THE ARTS SOCIETY NADDER VALLEY
LECTURE SEASON 2023-24
Inform, Educate, Entertain
Our programme is available to members only. Guests of members are welcome for a fee of £10.00 per lecture.
Lectures are held at The Nadder Centre, Weaveland Road, Tisbury, SP3 6HJ and start at 6.30 pm unless otherwise stated.
FEAR NOT: THE ANNUNCIATION IN ART
Friday 20th October 2023
The story of the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel’s appearance to the Virgin Mary as told in St Luke’s gospel, has inspired some of the most beautiful images in Western Art. These include Simone Martini’s altarpiece for Siena Cathedral, now in the Uffizi Gallery and Fra Angelico’s frescoes in the monastery of San Marco in Florence. The earliest depiction of the Annunciation is thought to date back to the 2nd century AD. Since then, the narrative has been reimagined by numerous artists including Van Eyck, Botticelli, Dürer and Rossetti. This lecture will take you on a journey through a range of different depictions of the Annunciation and explore the ways in which artists have captured this pivotal moment of the Christian story.
A BRIEF STORY OF WINE - INCLUDING WINE TASTING
Friday 17th November 2023
A great subject, and full of rich evidence, going back 7,000 years, in the form of paintings, decorated drinking vessels, buildings and literature that contribute to the story. The lecture will be followed by an optional wine tasting (at an additional cost) from our local wine merchants, Gardner and Beedle.
THE ART OF MODERN DANCE
Postponed from Friday 15th September 2023 to be rescheduled (TBC) in December
This lecture looks at the explosion of modern dance that took place during the 20thcentury after Isadora Duncan introduced a new free flowing form of dance at the turnof the century.Modern dance pioneers included Martha Graham, Doris Humphreyand Charles Weidman and these in turn were succeeded by post WW2choreographers such as Merce Cunningham who broke the rules paving the way forpost-modern dance from the 1960s,We’ll also take alook at hiphop, street dancing,jazz and some extraordinary site specific works that take us up to the present time.The lecture will include video clips and music as well as stills.
THE MEN WHO MADE MENSWEAR
Friday 19th January 2024
This lecture tells the story of men's tailoring over the past 200 years, told through the lives of the men who commissioned and created and wore it. Tailors, shirt maker, hatters and other craftspeople in London’s west end, especially around Savile Row & Jermyn Street have shaped the way men dress since the Regency. How did men such as Beau Brummell, The Duke of Windsor, Tommy Nutter, Montague Burton, Alexander McQueen and John Stephen create their signature looks which influenced the men's fashion? This lecture also looks at the wider cultural shifts since the early 19th century to the present day and how they affected the way that men present themselves.
MOKUHANGA: THE PRACTICE OF JAPANESE WOODCUT
Friday 16th February 2024
The lecture begins with a detailed examination of a Japanese woodcut made by Utagawa Kunisada in 1857. This mokuhanga print depicts the set-up of a traditional ukiyo-e studio, with its hierarchical hanmoto system, where artist, carver, printer and publisher collaborated to create a print, each working within their own defined roles. This introductory section is followed by a practical demonstration of the lecturer’s own Japanese woodcut practice, using the many of the same traditional cutting tools and printing techniques employed in the golden age of ukiyo-e. The lecture concludes by exploring the relevance mokuhanga or Japanese woodcut still has for contemporary Western artists.
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A PICTURE RESTORER: CONSERVATION AND RESTORATION OF EASEL PAINTINGS
Friday 15th March 2024
This lecture discusses the nature of oil painting materials, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and common problems associated with the ageing and deterioration of, and damage to, easel paintings. These can be on canvas, panel, board or paper in a range of mediums: oil, acrylic, egg tempera, or mixed media. Problems can involve natural deterioration and neglect, accidental damage, vandalism and even war–the most surprising event being a large hole caused by a Turkish cannon ball going through a picture in the 18th century!! Modern ‘museum standard’ approaches to conservation and restoration will be illustrated with detailed slides ranging from early Italian religious paintings in egg tempera via rapid oil sketches on paper by John Constable to 20thcentury British paintings and modern abstract works. Hints and advice on the general care of paintings in homes is given in liberal doses throughout!
