zorn and American born John Singer Sargent had the world at their feet...whether in watercolour or oils, both were impossibly gifted, both enjoyed glittering itinerant careers and both painted the rich and famous of Europe and the USA using similar virtuoso techniques. They were undoubtedly rivals who even today invite obvious comparisons. Which one, if either, was best? It will be for you to decide!
N.B. This lecture would fit equally well under both the Scandinavian and American sections of this Directory
30. Paintings from across the Pond.
This lecture covers the development of the modern USA as tracked by the painters of the romantic Hudson River School through to the gritty realism of the “Ashcan” movement. The dramatic landscapes of Francis Edwin Church and Thomas Cole were based partly on reality, partly on imagination, designed in part to portray the vast scale and infinite potential of these barely charted territories. Yet by the turn of the twentieth century, the focus had turned from the natural to the urban landscape and its populace as it faced up to the challenge of matching immigrant aspirations to reality.
31. Winslow Homer and the Art of New England.
Homer Trained originally as a newspaper illustrator, imbuing his style with a distinctive, graphic clarity designed to make an immediate impact. His approach to watercolour was much influenced by an extended stay in the Northumberland port of Cullercoats, where he was much inspired by the hard life of the North Sea fisherfolk. He is best known for his dramatic and moody seascapes, as well as moving studies of individuals such as farmworkers, teachers and children in his homelands of New England, at peace at last after the Civil War. Thus he presrents us with a fascinating and at times nostalgic portrait of the heart of America at a time of rapid expansion and change.
32. American Impressionism.
Many are familiar with the work of American artist and friend of Degas, Mary Cassatt, but rather fewer with such worthies as John Twachtman, Childe Hassam, William Merritt chase and Theodor Robinson. Although many of the American impressionists were indeed inspired by what they had seen first had see in Paris, they were no slavish copyists, and each developed his or her own distinctive style. From the intimate interiors and Long Island landscapes of William Merritt Chase to the atmospheric cityscapes and delicate gardens of Childe Hassam, this lecture shows how American followers of Impressionism adapted this style to record the many moods and changing face of America in the latter years of the 19th century.
33. Pioneers of the new America: Artists of the Hudson River.
Originating in the dramatic Adirondack mountains of Upstate New York, the Hudson winds its way south to end alongside the skyscrapers of Manhattan. For much of the 19th century, it was a prime source of inspiration for artists who sought to associate the unspoilt grandeur and vast potential of these recently claimed lands with the hopes and aspirations of a new nation. The lecture focuses particularly on the work of English born Thomas Cole, who founded the movement, and later followers Frederic Edwin Church and Albert Bierstadt, who took the style beyond the Hudson to the mighty Rocky mountains, the volcanoes of the Andes and the icebergs of the Arctic. The work of all three was charged with the unshakeable belief that such majesty could only be the work of a divine hand, and newcomers to their work will be left breathless at the artist's skill in depicting in romantic style the full spectrum of moods and emotions such landscape can evoke.
34. Heading West and Wild: the Art of Albert Bierstadt
German trained Bierstadt is the painter par excellence of American expansion beyond the Hudson Valley and Yosemite in the East to the mighty peaks of the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada in the West. His lavish, sumptuous landscapes depict with astonishing atmospheric effects and attention to detail the grandeur of the pre-industrial American landscape, which however magnificent, was increasingly under threat from the realisation of America's “Manifest Destiny”.
This lecture would be a perfect follow-on from a study day lecture on the Hudson River School, or stand alone lectures on Thomas Cole or Frederic Church
35. New York! NewYork! the Ashcan Experiment.
Of all the places to be in the world at the end of the 19th century, it has to be New York. The city enjoyed unprecedented growth as new blood flooded in from all over the world. As gleaming new skyscrapers grew skyward the squalor of teeming tenements and the struggle to survive in this rapidly changing city became rich pickings for a young group of artists seeking new inspiration. For the artists of the "Ashcan school" nobility could be found not just in the grandiose buildings of this booming city but in the daily lives of the labourers who built it.
36. Tiffany & Co: Of Diamonds and Decadence.
Founded by Charles Tiffany with a loan of just $1000, The firm of Tiffany & Company, New York grew from a small bric -à-brac shop to become purveyors of the finest luxury goods and the world's leading jewellers. The business evolved even further under Charles's immensely gifted son Louis, who not only completely redesigned the now lost interior of the White house but spent over thirty years developing the manufacture of the most exquisite glass. From wonderful vases and lamps to the diamonds worn by Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" this is a fascinating tale of how art and luxury came together to create one of the the world's most iconic brands
37. Lost Mansions of Old New York
The period from around 1870 until 1900 saw fortunes repeatedly made and lost as entrepreneurs cashed in on the building and railway boom that swept over the American continent. Men like Astor, Vandebilt and Carnegie built magnificent mansions to rival the finest French chateaux and summer "cottages" that were preposterously grand. Their heyday was short-lived however, nearly all replaced today by skyscraper hotels, but their fascinating story and that of their glamorous occupants lives on...
38. Painter of the Gilded Age: the Art of William Merritt Chase
A contemporary rival of John Singer Sargent to be the go-to portraitist for Fifth Avenue's finest, Chase was much more than that. Equally at home in pastel or oils, Chase produced many touching, atmospheric views of the landscape around his home on Long Island, and also of New York's city parks as places of leisure and refuge from the steaming city itself.
