10.30 am to 3.30 pm.

Bourne End Community Centre Wakeman Road SL8 5SX

Tickets £48 to include buffet lunch with wine.

Please contact: Inka D'Agostino 07772995409. inkaania@hotmail.co.uk

LECTURE ONE: FROM CONVENT TO CONCRETE

Covent Garden has been a popular destination for over 1500 years. Our first lecture traces the story of the area's development, from its origins as a thriving Saxon port to Inigo Jones’ revolutionary plan for a ‘piazza', and how the world-famous fruit and vegetable market was nearly 'brutally' demolished in the 1970s!

LECTURE TWO: HOGARTH & HARLOTS

By the early 1700s, Covent Garden became infamous as the 'Square of Venus'. Our second lecture takes a deeper dive into the demi monde world of the Georgian vice industry memorably depicted by Hogarth & other artists. We meet some extraordinary (& enterprising!) characters and open the pages of Harris's infamous list of "Covent Garden Ladies”.

LECTURE THREE: PUNCH, PYGMALION & PUCCINI

In our 'finale' lecture, we raise the curtain on Covent Garden as a place of entertainment. We examine the birth of the West End with two royal theatres that thrive today, and see how the piazza itself has attracted street performers for centuries. We also meet some of the famous (& often forgotten) stars who have graced the stages of London's famed 'theatreland'.

Arts Society Thames invites you to a Special Interest Day:

Time: 10:30am until 3:30pm

Includes: 3 Lectures (2xAM/1xPM)
Refreshments: Morning coffee and Lunch
Venue: Bourne End Community Centre
Cost: £48 per person

The Study Day will include the following three lectures:

1) Images of the British Empire

2) Imperial Calcutta: Arts and Architecture

3) The Art of Rabindranath Tagore

How did the British view themselves and their subjects in the era of imperialism? How did imperial subjects view the British?

This study day will consider these questions by exploring a range of images, buildings, objects and art forms from across the British Empire. Beginning with a broad view of the empire and imperial art in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, we will go on to focus more closely on imperial India. We will consider the arts and architecture of the vibrant capital city of Calcutta, the ‘second city’ of the British Empire throughout the nineteenth century. We will then take a detailed look at the life and art of one of India’s cultural giants, Rabindranath Tagore.

Contact the Speaker Secretaries to book your place:
Claire Rolfe all@rolfe.org.uk 07587 142522
Inka D’agostino inkaania@hotmail.co.uk 07772 995409

Arts Society Thames invites you to a Special Interest Day

Time: 10:30am until 3:30pm

Includes:  3 Lectures (2xAM/1xPM)

Refreshments: Morning coffee and Lunch

Venue: Bourne End Community Centre

Cost: £40-£45 per person (TBC)

Please contact Inka tel.# 07772 995409, or Claire tel.# 07587 142522 for further information or to book a place.  Alternatively you can speak to them at our next meeting on Thursday 9th February.

Morning Talks 1 & 2: From Greece to the Normans: The Splendour of Sicily

These focus upon the rich architectural and artistic heritage of Sicily - the largest and one of the wealthiest islands of the ancient Mediterranean.  In the first talk we see the mysterious Carthaginians, and their distinctive culture, still visible on the small island of Motya, and then the Greeks, with beautiful cities such as Agrigento, and Syracuse and Segesta, preserving some of the Mediterranean’s most stunning ruins.  We see temples and theatres and the rich culture of these western Greeks;

Our second talk on the history and archaeology of Sicily begins with the Romans. Sicily was Rome’s first foreign province and its wealth, peace and prosperity, is reflected in the monument-filled cities of Syracuse and Taormina, and in the sumptuous ‘mosaic villa’ of Piazza Armerina.   After Rome, we see the influence of the Arab invaders and then finish with Norman Sicily - an extraordinary artistic flourishing, culminating in the mosaics of the mighty Norman basilicas of Cefalu and Monreale.

Suggested Bibliography

J. Julius Norwich  : a short history from the Ancient Greeks to Cosa Nostra (2015)

An affectionate and very readable introduction to the island.

