Sutton Coldfield Decorative and Fine Arts Society
Lectures
Oct. 13th 2010 Nov. 10th 1010 Dec. 8th 2010 Jan 12th 2011 Feb. 9th 2011 March 9th 2011 April 13th 2011 May 11th 2011. June 6th 2011 July 13th, 2011
Henry Purcell: Music and Art in Restoration England
Denis Moriarty, MA Oxon
Purcell's life (1659 - 95) spanned three reigns.
He wrote brilliant anthems and odes for Church and State ceremonial occasions,
operas and a range of wonderful songs as incidental music for the theatre.
Dido and Aeneas is an operatic masterpiece.
He lived through plague, fire, political and religious turmoil, and Denis's lecture,
with extracts of the music, sets Purcell in this historic context, including the
contemporary painting and architecture. A greater musical genius England never had!
The Turner Prize Explained
Frank Woodgate BA MBCS ACIB
Established in 1984 and causing controversy almost every year since then,
the Turner Prize is regarded by many as a great showcase for British avant-garde art, and
by others as conceptualist rubbish. Nevertheless, the exhibitions each autumn continue to
draw larger and larger crowds. This lecture looks at great winners (and losers) from the
past and clarifies the ideas behind the annual competition.
Frank is a lecturer and guide at the Tate Britain, the Tate Modern and the Dulwich Picture
Gallery.
Merrily on High - the history of the English Christmas Carol
Peter Medhurst
Peter traces the progress of the English Christmas carol through seven
centuries of continuous development and reveals that some fascinating stories lay behind
many of our apparently blameless seasonal songs.
Peter is a musician and scholar. He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the
Royal College of music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg
Plutocrats on Vacation - Holiday Homes of the American Rich
Roger Mitchell
The American Rich of the late 19th century were probably the richest
private individuals in the history of the world. Mark Twain described this period after
the American Civil War as the Gilded Age and that is an appropriate description for an
architecture that set out to impress. We will travel from Newport, Rhode Island, via
Asheville, North Carolina to Southern Georgia and Florida before ending up on the
Californian Coast in the 1920s. Is this just 'conspicuous consumption' or is there also
'enlightened patronage'? It will be for you to decide.
Andrea Palladio & English Palladianism
Launce Gribbin
Launce traces the story of how a stone mason, Andrea di Pietro della
Gondola (only nicknamed Palladio) became interested in ancient Greek and Roman
Architecture, and how his practical and well illustrated "Four Books of Architecture",
published in 1570, became the builders bible for the palladium movement in the following
three centuries. Launce is an artist, lecturer and tutor to Sotheby's Educational Studies.
Moonlight Paintings - the life and art of Atkinson Grimshaw
Tim Stimson
John Atkinson Grimshaw was one of the very few a self-taught, working
class artists in Victorian Britain. Overcoming the discouragement of having his paints
and brushes burned by his mother, and inspired by the success of Pre-Raphaelitism, his
meticulous rendering of landscapes lead to the development of his main interest - moonlight
views. However, his range is much wider than is generally know, and Tim Stimson's lecture
charts the relationship between the artist and his public.
Tim Stimson was a painter / ceramicist, and studied literature and the history of art at
University. He specializes in 17th and 19th century art and society, and lectures at the
universities of Hull and Cambridge.
The Cult of the South Pacific: From Cook to Gauguin
Leslie Primo
This lecture looks at the enduring Western obsession with the so called
'exotic' or 'noble savage,' starting with the discovery of the Island of Tahiti in1767 and
charting the impact of English and European influence in this part of the world through
painted images of the islands and their peoples by artists such as William Hodges,
Benjamin West, John Webber and John Cleveley.
This background of Britain's exploration abroad also sees the creation at home of the
Royal Academy under its first Director Sir Joshua Reynolds, and his involvement in these
new discoveries is also charted through his paintings. This lecture also looks at what
happen to these notions of the exotic in the 19th century, explored through the
Post-Impressionist work of Paul Gaugui - also looking for paradise on Tahiti.
Once Upon a Time - Children's Books through the Ages
Elizabeth Merry MA BA (Hons)
Children's literature has only been recognized as a distinct genre for
about 200 years. Its development is a fascinating story, echoing the recognition of
childhood as an experience in its own right, not merely as preparation for maturity.
As social and historical changes prompted a changing view of childhood, more and more
books for children were produced. Characteristic of even the earliest forms - the
alphabet primers, religious instruction booklets and fairytale collections of the 17th
and 18th centuries - was the accompaniment of pictures to the text - so with the rise of a
commercial trade in children's books came the rise of the children's illustrator.
During the 19th century output grew enormously, culminating in the first 'Golden Age'
when Lewis Carroll blazed a trail of astonishing originality and nothing was ever the
same again. We explore the milestones leading to this 'Golden Age' and look at what was
to follow.
Elizabeth has some 20 years experience lecturing on a range of subjects including
classical art and architecture, aspects of the visual arts and literature.
Diaghilev's Ballets Russes: A Synthesis of Excellence?
Mrs Elizabeth Rumbelow.
In this lecture Elizabeth Rumbelow will look at how the Russian
impresario Diaghilev, in the early years of the twentieth century, created a ballet
company, in which, for the first time, a dazzling array of painters, such as Picasso
and de Chirico, composers such as Ravel and Stravinsky, and dancers of the calibre of
Nijinsky and Pavlova, worked together on collaborative productions. In particular, the
lecture concentrates on two famous ballets, Petrushka and L'Après Midi d'un Faune and
their sets, costumes, choreography and music are examined in detail to decide why the
former was a stunning success and the latter a dreadful failure.
Elizabeth has honours degrees in English and Music. She specializes in the
inter-relationship of the arts, especially painting, music and literature.
Keeping it Clean - Bathers in Art
Linda Smith MA
There are many thousands of bathers in art, and some are even men!
One reason for the longevity of this tradition is obvious, but others are more intriguing.
This lecture looks at the history of the bather in art and examines the subject in the
context of changing ideas and attitudes to cleanliness, godliness, nudity, sex and class.
Linda is a well-qualified art historian with a special interest in British art, and 20th
century art. She is a guide and lectures at Tate Brian. Tate Modern and the Dulwich
Picture Gallery.