39. In Search of Paradise: the Paintings of Thomas Cole
Moving from the industrial squalor of Bolton, Lancashire, to New York's beautiful Hudson Valley, Thomas Cole recorded the stunningly beautiful landscapes of his new surroundings, whilst all the while only too conscious of its fragility in the face of modern development and America's "Manifest Destiny." Cole's warnings about the ease with which paradise can be lost are just as relevant today as they were more than a century and a half ago.
40. Glitz and Glamour in the Golden Age of the Transatlantic Liner.
The Battle for the Blue Riband dominated Atlantic travel for many decades and the rivalry between the major shipping lines to build the the biggest and best leviathons of ocean travel was intense. Ships such as French Line’s Ile de France and Hapag Lloyd’s Imperator rapidly became not just floating works of art but ships of state with stunning décor to match. The lecture shows how they were adapted to match changing tastes; from the elegance of the French chateau and the heaviness of the Dutch renaissance to the dazzling sophistication of what became known as “streamline moderne”, the lecture presents rare archive photographs of interiors from iconic ships such as the original Mauretania to the magnificent, but short lived Normandie.
41. Hans Holbein and the Ambassador’s Secret.
The double portrait identified only in the last century as two ambassadors to the court of Henry Vlll at the time of his “Great Matter” – his divorce from Katherine of Aragon - and which hangs in the National gallery, is a painting that has been subject to much interpretation and research not least by Mary Hervey and the more recent, if controversial efforts of John North. Through a careful study of the intriguing objects and structural elements of the painting, combined with an exposé of the background political events that were threatening to destabilize the then known world, the audience will be asked to evaluate the validity of some quite remarkable and intriguing theories and draw its own conclusions as to the painting’s overall significance.
42. The Real da Vinci Code
This lecture reveals just what it is about that quirk of mathematics we call “Golden Ratio” that has so intrigued artists, scientists and even novelists such as Dan Brown down the ages. The latter’s best selling novel brought it to public attention, and rightly so. This lecture goes further into the ratio’s underpinning of outstanding design in nature, art and architecture, encouraging some to suggest this could be the blueprint of the universe itself.
43. When Cotton was King: the Architectural Legacy of 19th Century Manchester : From Warehouse to Palazzo
19th century Manchester, or “Cottonopolis’ as it became known, was the world’s first industrialized city that enjoyed unstoppable growth for much of the last century. With that growth came grand commercial and civic buildings on a scale and of a quality never witnessed in the city before. This lecture examines the extraordinary variety of such buildings and shows how their architects and stonemasons brought directly into the streets of Manchester the golden age of Pericles, the architecture of Renaissance Italy and the gothic of the Grand Canal. It goes into a detailed study of the allegorical sculpture and decoration of many of these buildings, many of which have fascinating stories to tell and which were designed by eminent architects such as Charles Barry and Alfred Waterhouse even before they went on to make names for themselves in the capital itself.
STUDY DAYS:
These may be multiples or combinations of any of the above.
In the case of the latter, “When Cotton was King”, there are 2 further parts available individually or as part of a Study Day
Part 1: as above
Part 2 :“Town Hall Triumphant” – this looks at the story behind the building of the magnificent Town Hall by Alfred Waterhouse, described by many as the last great gothic building of the 19th century . It looks at the competing designs, the battle to build it, the decoration and sculpture and the personalities behind some of the key figures. It also looks at the fascinating series of paintings in the Great Hall that tell the history of Manchester by Ford Maddox Brown.
Part 3: “Boom, Bust and Baroque” The concluding part of the story deals with the years that followed the opening of the town hall, the change of styles from gothic, to art nouveau and Edwardian Baroque and pared-down classicism. Some of the finest civic and commercial buildings went up at the very time the industry was on the wane, some of which have found exciting new uses as the city has reinvented itself in a thoroughly modern context.
STARS & STRIPES- the art of 19th Century America
Part 1: Pioneers of America
looks at the romantic idealization of this new and exciting landscape via artists of the Hudson River school, such as Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Frederic Edwin Church.
Part 2:
The art of Winslow Homer- this in-depth study of the artist many consider to be America’s finest will look at what makes him so special, from his superb watercolours to engravings that rival Rembrandt’s. Each one gives exquisite and moving insight into post civil-war America.
Part 3:
either:
New York! New York! The Ashcan Experiment
Takes us deep into New York’s beating heart as it metamorphosed from a small time colonial outpost to a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis. The new generation of artists known as the “EIGHT” challenged academic norms in their gritty depictions of every day life, yet their works were no less full of pathos, drama and atmosphere.
or:
Tiffany & Co. - Of Diamonds and Decadence
From humble beginnings, through the remarkable talents of both Charles abd Louis Comfort Tiffany, this firm emerged to be at the forefront of design and desirability. From fabulous jewels and unique glassware to dazzling, cutting edge interiors, they offered a total, bespoke service to the rich clients of America’s gilded age.