E. Grady Blue Guide : Sicily  (8th Edition 2012)

Short, good general introduction to history, art, etc of the island.  Then intros to individual sites and monuments.

G.T. di Lampedusa Il Gattopardo (1958) or Visconti’s film with Burt Lancaster and Claudia Cardinale (1963) Atmospheric, claustrophobic portrait of the decline of Sicily’s aristocracy after the ‘liberation’ of Sicily by Garibaldi in 1860

Afternoon Talk 3: Leptis Magna and Cyrene: Cities of the Sands

This looks at two of the mightiest cities of Roman Africa, lost under the sands for centuries now once more brought to light, and both today in the troubled country of Libya so currently unvisitable.  To the east lies Cyrene founded by Greek colonists, while to the west is Leptis Magna, first built by Phoenicians ‑ the ancestors of Hannibal – spreading out from their capital at Carthage. 

Both cities have a very distinctive atmosphere. Spiritual Cyrene, filled with sacred Greek temples and precincts sits in a stupendous setting, on top of a great green mountain, rising out of the desert.   Mighty Leptis sprawls along the coast and was the birthplace of the mighty Emperor Septimius Severus.  With its great imperial suites of buildings - forum, basilica, stadium and arena - it is truly a mini-Rome.  We also look at some of the wonderful finds in the British Museum and elsewhere, which were discovered in these beautiful cities of the sands.

WHAT MAKES A PAINTING A WORK OF ART? ENCAUSTIC TO ACRYLIC. 

Discover the impact of paint media on the art you see with Lynne Gibson.

We are familiar with paintings being described as oils on canvas or tempera on panel, but might be surprised to discover the importance of this sticky stuff to the history of art.

Buon fresco allowed artists to decorate the vast new Christian basilicas and Renaissance palaces. Tough egg tempera was ideal for altar panels. Rich gouache was the perfect paint for illuminations on vellum and paper. Without oils the Mona Lisa would not be mysterious, without modern processes Impressionism would never have existed, and Jackson Pollock could not have ‘splashed and dripped’ without industrial car paints.

By examining some key works from Western Art history, as well as looking at paints, media and brushes, we will discover the important role materials and their techniques play in our understanding and enjoyment of Art.

Venue: The King’s Church, Raans Rd, Amersham HP6 6LX     10.30am - 3.00pm

Cost:  £42. This includes coffee and sandwich lunch

Open to both The Arts Society members and non-members. 

BOOKING is online with  eventbrite.co.uk       

Click here or copy the following link into your browser

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-makes-a-painting-a-work-of-art-encaustic-to-acrylic-tickets-168573256147

Please also email the following details to Felicity Sykes at acechilternhills@theartssociety.org

I have booked  ………place(s) for the Special Interest Day 14 January 2022 at £42 per person

Name:   …………………………………….

Society or contact  ………………………………………………

Email:   …………………………………………

In case of emergency, telephone contact:   ……………………………  

Please let me know if you have any food allergies or intolerances. 

This booking is non-refundable (unless there is a government Covid lockdown on the day).

For further information  contact Felicity Sykes by email 

acechilternhills@theartssociety.org

or by telephone 01296 620830. 

You can also download a booking from by clicking here

We shall give out information on this when it is available'

This series of lectures will look at the characteristics of Impressionism, how it relates to previous styles, and the influence of science exploring colour theory and the nature of light. What were the forces that led to Impressionism becoming a formal movement and which aspects were anticipated and developed in other parts of Europe which then spread to America? The lectures will answer questions related to just how this style became so revered by generations of art lovers.

By the end of the 19th century, artists and designers were bored with reworking the old styles and some turned to nature, resulting in Art Nouveau. In Vienna this movement was termed the ‘Secession’ with artists such as Klimt, Schiele the architect Otto Wagner and designers Josef Hoffman and Kolo Moser. They aimed to embrace modernity, new technologies, life in city and the changing role of women. Vienna was different as it adopted a restrained linear style rather than the more florid styles of France and Belgium. Klimt’s art was influenced by Sigmund Freud as well as his own preoccupation with death and sexuality. Artists at this time paved the way for Modernism.