WOMEN DESIGNERS OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
Friday 21st April 2023
The Arts and Crafts Movement was one of the first art movements to recognise the artistry and skills of women artists and designers–but they are still today not as well-known as their male counterparts. Women such as May Morris, Veronica Whall and Georgina Gaskin all stand in the shadow of their male relations, and few have heard of designers such as Margaret Rope and Louise Powell. This talk seeks to put right this situation, explore embroidery, ceramics, metalwork, stained glass, bookbinding and other ‘suitable’ crafts, and look at the perceptions of female designers and makers at the time they were producing in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
EVOLUTION OF STREET ART
Friday 19th May 2023
Over the past 40 years street art has evolved from its roots in American graffiti to becominga global art movement. From portraiture to abstract expressionism, many of the majorconventional genres are included in street art and the leading artists have‘exhibited’theirwork internationally.If the only street artist you have heard of is Banksy–and you dislike graffiti, this talk willamaze you.Itfocuses on a number of different styles of street art as well as some leadingartists, including Stik, whose collaboration with Ingrid Beazely of the Dulwich Galley led tothe creation of the Dulwich Outdoor Gallery.Richly illustrated, this talk includes examples of great street art from various locations in theUK and internationally.
THE BAYEUX TAPESTRY: 950 YEARS OF PROPAGANDA, INTRIGUE AND SPIN
Friday 16th June 2023
The Bayeux Tapestry is instantly recognisable and one of the most outstanding cultural objects to survive from the early Middle Ages. Long admired for its vivid narrative, today it is the unanswered questions that most intrigue modern audiences: was it made in England or France? Was it stitched by men or women? This sparkling lecture looks not only at its creation, but also at its more amazing afterlife. Displayed by Napoleon to bolster French ambitions for a new cross-channel invasion; cherished by Victorian embroiderers as an icon of women’s heroic joint efforts; hunted down by Hitler, who was outwitted by bureaucratic obfuscation. A fluent French speaker, Timothy Wilcox brings a lifetime’s interest in Anglo-French relations to bear on a famous object set to become even more celebrated as it enters its next, surprising chapter.
SCULPTURE AND NATURE
Friday 21st July 2023
Dorset based sculpture David Worthington explores the relationship between sculpture and our natural environment. He will lecture on the inspiration the natural world has had on the development of sculpture, particularly that of animals. The lecture will range from the Elgin Marbles to Damien Hirst.
LECTURE SEASON 2022-23
Inform, Educate, Entertain
Our programme is available to members only. Guests of members are welcome for a fee of £10.00 per lecture.
Lectures are held at The Nadder Centre, Weaveland Road, Tisbury, SP3 6HJ and start at 6.30 pm unless otherwise stated.
Membership Fees £40 single & £80 for joint
We currently have a waiting list for membership. March is when the majority of memberships renew; please remember to renew or register below to secure a place on the waiting list.
FAKES AND FORGERIES
Friday 8th April 2022
Marc Allum, who is well known for his appearances on the BBC’s Antique Road Show, has long been a collector of interesting and historical fakes and this lecture centres on man’s age-old fascination with faking and forging. Citing some of the greatest exponents of the craft and illustrated with a plethora of challenging examples, you are certain to never look at art antiques in the same way again!
NAKED AMBITION - THE NUDE IN ART FROM CLASSICAL TIMES TO THE PRESENT DAY
Friday 20th May 2022
Nude figures, as old as art itself, appear in the art of most cultures, but are particular present in the history of Western Art. The Ancient Greeks represented the nude as a means of portraying ideas of beauty and nobility. The Renaissance revived and developed the nude figure as a representation of heroism, beauty, knowledge and the high arts of the time. From the Neoclassical period through the modern era values changed our perspective of the exposed figure as emotional truth overcame physical realism.
FABERGE: OBJECTS OF DESIRE
Friday 17th June 2022
After running the Russian department at Christie's New York, Cynthia Coleman Sparke worked with the Fabergé and Imperial porcelain holdings of the Hillwood Museum in Washington D.C. (the largest collection of Russian decorative arts outside of Russia). Then followed a project in St Petersburg at the Alexander Palace in Tsarskoe Selo helping with the restoration of Tsar Nicholas II's last residence - the subject of her Masters thesis from the Bard Graduate Center. She is currently a consultant for Bonhams specialising in Russian works of art.