Another very catchy and popular combination runs under the title "America -SAIL, SWEAT AND SPARKLE", combining the following three lectures:
The Glitz and Glamour of the Transatlantic Liner
New York! New York! The Ashcan experiment
Tiffany & Co - Of Diamonds and Decadence
RUSSIA – from Romanovs to Revolution
part 1: From Peasants to Czars, a portrait of Czarist Russia
As the century progressed, the attention of artists turned from conventional portraits and grand historical chapters from Russian history to the real Russia – the Russia of the peasant and her challenging but wonderful landscape.
part 2:
either:
Isaac Levitan and the Poetry of Landscape
Widely acknowledged as Russia’s master of landscape, Levitan had but a few years to capture the magic and majesty of its vast terrain. every picture tells a story, not just of Russia as it emerged into the modern world, but of the painter’s own struggles, as a Jew and as an artist, to be accepted in the country he clearly loved so much.
or: In Love with the Landscape: Russian painting from the 19th Century
Only in the mid 19th Century did Russia's artists turn to their own vast country for inspiration, finding it not just in her vast rivers, forests and skies, but in her melting snows, flooded meadows and moonlit villages. It is a landscape they found to be cruel and loving in equal measure, but unique in both its scale and character.
or
The Road to Revolution
!917 was a long time in coming, preceded by both political and artistic upheaval. Arguably, it began with the liberation of the serfs in 1861, a double edged sword that brought both freedom and devastating change. Artists such as Ilya Repin dared to depict with graphic realism the social and political consequences, whilst others such as Kazimir Malevich would create a revolution in art the effects of which are reverberating to this day.
Part 3.
The Road to Revolution (as above)
or:
After the Revolution: New Art for a New Age
Jubilant that the years of Czarist oppression were now over, most Russian artists, especially the Avant Garde, welcomed the new regime, only to become quickly disillusioned. By 1932 virtually all freedom of expression had been sacrificed on the altar of "Social Realism" and art of all kinds used as a tool of blatant propaganda. But like it or hate it, every picture tells a story, and this one is as compelling as any.
THE ART OF THE BALTIC
Parts 1, 2 and 3 can can be made up of any suitable combination of:
Masters of the North
From wild romantic landscapes of Norway, the quiet cityscapes of Copenhagen and both realist and impressionist masterpieces from Skagen on Denmark’s most northerly tip, we take a look at what was happening in Scandinavian painting during the 19th Century
Midsummer Magic
Late 19th century artists such as Kitty Kielland, Peder Severin Krøyer and Anders Zorn brought both realist and impressionist techniques to bear as they gave expression to the magical light of the Nordic summer and portrayed the everyday activities of a world far removed from that of the big industrial cities, but t one which was about to be violently disturbed by the firestorm that was World War One.
Struggling to Survive:
Living anywhere in the 19th Century was tough, but in places like Norway and Russia it was as tough as it gets…. for fishermen and farmers a constant battle with the elements, for all the threat of famine and disease, especially the dreaded T.B. Yet out of misfortune came some of the most moving, if sometimes harrowing paintings of the 19th Century, not least by Edvard Munch and Christian Krohg.
Edvard Munch: The Man Behind the Madness
Presents the portrait of the man behind “the Scream”, a painting which has many equally disturbing predecessors and continuations, each one providing graphic insight into this iconic artist’s motivation and life story. Not for the fainthearted.
The Forgotten Genius of Anders Zorn.
in his day, Anders Zorn was as well known and as successful as John Singer Sargent, yet Sweden’s master painter is all but forgotten. Prepare to be amazed at his stunningly beautiful paintings, from exquisite watercolours of quiet Swedish backwaters to magnificent oil portraits of America’s high society at the turn of the 20th Century.
Helsinki: A Jewel of Art Nouveau
Learn how art, architecture, literature and the music of Sibelius came together to underpin the National Romantic style that emerged as Finland’s unique version of “Art Nouveau”, and which gave artistic expression to Finland’s quest to become a sovereign nation. Includes musical excepts.
From Peasants to Czars: A Portrait of Czarist Russia
Through seminal portraits and iconic landscapes from realist artists such as Ilya Repin , Ivan Kramskoi and Isaak Levitan, we take you on a pictorial troika ride through some of the most significant chapters of Russian history of the 19th century. Artists such as Ilya Repin, Vasily Perov
These lectures are available for national and international branches of the Arts Society and other groups, by arrangement.
Russia:
1.From Peasants to Czars: A Portrait of 19th century Russia
Only in the mid 19th century did Russian painting start to look East rather than West for its inspiration, finding home grown heros amongst Russian peasants rather than princes. Artists, not least the "Peredvizhniki" or "Wanderers", at last began to put Russia's outdated social order under critical scrutiny, revealing not just problems for newly liberated sets, but also for their masters...This lecture reveals the fascinating insight into this moving story afforded by the paintings of more than a dozen superb artists, yet whose work is still relatively unknown in the West.
2. Isaak Levitan and the Poetry of Landscape
Of all the Russian artists that emerged in the latter half of the 19th century, Isaak Levitan is considered the one who most captured the character of the Russian landscape. No-one put it better than his great friend Anton Chekhov , who wrote: “He rendered like no other the inexplicable charm of our humble poverty, the shoreless breadth of our virginal expanses, the festal sadness of the Russian autumn, and the enigmatic call of the Russian spring.” Able to find visual poetry in the simplest yet most characteristic features of the landscape, Levitan’s paintings enchant with their many moods, depicted in a style which is sometimes reminiscent of French Impressionism, an influence he flatly denied. The lecture also reveals the tensions caused by Levitan’s own Jewishness, a faith which precluded him from ever becoming truly accepted by the land he loved so much, and which is key to the poignancy of such seminal works as “Above Eternal Rest” and “Bells at Eventide”.
3. Russia in Revolt
Parallel almost to French Impressionism, In Imperial Russia another movement called "Critical Realism" was causing its own sensation as it questioned both traditional approaches to style and subject matter. By exposing the regime's many injustices they also helped chronicle the road to revolution itself. By the early years of the 20th century the art world itself was also in turmoil, as new movements emerged that questioned the very nature of art itself.
