Early artists used the magician to symbolise the mysterious associating them with astrology including Pieter Bruegel and Hieronymus Bosch. The 18th and 19th century saw a proliferation in engravings and lithographs showing magicians indoors and on the streets. Bringing it right up to date cartoonists and satirists delight in linking politicians with skulduggery, vanishing illusions or pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Some of the tricks will be performed.

Ian Keable is a professional magician and Inner Magic Circle member

As Sheraton put it - “commodes were never intended for use but for ornament”. Whilst having a chair with a hinged seat under which a chamber pot resides was at times most “Commodus”, the commode served a decorative purpose in the grandest of 18th century rooms. Tracing their French origin in the 17th century to the late 18h century in England they provide an insight into the lifestyles of this period.

Janusz Karczewski-Slowikowski - Researcher English furniture history, antique dealer

We love gazing at a painting by Titian or Caravaggio but where was it before it came to that museum? When Napoleon invaded Europe, he had the best works of art sent back to Paris. How did they get four life-size bronze horses of San Marco down from the basilica in Venice, over the Alps to Paris? Or what practicalities did shipping Michelangelo’s David? This lecture will delve into the history of the movement of art works.

Chantal Brotherton-Ratcliffe - Lecturer Sotheby's, National Gallery, Wallace Collection and paintings conservator

From the early sixties, Hockney’s paintings have shown a charm and humour that sets them apart.  A naturally gifted draftsman, his love of ingenious visual devices has led him to experiment with a whole range of techniques, from stage design to coloured paper making. This lecture follows Hockney’s career as an artist whose imagination has never faltered from the early abstract expressionist images, through his famous Californian scenes of swimming pools to the photo-montages of the mid-eighties.

Douglas Skeggs - Lecturer at Study Centre Christie's, TV presenter and novelist

Over five hundred years the great English medieval cathedrals were built as the greatest single architectural achievement in terms of resources, space covered, design and craftsmanship. The lecture follows the evolution of cathedral building with particular reference to structural and aesthetic details together with the fascinating figures and events behind them.

Mark Cottle - Lecturer Exeter College, Bath and Plymouth

Portable art objects, engravings, drawings and paintings on cave walls and in the open air will be introduced as the earliest art known in the world, primarily from western EuropE and dating 40000 to 12000 years ago. Following the story of their discovery and authentication the lecture will discuss the main techniques employed, the pigments, the lighting methods and some of the reasons why this art corpus comprises some of the greatest imagery ever produced. 

Paul Bahn, archaeologist, post doctorl fellowship J.Paul Getty, writer,researcher in prehistoric art, team leader in discovery of first Brtish Ice Age art

This talk ranges from Dickensian Christmas stories to Traditional Victoria Christmas activities and the inspiration for ghost stories at Christmas. 

VICKY BAILEY, London Blue Badge Guide. Volunteer at the British Museum Egyptian department.Has talked on BBC Radio 4 and written a book on the British monarchy. 

There are four elements to this lecture. The first is a look at the emergence of the North in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Room at the Top, A Taste of Honey, This Sporting Life etc.. Second would be a look at Swinging Britain – Julie Christie in Darling, Michael Caine in Alfie, the Beatles in A Hard Day’s Night and the James Bond movies. Third would be a look at the last days of Empire as seen in Tony Richardson’s Charge of the Light Brigade, Zulu and, comically, Carry On Up the Khyber. Finally the drastic change in the depiction of sex from Dirk Bogarde in Victim (1961) to Alan Bates and Oliver Reed famously wrestling nude in Women in Love (1969).

From humble beginnings Catherine rose to be one of the few European rulers to receive the title The Great. Aside from her political ambitions, as a patron of the arts, she created an unparalleled collection of paintings, ornaments and sculptures, many of which remain in the Hermitage Museum. This lecture summarises her rise to power and her passion for her private collection. 

 Image: Anonymous Russian painter (1670s-1917) Public domain image via Wikimedia Commons

Rupert was ‘born’ in 1920, the creation of Mary Tourtel. Since then he has grown into a much loved companion to generations of children, and this is his story. This lecture will focus mainly on Alfred Bestall, the artist who took over Tourtel’s legacy and developed the enchanted world of Rupert; and on the special qualities he imparted to these tales of an England filled with magical possibilities. Rupert lives in the imagination, along with Winnie the Pooh, Mole and Ratty and Alice, in a wonderland that still lives in many an adult’s heart.