Paris is described as the birthplace of modern art and home to some of the most significant examples of medieval and Renaissance tapestry, painting and sculpture. So join us for a journey through the major Parisian museums, buildings and galleries.

In the first lecture, Valerie will look the early period taking us through medieval art, then in the second lecture to Renaissance and 19th Century examples and finally to masterpieces of modern art. All this with reference to the Musée Cluny, the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Musée Picasso and the Centre Pompidou, to name but a few.

There should be plenty of time for questions – so do come.  

In these three lectures, Andrew will explore the fascinating history of the British theatre, which has been at the centre of our lives and culture.

His first session will describe the beginnings from the Medieval Mystery Plays, through to Shakespeare and Inigo Jones’ court Masques.

He will then move on to the Restoration and Victorian period with reference to David Garrick, the growth of Theatre Royals outside London and the influence of fairground theatres and strolling players.

The final lecture takes from then up to the present day with Henry Irving, modern drama on radio and TV and the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company. So join us in what should be a fascinating day.

Study Day 3   Treasures from the Royal Collection

The Royal Collection is the last great European Dynastic collection to survive in royal ownership. It comprises over 485,000 objects collected by members of the royal family over the last 500 years.

It includes a large number of the best examples if many forms of art, from paintings to Old Master drawings, from sculpture to ceramics, from furniture to clocks, from jewellery  and objects in gold and silver to books, manuscripts and watercolours.  The collection is wholly unlike a museum collection in that the latter seeks to be comprehensive, the former is primarily a testament to the personal collecting tastes of many members of the royal family over the years.

This study day seeks to illustrate the works of art, their position in the history of art and the personalities of the royal collectors.  From Henry VIII and Holbein Oliver will move through Charles I, probably the most perceptive of all royal collectors, Charles II who recovered much of the collection sold by Oliver Cromwell, George III who added greatly to the collection over a wide range, George IV, the most prolific royal collector with extraordinarily diverse tastes, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as enthusiastic patrons of the arts, and, in the twentieth century, Edward VII, George V and Queen Mary, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s extensive collection, and ending with our present Queen’s reign.

Our Lecturer: Oliver Everett served in the Foreign Office including postings in India and Spain before becoming Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales 1978-80, then Private Secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales 1981-83. He was Librarian in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle 1984-2002.

 Venue: The Hub, Easton Street, High Wycombe HP11 1NJ

Time: 10.30am – 3.30pm (coffee from 10)

For booking and further information, contact Lisa Green

Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area

lisachilternhills@gmail.com

01494 521750

0774 734 9766 (for use ONLY on a study day, no texts)

Click here for a booking form

3rd November [Signing on from 8 September]

For our Special Interest Day in November, Eveline Eaton returns to talk about The Post-Impressionist Rebellion. Modern art traces its origins back to the artistic revolution in the late 19th century when painters like Cézanne, Seurat, Gauguin and Van Gogh challenged accepted official ‘Salon-taste’ and evolved totally new principles of art. The combination of these rebellious Post-Impressionist ideas with the tremendous technological and scientific changes of the early 20th century resulted in that ‘maze’ which we call ‘Modern Art’. Eveline will focus on Cézanne, Seurat and Gauguin in the morning session, and on Van Gogh in the afternoon session.

Eveline Eaton: Diploma: Study Centre for the History of Fine & Decorative Arts. Freelance lecturer in Fine Arts and tour-guide to Berlin, Dresden, Munich, Côte d'Azur, Normandy and New York. Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Dresden Trust.

Study Day 2   From Sugar Baron to Power Station: The Story of the Tate

In this Study Day we will look at the History of the Tate from its foundation in 1897 through to recent developments including the opening of Tate St Ives, Tate Liverpool and Tate Modern.

The timing of this day is serendipitous given that the major expansion of Tate Modern and its 10 storey extension is due to open in June 2016 and we will be given an exciting preview of what this will contain.