4.From Russia with Love
Following the changes that came about through the “Peredvizhniki” or "Wanderers" the focus of Russian painting changed from academic rigour to the many moods of the Russian landscape itself, capable of telling its own story as powerful and as moving as any historical or mythological drama. Artists such as Savrasov and Levitan, Shishkin and Kuindzhi to name but a few, found a haunting and elegiac beauty in this hitherto neglected but vast subject matter. From her majestic forests and moonlit marshlands, her snowbound villages, gigantic skies, endless horizons and unstoppable rivers, artists such as these from the latter half of the 19th century distilled the very essence of the Russian landscape and gave it a voice we have only just begun to appreciate.
5. Decoding the Russian Icon
Why is it that so many icons appear so similar, so dark, so primitive even? It takes a trained eye to reveal the fascinating language of icons, the symbolism of colour and line, the meaning of reverse perspective, elongated fingers and faces and desexualised features. Combine this with an understanding of the process of creating or “writing” an icon and the many variations of a particular theme, and suddenly it all makes sense. It will also touch on how the icon became the source of inspiration for the Russian avant-garde at the beginning of the 20th century.
6. Fabergé: The Romanov Sunset
As peasants starved and the drums of war and revolution drew ever closer, the Imperial family seemed increasingly remote, wrapped up in a private world of palaces and privilege. At its most extreme, this was reflected in the series of exquisite Easter eggs created by Russia’s master goldsmith, each one containing a unique “surprise”. This lecture examines the fascinating insight that these gave into the glittering but final chapters of the Romanov dynasty.
7.Setting the Stage on Fire: Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes
At the end of the 19th Century, Russian art, music, ballet and design were brought together in a ground breaking, novel way as the gifted and dynamic impresario Sergei Diaghilev, through his company the “Ballets Russes”, set about opening the eyes of western audiences to what his mother country and its latest generation of avant garde artists had to offer. But that was only the start. Before long some of the greatest names from the West were also on board, Picasso, Matisse and Coco Chanel to name just a few.
8. After the Revolution: New Art for a New Age
Jubilant that the years of Czarist oppression were now over, most Russian artists, especially the Avant Garde, welcomed the new regime, only to become quickly disillusioned. By 1932 virtually all freedom of expression had been sacrificed on the altar of "Social Realism" and art of all kinds used as a tool of blatant propaganda. But like it or hate it, every picture tells a story, and this one is as compelling as any.
Norway, Scandinavia and Germany:
9. The forgotten Genius of Anders Zorn
Of all the artists to come out of Sweden, only Anders Zorn achieved enduring international acclaim. His talent was evident from early childhood, and it was prodigious. Equally at home with watercolour and oil, he was a master of both landscape and portraiture, a characteristic he shared with his contemporary rival and friend, John Singer Sargent. Like him, he was the darling of the belle époque, and he went on to make his fortune painting America’s great and good, not least three American presidents. Stylistically similar, to Sargent, he also had the knack of conveying character with a few broad brushstrokes. This lecture examines some of his most iconic works, from his dazzlingly competent watercolours of his native Sweden to his gloriously confident portraits of American high society figures such as Isabella Stewart Gardner.
10. Masters of the North: the Golden Age of Nordic painting
Dazzled by the impact of impressionism it is easy to overlook the stunning achievements of Nordic painters during the 19th century. From the national romanticism of Norways’s Adolph Tidermand and Hans Gude, to the mythical landscapes of Finland’s Pekka Halonen and the impressionistic, moody interiors of Norway’s best known female painter, Harriet Backer, this lecture showcases the range of visual creations that helped shape a unique cultural identity, forged in part from a battle against the elements and social deprivation as much as political power and provincialism during the turbulent years of the 19th century.
11. Helsinki: a Jewel of Art Nouveau
Strangers arriving in Helsinki are often surprised by the belle époque architecture, which is at once familiar yet strange; familiar in that it seems to recall the elegant lines of Renee Mackintosh perhaps, yet strangely populated by unusual faces and creatures, mythical characters from Finland’s legends and her national epic, the Kalevala. This 19thcentury work of literature full of heroic tales dating back to the mists of time greatly inspired Jean Sibelius to compose some of his finest music, and artists such as Akseli Gallen-Kallela to paint some remarkable works. The lecture shows how art, architecture, music and literature came together in Finland’s quest for nationhood in the latter years of the 19th century and at the same time helped turn its capital city into a jewel of art nouveau, but with a distinctly Finnish flavour.
12. Midsummer Magic: an introduction to some of the glorious paintings of the Nordic impressionists and realists of the late 19th century
Cloaked for months of the year in snow or mist, it is only in summer that the more benign character of Norway, Denmark and Sweden is revealed, providing the inspiration behind the ravishing paintings of artists such as Kitty Kielland, Anders Zorn, Eilif Peterssen and Peder Severin Krøyer to name just a few. Often working in small communes, such as at the north Danish coastal village of Skagen these artists adapted the style of impressionism to the limpid light of the Nordic climate, a light which is hauntingly beautiful in the long hours of summer and especially at twilight. Midnight bonfires, moonlit promenades and the midsummer dance are all favourite subjects of these artists who depicted a world of summer stillness and tradition just as it was about to be shattered by the firestorm of World War I.
13. Edvard Munch: Paintings of Pain and Passion
Although known worldwide for his legendary painting “the Scream”, few people know its long and tortuous prelude, nor its surprising aftermath. Haunted by disease and death and fuelled by alcohol and raging romantic obsession that only ever ended in catastrophe, it is understandable why he produced such tortured images, images whose provocative and scandalous impact he nonetheless learnt to exploit financially to great effect. Through an examination of seminal, often autobiographical paintings from earliest youth through to his final years, this lecture helps shed light on just what made this Norwegian artist tick, and just why his work became so central to the European expressionist and symbolist movements.