The Huguenots came to England in huge numbers in the late 17th century as
innovators in a wide variety of skills settling in London, East Anglia, Macclesfield
and Canterbury. They forced the English to improve their own skills or go out
of business. Names such as Paul de Lamerie, Samuel Courtauld and Jean Tijou
come to mind. We look at their legacy.

Image: By Jean Tijou - Catalog Photo, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How has the art market changed over the last 40 years? Governments alongside
a general demographic have changed the dynamics of the art world . Why is
a George III bureau worth so little and some of the great sold objects worth so
much or virtually nothing?

An introduction to Japan’s most famous gardens and understanding the
principles of Japanese garden design. The Japanese distinctive qualities and love
of nature show themselves in paintings and grand scale gardens surrounding
aristocratic palaces, Buddhist temples and Zen inspired dry landscapes with
religious and philosophical influences.

Image: Smabs Sputzer (1956-2017), CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Women played a pioneering role in the early reception of Impressionism but
their influence as tastemakers has often been downplayed. The contribution
of, among others, Louisine Havemeyer and Bertha Palmer in the U.S.A, Helen
Kröller in the Netherlands and the Davies sisters and Elizabeth Workman in
Britain is explored and the ways in which women historically have been
“erased” from collecting history.

Over the past 200 years tailors, shirtmakers, hatters and other craftspeople
especially around Savile Row and Jermyn Street in London have shaped the way
men dress. How did Beau Brummell, The Duke of Windsor, Alexander McQueen
and John Stephen create their signature looks which influenced men’s fashion?
We look at the wider cultural shifts since the early 19th century to the present
day

Born in Figueres Catalonia Salvador Dali 1904-1989 developed the hyper-realism
of traditional Spanish painting . He took the art world by storm, becoming
known for his melting watches and lobster telephone surrealist images and for
his own theatrical persona. He is buried in his own Theatre and Museum in
Figueres.

For every ache and pain the quack has tried to sell his wares. For centuries artists have depicted the snake oil salesman and the pseudo science on which his cures are based. 

Our speaker will take us on an amusing and fascinating journey amongst the sick, the not so sick and the gullible. 

Beware however. This is not a source of actual medical advice! 

Henry and Hornell dominated the second wave of the Glasgow Boys movement
from the early 1880s with an emphasis on colour, pattern and design and interest
in Orientalism and the Celtic Revival. The story told of their travels in Japan and
of the artistic commune which grew up around Hornel’s house in Kirkcudbright
will be introduced in their stunning works.

Image: Edward Atkinson Hornel, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The art of Christian medieval Europe often made the powerful and sometimes
corrupt clergy the target of sometimes bawdy and obscene jokes. Drunken
gargoyles, rude illustrations in legal manuscripts, and wooden stalls carved with
images poked fun at the greed and laziness of the clerics. Even the Book of Kells
relieved the boredom of students and paralleled the humour of writers such as
Chaucer and Boccaccio.
 

The Great Omar was the most fabulous, elaborate and opulent binding ever created. It was embellished with over one thousand jewels, five thousand leather onlays and a hundred square feet of gold leaf, and took a team of craftsmen over two and a half years to make. It went down with the Titanic. This lecture tells the story of the making of the fabulous Great Omar. It is also the story of the renowned bookbinding firm of Sangorski and Sutcliffe - who were known for their elaborate jewelled bindings - and the men that made this extraordinary book. It also tells the moving story of life after the tragedy, and of one young man in particular, who decided against the odds to recreate the binding, a venture which itself is mired in tragedy and which occupied him for the rest of his life. 

Image: Examples of bookbinding executed by Robt. Rivière and Son via Wikimedia Commons

Mark Cottle is unavailable and we are pleased that Ian Newton has stepped in to give us his experiences of walking in Shackleton's footsteps.

Image David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

When tragic Queen Cleopatra died in 31 BC, Egypt became part of the mighty Roman Empire and many changes took place, even around the iconic Egyptian mummy. From about AD 50 realistic portraits appeared on mummies, featuring the people inside, shown on linen, on thin sheets of wood or in gilded plaster. 