This facinating lecture traces the meteoric rise of a modest jewellers who became the supplier of the ultimate Easter gifts to Russian empresses.
AUBREY BEARDSLEY
Friday 15th July 2022
Aubrey Beardsley shot to fame with his daring illustrations to Oscar Wilde’s play Salomé. His supremely assured drawings, inspired by sources as diverse as Japanese prints, ancient Greek vase paintings and French Rococo art, subsequently came to define the 1890s. He lived life in a hurry, aware that he had not long to live: he died of tuberculosis at just twenty-five. This lecture tells the story of Beardsley’s short life and brilliant work.
AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS ART - 50,000 YEARS AGO TO THE PRESENT DAY
Friday 16th September 2022
The Australian indigenous peoples possess the oldest continuous culture on our planet. From the extraordinary early rock and cave art to the modern oil painting, these artists are great storytellers, passing their mystic culture and sense of the sacred nature of the landscape down the generations. This talk investigates the early beginnings of this fascinating art and traces its development to the modern day where it is exhibited in international galleries and sells for high prices on the world art market.
THE HISTORY OF THE HARP - FROM MEDITERRANEAN ANTIQUITY TO 20TH CENTURY EUROPE
Friday 21st October 2022
Using illustrations from carvings, wall paintings, pottery, mosaics, sculpture, stained glass, illuminated manuscripts, and 18th and 19th century art, Sarah traces the history of one of the world's most ancient and beloved musical instruments from thousands of years BC, to it's arrival in northern Europe, including the huge developments and improvements during the Rennaisence and 19th centuries that created the highly mechanised and beautiful instrument we see played in orchestras and as solo instruments today. Performing on her own reproduction and antique instruments, Sarah Deere-Jones will demonstrate the development and evolving sound and repertoire of the harp throughout it's history.
BRUEGEL: THE SEASONS OF THE WORLD
Friday 18th November 202
In 1565, Pieter Bruegel the Elder was commissioned to create a series of paintings for a dining room in Antwerp. The images, charting the course of a year, changed the way we view the world through art. Landscape had previously been a decorative backdrop to dramas both sacred and profane. But in Bruegel's hands the landscape and our interaction with it became the focus.
Looking at paintings such as 'The Return of the Herd', 'Hunters in the Snow' and 'The Gloomy Day', this lecture explores how Bruegel pioneered a whole new way of thinking about the environment and our individual places within a shifting cosmos.
A VERY BRITISH ART FORM - THE STORY OF PANTOMIME
Friday 20th January 2023
Sometimes called Britain’s greatest ‘Art Form’, Pantomime has been a popular form of entertainment for over 300 years. In the early 18th century the word was used to describe the performances at Drury Lane Theatre based on the Italian Commedia dell’arte. In the 18th century it was often seen as an opportunity for political satire but it is through the 19th century the fairy-tale story plots were established and the extrovert Music Hall entertainers created the traditions that we know as the Christmas pantomime today.
CARTIER: JEWELLER OF GENIUS
Friday 17th February 2023
The period 1900- 1939 saw some of Cartier's most original and imaginative design - from their pioneering diamond and platinum jewellery of around 1900 to the fascination with exotic influences and the bold geometric designs of the interwar years with their unrivalled brilliance of conception and craftsmanship. This talk given by the organiser of the exhibition Cartier 1900-1939 shown at the British Museum in 1997-8 reveals not only the genius behind Cartier's luxurious jewels, but also the firm's celebrity clientele, from the royal heads of Europe to Indian maharajahs, American heiresses and stars of film and stage.
GOYA: WAR AND PEACE, REVOLUTION AND EXILE
Friday 17th March 2023
Francisco de Goya’s life spanned the reign of 4 Bourbon monarchs, during which there was considerable social and political upheaval, including the Peninsular Wars. His early work was designs for the Royal Tapestry Works in Madrid but by the 1790s his work included portrait painting, political satire, commentaries and experimental works. The lecture will look at his early designs for the Santa Barbara Tapestry Factory in Madrid, his portraits of the Madrid elite and Royal Family and finally at his ‘political’ paintings and late work from his exile in Bordeaux.