14. From Sagas to Silver
Marvel at how ancient Viking myths and symbols have inspired Nordic arts, crafts and jewellery for generations.
15. Skagen, a Summer Idyll
Listen to the fascinating story of how this tiny village on the tip of the Jutland Peninsula became a Northern paradise for artists from all over Europe in the years prior to World War One.
France, Spain and the Low Countries
16. Monet and his Gardens
Everyone knows about Giverny, but few about the gardens that preceded them and the personal circumstances that were their motivation. Late in life Monet admitted that he may have owed his love of painting to his love of flowers and gardening, which he had developed in early youth as an antidote to his unhappiness. This lecture unfolds the detail behind that statement, which is both moving and beautiful, as Monet struggles with his family, his love and his art. So many of his iconic works have their subject matter located in and around his garden, from his teenage home at Saint-Adresse, his rented homes at Argenteuil and Vétheuil to his great creation at Giverny, which became his only subject in his final years. Through diary entries and letters as well as paintings, the lecture reveals with specific horticultural and painterly detail the development of this life-long passion which climaxed in his monumental waterlily series, and which he shared with his other great gardening friend and colleague, Gustave Caillebotte.
17. Promenade Parisienne, a Walk with the Impressionists through 19th Century Paris
The landscape of Paris changed dramatically with the arrival of Louis Napoléon and his prefect, the Baron Haussmann. Ramshackle medieval streets were replaced by elegant apartment blocks and broad boulevards. Vast structures of cast iron and steel from the Gare du Nord to the Eiffel tower vied with Notre Dame for attention, and what were once sleepy villages like Montmartre quickly became as popular with pleasure seekers as they were with artists seeking cheap studios…Windmills that once ground corn were turned into dance halls and quiet spots by the river invaded by day trippers who now had access to the whole of Paris via its burgeoning railway network. All this and more besides is recorded in fascinating detail by artists such as Pissarro, Renoir, Monet and Caillebotte to name but a few, so why not take a walk with the impressionists through the changing streets of this iconic city?
18. Vincent in Arles
The eighteen months that Vincent Van Gogh spent in Provence are amongst the most turbulent and written about in the whole of art history, yet only recently have some of the most fascinating details surrounding his time there come to light. The lecture examines the background to Vincent’s fascination with the South where he hoped to find the light of Japan, and establish a studio of the South led by Paul Gauguin. Through close examination of the Arles paintings the lecture shows how over the course of just 18 months his own unique style finally emerged, but only after an appalling act of self-mutilation. The build up to the crisis is a fascinating story, rendered all the more poignant by its tragic aftermath and about which much controversy still remains.
19. Gauguin, Van Gogh and Emile Bernard: the Terrible Triangle
Most people are aware of the fight between Gauguin and Van Gogh, and of their time together in Arles, but few are aware of the background to that episode, that began on the coast of Brittany at Pont-Aven. It was here that Gauguin came to work alongside other artists attracted to the light and the looser style of artists such as Eugène Boudin who so influenced Monet. One of these young artists, Émile Bernard, stood out from the rest however. Confident and original, he adopted a unique style and approach that was much admired by Van Gogh and Gauguin, causing Gauguin to develop it into what became his own hallmark “cloisonniste” style. In addition, colour and emotions were associated in a revolutionary new way, leading ultimately to a new branch of art called Synthetism, a source of considerable discussion between the three and a cause of dispute between Gauguin and Vincent when he later moved to Arles.
20. Gustave Caillebotte: the Man in the Top Hat
Unlike most of his fellow artists, Caillebotte came from a privileged background that allowed him to indulge many passions from painting, gardening and boat racing on the Seine, all of which are chronicled in his own work. It was Caillebotte that helped finance several of the eight impressionist exhibitions, and who generously supported the likes of Monet, Renoir Pissarro and Sisley when they were on their uppers. His own distinctive paintings provide a fascinating insight into both his own lifestyle and the changing face of Paris during the 1870's and 1880's.
21. Dutch painting in the Golden Age: from still life to interiors, what stories do they tell?
With the breaking away of the Protestant Dutch Republic from the Catholic South, Dutch painting in the 16th century changed to reflect its new aspirations. In place of Catholic, religious painting came a focus on interiors that reflected the wealth, aspirations and interests of their owners and through some remarkable Vanitas paintings reminded them of their own mortality. Banquet and flower painting also served this purpose , with no better representation of transiency than the tulip, the craze for which reached incredible heights in the 1630’s. The lecture introduces some seminal works that characterise this most important period.
22. A Taste of Dutch
Discover the coded messages that hide behind the wondrously depicted banquet paintings from 16th century Holland. What looks like the left overs from a well-to-do Dutch breakfast is on closer examination a more far reaching statement about the perils of luxury and the precariousness and transiency of life. None of which stops us from marvelling at the incredible level of detail and exquisite mastery of technique and structure that even inspired Matisse and Dali to produce their own 20th century versions.
23. Just a Tulip
This lecture tells the fascinating tale of how how the simple tulip came to dominate Dutch flower painting during the first half of the 16th century, a genre which had already come into its own as a form of Vanitas painting. It looks in detail at the depictions of its cultivation and display by artists such as Ambrosius Bosschaert and Balthasar van der Ast and examines the circumstances behind the bubble that by the 1630’s had inflated the price to a preposterous and unsustainable level.