In the 1880s the British archaeologist Sir William Flinders Petrie made a major discovery of mummies with portraits at Hawara, in the Fayum region of Egypt about 100 miles south-west of Cairo. He discovered dozens of these beautiful portraits and recorded them in his journals and notebooks. He described them as if they were works of art, but he also saw they were real people who had lived and walked in Roman Egypt.

We examine their daily lives, their hair, jewellery and dress, their possible racial origins and  even their characters (or at least Petrie’s opinions on them!). We also gaze on two faces from the portraits, reconstructed from skulls which Petrie brought home, to see just how true to life these Ancient Faces are.

Save The Last Dance For Me was recorded by the Drifters in 1960, with Ben E King on lead vocals, but what single event in the life of one of its writers inspired the track? Was Every Breath You Take by The Police really written as a love song? What is the truth about the Beatles song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and why did George Harrison stop composing for three years in 1976? We all have personal memories we associate with individual songs, but each song has its own story. In this lecture, the real stories behind some the world’s best known songs are revealed.

From late medieval times artists from the north have visited Italy in search of classical inspiration, not to mention prestige. “But why always Italy?” asks one 19th century Swedish artist, “Doesn’t our northern nature reflect eternity? Does not our gaze embrace the sky as well – and what a sky!” In Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen visits the little town of Skagen in the north of Jutland, a place of sand, storms and sky; describes it vividly and inspires artists to paint its wild and remote landscape where the North Sea meets the Baltic. Artists include a local girl, gifted Anna Ancher, whose personality and paintings are both compared by a contemporary artist to “a burst of sunshine”. In Sweden, symbolist landscape artist Prince Eugen, youngest son of King Oscar II, finds romantic inspiration in the lakes, forests, history and vivid folk art of Dalecarlia in central Sweden. Both Danish and Swedish landscape paintings feature the Blue Hour, that half hour or so just after sunset and before sunrise, when the landscape is suffused with a bluish light, highly atmospheric and iconic of the North.

Ukiyo-e, or ‘Pictures of the Floating World’, executed in woodcut, was the dominant, popular Japanese art form between the 17th and 19th centuries. This historical overview beginning with the introduction of the woodcut to Japan in 770 introduces the cultural and political background, key artists, imagery and innovations that led to the ukiyo-e period, and goes on to explore the cultural and creative cross-fertilization that such prints inspired when they first arrived in the West in the 1880s, causing an immediate sensation. The influence of ukiyo-e can be particularly seen in the work of the Impressionist artists, and later through the Crown Point Press. Following a residency in Japan, where the lecturer learned the mokuhanga technique from Japanese sensei, her own artistic practice has been informed by a similar cross-cultural sensibility. 

Our very own Peter Ireland will use his extensive knowledge of the classical Mediterranean area to explore the art of mosaics.

The remarkable way in which Wodehouse, over his phenomenal career of three-quarters of a century as a published author, populated Mayfair and the West End with scores of characters in one of the most elaborate overlapping fictional worlds ever created. Moreover, this was a locale Wodehouse knew well; living in Mayfair for several years and borrowing the addresses of family, friends and colleagues to root the likes of Uncle Fred, Lord Emsworth, and Psmith (not forgetting Bertie Wooster and Jeeves), in a real world which was vanishing even as he immortalised it.

The Portland Vase arrived in Britain by 1783. In 1810 it was placed on loan in the British Museum where it remains today as one of the most intriguing and popular examples of Ancient Roman cameo glass anywhere in the world. Its origins are surrounded in mystery but its ability to inspire subsequent generations of glass makers is obvious. This unique vase was the starting point for a whole range of British cameo glass in the later 19th century that exemplified technical virtuosity and creative artistry as techniques that had been lost for hundreds of years were rediscovered in the glasshouses of Stourbridge, in the heart of England’s industrial Midlands. Many of these creations were executed in the prevailing Classical-revival style of the times, but as the 19 th century drew to a close fashions changed as did the geographical focus of cameo glass production.

The glass factory of Emile Gallé in Nancy, in eastern France, became the new centre for cameo glass in the new style of Art Nouveau. It is these Art Nouveau pieces that make most of the headlines in the auction rooms of the world today, with high prices paid for unique pieces, but the best of the British examples do not lag far behind. This lavishly illustrated talk looks at the origins of cameo glass and considers the best of British and French pieces, their designers and techniques of production.