We will of course also examine many of the masterpieces in the Tate collection and the controversies surrounding some of them.

Session 1: History, acquisitions, disasters and controversies

Session 2: Current displays at Tate Britain and expansion to St Ives, Liverpool and Bankside.

Session 3: Tate Modern – development and highlights of current displays

Our Lecturer: Frank has been a lecturer and guide in Tate Britain and Tate Modern since 2000, and subsequently on P&O cruises on behalf of the Tate. He has been a popular NADFAS lecturer since 2003 in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Gibraltar, Australia and New Zealand.

Venue:  The Hub, Easton Street, High Wycombe HP11 1NJ

Time:  10.30am – 3.30pm (coffee from 10)

Cost:  £32 per Study Day (includes coffee and biscuits and light lunch)

For booking and further information, contact Lisa Green

Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area

lisachilternhills@gmail.com

01494 521750

0774 734 9766 (for use ONLY on a study day, no texts)

Click here for a booking form

Study Day 1   Personalities and Patronage: the story of one family’s collecting at Chatsworth

Simon introduces us to Chatsworth and the first 400 years of collections focusing on the passions, personalities and patronage of each generation from 1550-1950, ending dramatically with the gloom of post-war death duties and despair.

We will then go “outside into the garden” with his second lecture on the evolution of the garden and park from 1550 to the present day.

The 3rd lecture brings us right up to date with collections since 1950, including a spectacular new ceramic installation commissioned in 2014. The era of the renaissance under the 11th and 12th Dukes and Duchesses is a positive and exciting story that weaves in all the themes of the day.

Our lecturer: Simon Seligman worked at Chatsworth for 19 years, with responsibility for education programmes, marketing attractions and events. He will certainly give us a real insight into this unique stately home and its history, and maybe a few secrets!

Venue: The Hub, Easton Street, High Wycombe HP11 1NJ

Time: 10.30am – 3.30pm (coffee from 10)

Cost: £32 per Study Day (includes coffee and biscuits and light lunch)

For booking and further information, contact Lisa Green

Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area

lisachilternhills@gmail.com

01494 521750

0774 734 9766 (for use ONLY on a study day, no texts)

Click here for a booking form

17th March [Signing on from 14 January]

In March James Bolton makes a welcome return for a Special Interest Day, when his theme will be The Grand Tour and the influence of Italy on English Gardens. The revolution in garden design in the 18th century which brought about the English landscape garden was the result of a number of influences, among them the Grand Tour. Gentlemen and aristocrats returned from Italy inspired by the classical ruins around Rome, Renaissance villas and the landscape of the Roman campagna, and determined to surround their newly built classical country houses with a suitably Italian landscape. The result was the transformation of England by both professional and amateur gardeners, from William Kent and Lord Burlington to ‘Capability’ Brown.  James’ three lectures will explore, firstly, Gardens in Italy from the Emperor Hadrian to the Emperor Napoleon; secondly, The Grand Tour: the perils and pleasures of the 18th-century traveller’s journey to Italy; and lastly, The influence of Italy on 18th-century English gardens.

James Bolton, Inchbald School of Design 1990 (Dip ISD). Head Gardener, Old Rectory Farnborough 1990-92. Faculty Director, Design History, Inchbald School of Design. Garden Designer 1992-99. Garden Designer 1992-. NADFAS lecturer 1995-. Organiser NADFAS garden study days and tours in UK and Europe. Organises tours to the best private gardens in the UK, Italy, France and South Africa. 'Garden Mania', a book on garden ornaments, published in 2000.

Venue:

Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford OX1 2PH

Time: 10.30am – 3.30pm

Cost: £36 per Study Day (includes coffee and biscuits and light lunch)

Study Day 1 PORTRAIT

Date: Tuesday 26 January 2016

Study Day 2 LANDSCAPE

Date: Wednesday 24 February 2016

Study Day 3 STILL LIFE

Date: Thursday 7 April 2016

Click here for more details

Click here for a booking form