24. Johannes Vermeer. The Magic and the Mystery
Very few paintings survive by this remarkable artist, and very little documentation survives to cast light on his background, yet each painting is an Aladdin’s cave of fabulous detail, exquisitely painted and full of enigmatic mystery. This lecture helps explain the enduring fascination of paintings such as “the View of Delft”, “the Milk Maid”, “Girl with a Pearl Earring” and “the Little Street”. Through examination of the techniques used in their construction, the allegorical significance of repeated motifs such as the musical instruments and an exposé of some of the contemporary political and social background to the paintings, the mysteries are, partially, at least, revealed.
25. Brunelleschi and the Dome of Florence
Enjoy the story of the battle, both personal and technical, to build what remains one of the worlds most spectacular architectural achievements from the early Renaissance
26. Caravaggio , the Bad Boy of Art
Troubled, violent and always spoiling for a fight, this wild Italian artist utterly transformed the direction of European art forever. Find out why!
27. Antoni Gaudi: Turning Nature into Stone
The story of Spain's most iconic architect, from his childhood spent on its beaches forests and mountains to his finals years spent dedicated to the realisation of his ultimate fantasy, the "Sagrada Familia", is utterly compelling and immensely moving. We examine the theories behind his construction techniques and look in detail at how he applied the lessons of nature to create both magnificent private mansions and a temple, as he saw it, worthy of God himself.
Britain, America and Canada:
28. The extraordinary talent of John Singer Sargent
Few artists can match the achievements of this american artist who trained in Paris and spent much of his life depicting the world of the Belle Époque, from leisurely days on the Grand canal, to the society women of New York. His style is uniquely his own, impressionistic and realistic at once, flamboyant and spontaneous with a bravura and exactitude reminiscent of Velasquez and Van Dyck. Few can fail to be inspired by his exquisite handling of colour, tone and light, whether in oils or watercolour, landscape or portrait, his genius is universal.
29. The Battle of two Titans: Sargent v. Zorn
At the turn of the 20th century, Sweden's master painter, Anders Zorn and American born John Singer Sargent had the world at their feet...whether in watercolour or oils, both were impossibly gifted, both enjoyed glittering itinerant careers and both painted the rich and famous of Europe and the USA using similar virtuoso techniques. They were undoubtedly rivals who even today invite obvious comparisons. Which one, if either, was best? It will be for you to decide!
N.B. This lecture would fit equally well under both the Scandinavian and American sections of this Directory
30. Paintings from across the Pond.
This lecture covers the development of the modern USA as tracked by the painters of the romantic Hudson River School through to the gritty realism of the “Ashcan” movement. The dramatic landscapes of Francis Edwin Church and Thomas Cole were based partly on reality, partly on imagination, designed in part to portray the vast scale and infinite potential of these barely charted territories. Yet by the turn of the twentieth century, the focus had turned from the natural to the urban landscape and its populace as it faced up to the challenge of matching immigrant aspirations to reality.
31. Winslow Homer and the Art of New England.
Homer Trained originally as a newspaper illustrator, imbuing his style with a distinctive, graphic clarity designed to make an immediate impact. His approach to watercolour was much influenced by an extended stay in the Northumberland port of Cullercoats, where he was much inspired by the hard life of the North Sea fisherfolk. He is best known for his dramatic and moody seascapes, as well as moving studies of individuals such as farmworkers, teachers and children in his homelands of New England, at peace at last after the Civil War. Thus he presrents us with a fascinating and at times nostalgic portrait of the heart of America at a time of rapid expansion and change.
32. American Impressionism.
Many are familiar with the work of American artist and friend of Degas, Mary Cassatt, but rather fewer with such worthies as John Twachtman, Childe Hassam, William Merritt chase and Theodor Robinson. Although many of the American impressionists were indeed inspired by what they had seen first had see in Paris, they were no slavish copyists, and each developed his or her own distinctive style. From the intimate interiors and Long Island landscapes of William Merritt Chase to the atmospheric cityscapes and delicate gardens of Childe Hassam, this lecture shows how American followers of Impressionism adapted this style to record the many moods and changing face of America in the latter years of the 19th century.
33. Pioneers of the new America: Artists of the Hudson River.
Originating in the dramatic Adirondack mountains of Upstate New York, the Hudson winds its way south to end alongside the skyscrapers of Manhattan. For much of the 19th century, it was a prime source of inspiration for artists who sought to associate the unspoilt grandeur and vast potential of these recently claimed lands with the hopes and aspirations of a new nation. The lecture focuses particularly on the work of English born Thomas Cole, who founded the movement, and later followers Frederic Edwin Church and Albert Bierstadt, who took the style beyond the Hudson to the mighty Rocky mountains, the volcanoes of the Andes and the icebergs of the Arctic. The work of all three was charged with the unshakeable belief that such majesty could only be the work of a divine hand, and newcomers to their work will be left breathless at the artist's skill in depicting in romantic style the full spectrum of moods and emotions such landscape can evoke.
34. Heading West and Wild: the Art of Albert Bierstadt
German trained Bierstadt is the painter par excellence of American expansion beyond the Hudson Valley and Yosemite in the East to the mighty peaks of the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada in the West. His lavish, sumptuous landscapes depict with astonishing atmospheric effects and attention to detail the grandeur of the pre-industrial American landscape, which however magnificent, was increasingly under threat from the realisation of America's “Manifest Destiny”.