The Maya lived in Central America between 1000 B.C. and 1528 at which time they were conquered by the Spaniards. The peak of their civilization was between 300 and 900 AD. During that time, they built enormous monuments, produced jade and ceramic items of great beauty and developed a calendar that was far more advanced than anything in Europe at the time. They had an advanced understanding of mathematics and astronomy and developed a hieroglyphic script which scholars are beginning to decipher, allowing us to understand their achievements much more fully. 

The uneasy relationship between East and West is nothing new and this talk explores the travellers and artists who ventured to the Near East, the area today known as the Middle East. They were called Orientalists, and many (particularly in the 19th century) went to experience the sights, smells and sounds of the Holy Land. Some were simply adventurers who tried to be power brokers between the Ottoman Empire and the West; others were eccentric travellers, including the extraordinary Sir Richard Burton whose amazing mausoleum in Mortlake features in the talk. The last group, the artists themselves include, amongst others, David Roberts, Richard Dadd, J F Lewis, Frederick Goodall, Ingres and Osman Hamdi Bey, possibly the greatest Turkish artist of the late 19th century. 

This lecture looks at the enormous changes in our homes over a hundred year period, encompassing aspects of household taste from Victorian clutter to the psychedelic ‘throw away’ furnishings of the 1970s. Although in many ways light-hearted, the lecture examines how social upheaval, War and technological advances transformed our houses.

From the 1880s, when each interior was governed by strict convention and the home was regarded as a shrine to family life, we look at how change gradually came about. The coming of electricity and central heating altered appearance and comfort and other major developments in design all changed our interiors. 

Gilbert & Sullivan operas have enjoyed broad and enduring international success and are still performed frequently throughout the English-speaking world. They introduced innovations in content and form that directly influenced the development of musical theatre through the 20th century.

As rock crystal looks like ice, this subject can be an ideal lecture for the winter months. 

Rock crystal is a semi-precious natural hardstone, a pure transparent form of quartz mined in different areas of the world from the mountainous regions of the Alps, Afghanistan and Himalayas to Peru, Brazil and the island of Madagascar. Resembling fine glass, the crystal is much colder to the touch and, according to ancient beliefs, was a form of ice which had petrified at high altitudes and could never melt. In Japan, embroiderers use crystal to cool their hands and prevent damage to their fine silks. Rock crystal has long been credited with mystical and even magical properties.

For the Fatimid Caliphs of 11th Century Cairo, where rock crystal was compared in that hot climate to the fineness of air, the clarity of water and ‘the spirit of the moon’, drinking from a rock crystal vessel was thought to prevent thirst. In Europe, a pure rock crystal vessel was an amulet which would bear witness to the presence of poison by cracking or sweating. Rock crystal is extremely hard but fragile and is worked by skilled master craftsmen who abrade the stone to prevent it shattering, using time-consuming techniques passed through the generations. Owning rare and beautiful rock crystal vessels with finely worked engraving or with jewelled embellishments was a sign of wealth and status from Renaissance Europe to Mughal India and from Venice to Versailles. The lecture follows a journey from 6th Century Persia to 16th Century Bohemia; from the Medieval church treasuries of Paris and Venice to the Baroque chandeliers of Hampton Court Palace and from the famous ‘Eleanor’ Vase in the Louvre to the elegance of Milanese craftsmanship of the Renaissance period. The work of the engraver Valerio Belli, and the brilliant craftsmanship of the Miseroni and Saracchi families are included in this lecture.

Wine has been part of our global society for over 7,000 years, and the story tells of its origin and appearance in all societies across the Mediterranean and through Europe. There is rich evidence of the role wine has played in these societies and how it became an important component of faith, well-being and festivity. From the kwevris of Georgia in 5,000 B.C., the symposia in ancient Greece, the thermopolia of Pompeii, the hospices of Europe, to the dining tables of fine society wine has been ever present. Drawings, paintings, engravings, buildings, pottery and wine labels themselves all contribute to the story.

How William Hogarth and artists across Europe captured the new social, philosophical and economic ideas of the 18th century.

Having never left the Russian nor Soviet empires in his lifetime, this Kiev-based artist can only have heard about the new tendencies in Western Art through magazines or publications. Nonetheless, Bohomazov managed to create masterpieces no less exceptional or ground-breaking than those of his European contemporaries.