This lecture would be a perfect follow-on from a study day lecture on the Hudson River School, or stand alone lectures on Thomas Cole or Frederic Church
35. New York! NewYork! the Ashcan Experiment.
Of all the places to be in the world at the end of the 19th century, it has to be New York. The city enjoyed unprecedented growth as new blood flooded in from all over the world. As gleaming new skyscrapers grew skyward the squalor of teeming tenements and the struggle to survive in this rapidly changing city became rich pickings for a young group of artists seeking new inspiration. For the artists of the "Ashcan school" nobility could be found not just in the grandiose buildings of this booming city but in the daily lives of the labourers who built it.
36. Tiffany & Co: Of Diamonds and Decadence.
Founded by Charles Tiffany with a loan of just $1000, The firm of Tiffany & Company, New York grew from a small bric -à-brac shop to become purveyors of the finest luxury goods and the world's leading jewellers. The business evolved even further under Charles's immensely gifted son Louis, who not only completely redesigned the now lost interior of the White house but spent over thirty years developing the manufacture of the most exquisite glass. From wonderful vases and lamps to the diamonds worn by Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" this is a fascinating tale of how art and luxury came together to create one of the the world's most iconic brands
37. Lost Mansions of Old New York
The period from around 1870 until 1900 saw fortunes repeatedly made and lost as entrepreneurs cashed in on the building and railway boom that swept over the American continent. Men like Astor, Vandebilt and Carnegie built magnificent mansions to rival the finest French chateaux and summer "cottages" that were preposterously grand. Their heyday was short-lived however, nearly all replaced today by skyscraper hotels, but their fascinating story and that of their glamorous occupants lives on...
38. Painter of the Gilded Age: the Art of William Merritt Chase
A contemporary rival of John Singer Sargent to be the go-to portraitist for Fifth Avenue's finest, Chase was much more than that. Equally at home in pastel or oils, Chase produced many touching, atmospheric views of the landscape around his home on Long Island, and also of New York's city parks as places of leisure and refuge from the steaming city itself.
39. In Search of Paradise: the Paintings of Thomas Cole
Moving from the industrial squalor of Bolton, Lancashire, to New York's beautiful Hudson Valley, Thomas Cole recorded the stunningly beautiful landscapes of his new surroundings, whilst all the while only too conscious of its fragility in the face of modern development and America's "Manifest Destiny." Cole's warnings about the ease with which paradise can be lost are just as relevant today as they were more than a century and a half ago.
40. Glitz and Glamour in the Golden Age of the Transatlantic Liner.
The Battle for the Blue Riband dominated Atlantic travel for many decades and the rivalry between the major shipping lines to build the the biggest and best leviathons of ocean travel was intense. Ships such as French Line’s Ile de France and Hapag Lloyd’s Imperator rapidly became not just floating works of art but ships of state with stunning décor to match. The lecture shows how they were adapted to match changing tastes; from the elegance of the French chateau and the heaviness of the Dutch renaissance to the dazzling sophistication of what became known as “streamline moderne”, the lecture presents rare archive photographs of interiors from iconic ships such as the original Mauretania to the magnificent, but short lived Normandie.
41. Hans Holbein and the Ambassador’s Secret.
The double portrait identified only in the last century as two ambassadors to the court of Henry Vlll at the time of his “Great Matter” – his divorce from Katherine of Aragon - and which hangs in the National gallery, is a painting that has been subject to much interpretation and research not least by Mary Hervey and the more recent, if controversial efforts of John North. Through a careful study of the intriguing objects and structural elements of the painting, combined with an exposé of the background political events that were threatening to destabilize the then known world, the audience will be asked to evaluate the validity of some quite remarkable and intriguing theories and draw its own conclusions as to the painting’s overall significance.
42. The Real da Vinci Code
This lecture reveals just what it is about that quirk of mathematics we call “Golden Ratio” that has so intrigued artists, scientists and even novelists such as Dan Brown down the ages. The latter’s best selling novel brought it to public attention, and rightly so. This lecture goes further into the ratio’s underpinning of outstanding design in nature, art and architecture, encouraging some to suggest this could be the blueprint of the universe itself.
43. When Cotton was King: the Architectural Legacy of 19th Century Manchester : From Warehouse to Palazzo
19th century Manchester, or “Cottonopolis’ as it became known, was the world’s first industrialized city that enjoyed unstoppable growth for much of the last century. With that growth came grand commercial and civic buildings on a scale and of a quality never witnessed in the city before. This lecture examines the extraordinary variety of such buildings and shows how their architects and stonemasons brought directly into the streets of Manchester the golden age of Pericles, the architecture of Renaissance Italy and the gothic of the Grand Canal. It goes into a detailed study of the allegorical sculpture and decoration of many of these buildings, many of which have fascinating stories to tell and which were designed by eminent architects such as Charles Barry and Alfred Waterhouse even before they went on to make names for themselves in the capital itself.
STUDY DAYS:
These may be multiples or combinations of any of the above.
In the case of the latter, “When Cotton was King”, there are 2 further parts available individually or as part of a Study Day
Part 1: as above
Part 2 :“Town Hall Triumphant” – this looks at the story behind the building of the magnificent Town Hall by Alfred Waterhouse, described by many as the last great gothic building of the 19th century . It looks at the competing designs, the battle to build it, the decoration and sculpture and the personalities behind some of the key figures. It also looks at the fascinating series of paintings in the Great Hall that tell the history of Manchester by Ford Maddox Brown.
Part 3: “Boom, Bust and Baroque” The concluding part of the story deals with the years that followed the opening of the town hall, the change of styles from gothic, to art nouveau and Edwardian Baroque and pared-down classicism. Some of the finest civic and commercial buildings went up at the very time the industry was on the wane, some of which have found exciting new uses as the city has reinvented itself in a thoroughly modern context.