A difficult, at times tragic life, shaped by a passionate love story on a background of major historical upheaval – Oleksander Bohomazov is an artist of revolutionary ideas and unique style. James Butterwick examines the legacy of the genius who many consider the national artist of the Ukraine and how his work is finally moving into the light.

The figure of Mary’s husband Joseph is familiar from Christmas cards, carols, cribs and nativity plays, yet in the Bible he never speaks a word. It took many centuries for the quiet carpenter to emerge from humble obscurity and for artists to make his image visible. This lecture explores the many legends and faces of Joseph through the ages, from wizened old man to powerful guardian. Come and discover the hidden depths in that simple bearded figure on your Christmas cards; but please remember that although this lecture may be particularly appropriate for December meetings, Joseph is for life, not just for Christmas.

The compelling story of over 5,000 years of Scottish art, told by Lachlan Goudie, renowned contemporary Scottish artist, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Four's 'The Story of Scottish Art'.

NOTE This is a Tuesday lecture and Afternoon Tea, 2-4pm, Golden Lion Hotel BOOKING ESSENTIAL

Armour was one of the great Renaissance art-forms. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries most of the richest noblemen in Europe were dedicated patrons of the armourer’s art, a kind of visual language which they used to project their identity and prestige. The armour-making process demanded both fantastic skill in the sculpting of iron and steel and mastery of decorative techniques such as acid-etching and mercury-gilding. This lecture serves as an introduction to the idea of armour as an expressive art-form, where the achievements of virtuoso armourers embodied splendour and richness while also carrying more complex messages about status, aristocratic associations, the social order and divine power.

This lecture examines the rise of fall of Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky, and his pioneering use of digichromatography, creating stunning colour photographs decades before colour photography was supposedly invented. Dazzling Russian royalty with his photographs, he was commissioned by the Tsar to traverse the largest continual Empire in the world to document its land and peoples. He was given permits allowing him to travel in restricted areas and furnished with a whole railway carriage, transformed into a dark-room. He captured traditional ways of life from as far afield as Samarkand and the desert oases of the Turkmens and Tajiks, soon to be swept away by the Bolshevik revolution. Prokudin-Gorsky’s own fortunes would also change rapidly, as he planned a daring escape from the newly-formed Soviet Union.

Under the patronage of Ludovico Sforza, Il Moro, Leonardo spent 18 years at Milan, where he indulged his interest in nature, art and science. The lecture will discuss, among much else, such works as the Last Supper and the (mis-attributed) Salvator Mundi.

“Antiques. I don’t understand them and they’re beyond my budget. They’re not for me.” A persuasive introduction to buying antiques and integrating and using them in today’s homes. The state of the antiques market and the different meanings of the word value are considered, and we take a look at what current and future generations of collectors are buying, why they are buying it and how they are displaying it.

Wallpaper is often regarded as the Cinderella of the Decorative Arts – the most ephemeral and least precious of the decorations produced for the home. Yet, the history of wallpaper is a long and fascinating subject that dates back to the 16th century and encompasses a huge range of beautiful patterns created both by anonymous hands and by some of the best-known designers of the 19th and 20th centuries. This lecture explores the history and development of this product from earliest times up to the present day.

NOTE CHANGE OF PROGRAMME: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA BY Neil Faulkner, lecturer, writer, archaeologist HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO 2023.

Deborah Devonshire, the youngest of the Mitford sisters and wife of the 11th Duke of Devonshire, was hefted by marriage to one of Europe’s greatest treasure houses, Chatsworth. In the second half of the 20th century, in partnership with her husband, she imbued it with a spirit, elegance and sense of welcome that transformed it from being the worn-out survivor of decades of taxation, war and social change into one of the bestloved, most-emulated and popular historic houses, gardens and estates in the country.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE ON ZOOM

Details OF POSTPONED LECTURE: On the basis of sensational new evidence from archaeological fieldwork, this lecture will contrast the legend of Lawrence of Arabia with the true story of what happened in the famous desert war of 1916 to 1918. Is the legend a myth? Was Lawrence, as some claim, a liar and a charlatan? Or does legend reflect reality? Was he, in fact, a brilliant military commander and a sincere advocate of the Arab national cause?