STARS & STRIPES- the art of 19th Century America
Part 1: Pioneers of America
looks at the romantic idealization of this new and exciting landscape via artists of the Hudson River school, such as Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, and Frederic Edwin Church.
Part 2:
The art of Winslow Homer- this in-depth study of the artist many consider to be America’s finest will look at what makes him so special, from his superb watercolours to engravings that rival Rembrandt’s. Each one gives exquisite and moving insight into post civil-war America.
Part 3:
either:
New York! New York! The Ashcan Experiment
Takes us deep into New York’s beating heart as it metamorphosed from a small time colonial outpost to a vibrant and cosmopolitan metropolis. The new generation of artists known as the “EIGHT” challenged academic norms in their gritty depictions of every day life, yet their works were no less full of pathos, drama and atmosphere.
or:
Tiffany & Co. - Of Diamonds and Decadence
From humble beginnings, through the remarkable talents of both Charles abd Louis Comfort Tiffany, this firm emerged to be at the forefront of design and desirability. From fabulous jewels and unique glassware to dazzling, cutting edge interiors, they offered a total, bespoke service to the rich clients of America’s gilded age.
Another very catchy and popular combination runs under the title "America -SAIL, SWEAT AND SPARKLE", combining the following three lectures:
The Glitz and Glamour of the Transatlantic Liner
New York! New York! The Ashcan experiment
Tiffany & Co - Of Diamonds and Decadence
RUSSIA – from Romanovs to Revolution
part 1: From Peasants to Czars, a portrait of Czarist Russia
As the century progressed, the attention of artists turned from conventional portraits and grand historical chapters from Russian history to the real Russia – the Russia of the peasant and her challenging but wonderful landscape.
part 2:
either:
Isaac Levitan and the Poetry of Landscape
Widely acknowledged as Russia’s master of landscape, Levitan had but a few years to capture the magic and majesty of its vast terrain. every picture tells a story, not just of Russia as it emerged into the modern world, but of the painter’s own struggles, as a Jew and as an artist, to be accepted in the country he clearly loved so much.
or: In Love with the Landscape: Russian painting from the 19th Century
Only in the mid 19th Century did Russia's artists turn to their own vast country for inspiration, finding it not just in her vast rivers, forests and skies, but in her melting snows, flooded meadows and moonlit villages. It is a landscape they found to be cruel and loving in equal measure, but unique in both its scale and character.
or
The Road to Revolution
!917 was a long time in coming, preceded by both political and artistic upheaval. Arguably, it began with the liberation of the serfs in 1861, a double edged sword that brought both freedom and devastating change. Artists such as Ilya Repin dared to depict with graphic realism the social and political consequences, whilst others such as Kazimir Malevich would create a revolution in art the effects of which are reverberating to this day.
Part 3.
The Road to Revolution (as above)
or:
After the Revolution: New Art for a New Age
Jubilant that the years of Czarist oppression were now over, most Russian artists, especially the Avant Garde, welcomed the new regime, only to become quickly disillusioned. By 1932 virtually all freedom of expression had been sacrificed on the altar of "Social Realism" and art of all kinds used as a tool of blatant propaganda. But like it or hate it, every picture tells a story, and this one is as compelling as any.
THE ART OF THE BALTIC
Parts 1, 2 and 3 can can be made up of any suitable combination of:
Masters of the North
From wild romantic landscapes of Norway, the quiet cityscapes of Copenhagen and both realist and impressionist masterpieces from Skagen on Denmark’s most northerly tip, we take a look at what was happening in Scandinavian painting during the 19th Century
Midsummer Magic
Late 19th century artists such as Kitty Kielland, Peder Severin Krøyer and Anders Zorn brought both realist and impressionist techniques to bear as they gave expression to the magical light of the Nordic summer and portrayed the everyday activities of a world far removed from that of the big industrial cities, but t one which was about to be violently disturbed by the firestorm that was World War One.
Struggling to Survive:
Living anywhere in the 19th Century was tough, but in places like Norway and Russia it was as tough as it gets…. for fishermen and farmers a constant battle with the elements, for all the threat of famine and disease, especially the dreaded T.B. Yet out of misfortune came some of the most moving, if sometimes harrowing paintings of the 19th Century, not least by Edvard Munch and Christian Krohg.
Edvard Munch: The Man Behind the Madness
Presents the portrait of the man behind “the Scream”, a painting which has many equally disturbing predecessors and continuations, each one providing graphic insight into this iconic artist’s motivation and life story. Not for the fainthearted.
The Forgotten Genius of Anders Zorn.
in his day, Anders Zorn was as well known and as successful as John Singer Sargent, yet Sweden’s master painter is all but forgotten. Prepare to be amazed at his stunningly beautiful paintings, from exquisite watercolours of quiet Swedish backwaters to magnificent oil portraits of America’s high society at the turn of the 20th Century.
Helsinki: A Jewel of Art Nouveau
Learn how art, architecture, literature and the music of Sibelius came together to underpin the National Romantic style that emerged as Finland’s unique version of “Art Nouveau”, and which gave artistic expression to Finland’s quest to become a sovereign nation. Includes musical excepts.
From Peasants to Czars: A Portrait of Czarist Russia
Through seminal portraits and iconic landscapes from realist artists such as Ilya Repin , Ivan Kramskoi and Isaak Levitan, we take you on a pictorial troika ride through some of the most significant chapters of Russian history of the 19th century. Artists such as Ilya Repin, Vasily Perov