NOTE: THIS LECTURE IS SPONSORED BY LYON & TURNBULL

Alice Strang, curator of the landmark National Galleries of Scotland exhibition Modern Scottish Women: Painters and Sculptors 1885-1965, will take us through an (almost) A to Z of Modern Scottish Women Artists, from Mary Armour to Anna Zinkeisen, based on works in UK public collections.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE ON ZOOM

Venetian Rococo painter specializing in portrait miniatures for the Grand Tourist, established a successful career in portraiture, painting for royal, wealthy and important patrons. Carriera would later become known for her pastel work, a medium appealing to Rococo styles for its soft edges and flattering surfaces. She is remembered as one of the most successful women artists of any era.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE ON ZOOM

A wide-ranging exploration of the music chosen by ballet choreographers through the years, proving that the right composition with the addition of the right moves and the right designs can create modern masterpieces and timeless classics.

THIS LECTURE WILL BE ON ZOOM

The history of this enduring and peculiarly British institution, from its origins in 16th century Italian commedia dell’arte through the influence of 19th century music hall, to the family shows that are still much loved today.

Artists were never far behind the explorers who opened up the west of America in the 19th Century. Sometimes they painted what they saw. Sometimes they painted what they wished they saw. Either way, painters like Alfred Miller, Frederick Church and Albert Bierstadt have left us a powerful, if romanticised, record of the country and people that the settlers found.

Designers continue to devise clever (or disastrous) schemes to make use of the visual and aural qualities of water in the garden: though beset with practical difficulties, the ideal of glittering movement is powerfully appealing to the human mind. This lecture reviews the progress of water through the historic garden in Britain and continental Europe.

Having spoken to us before on “Feeling Blue” Lynne returns to tell us about the colour Red in painting, its varied meanings and the sources of the pigment. Where does the saying ‘Caught red handed’ come from? Why is scarlet not always red? Why did alizarin crimson become a political hot potato? And why is red a favourite of fast-food outlets?

A light-hearted look at the bizarre situations that can arise when the worlds of “legal” and “creative” collide.

All lectures are likely to be online until advised. 

A look at the careers of some marginalised figures in the history of art: the story of some female artists in the Renaissance period.

All lectures are likely to be online until advised. 

Exploring medieval monsters in church art and manuscripts, their origins and purpose. Some are terrifying, others are utterly adorable.

All lectures are likely to be online until advised. 

A welcome return of this popular speaker with an examination of the subversive Mr Punch from his origins in the Italian Commedia Dell’ Arte to the present day.

All lectures are likely to be online until advised. 

The most widely illustrated book in the English language, the story of “Willows” is revisited as depicted by numerous well known illustrators.

All lectures are likely to be online until advised. 

The career of the prolific architect Sinan who designed, among other things, beautiful mosques under Suleyman the Magnificent and influenced later Ottoman architecture, dying aged 99, still a slave. 

A wide range of angels in art from the Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions, contrasting the beauty and light of cherubim and seraphim with the fiery dark abyss of Satan, not forgetting the Angel of the North.

All lectures are likely to be online, at least until January 2021 and possibly beyond. Changes may have to be made after Christmas, depending on lecturers’ preferences.

Showcasing many embroidery techniques, this lecture features a wide variety of work from the Royal School of Needlework and the work of current students.

All lectures are likely to be online, at least until January 2021 and possibly beyond. Changes may have to be made after Christmas, depending on lecturers’ preferences.

An overview of the arts (poetry, theatre, literature, song) and architecture of this extraordinary city, India’s capital until 1911. How Calcutta’s arts and architecture were affected by British rule and the ways in which Indian artists viewed the British in India. (This lecture was postponed from March 2020).

All lectures are likely to be online, at least until January 2021 and possibly beyond. Changes may have to be made after Christmas, depending on lecturers’ preferences.

THE STUFF OF LIFE: A HISTORY OF STILL LIFE Exploring the language of independent still life paintings from the Renaissance to the present day. 

All lectures are likely to be online, at least until January 2021 and possibly beyond. Changes may have to be made after Christmas, depending on lecturers’ preferences.

The screening of a documentary titled "The Curious World of Hieronymus Bosch".   

It features the exhibition "Jheronimus Bosch - Visions of Genius" at Het Noordbrababnts Museum in the southern Netherlands, which brought the majority of Bosch's paintings and drawings together for the first time to his home town of Den Bosch.  With his fascinating life revealed plus the details and stories within his works.

The screening will remain available to members until Sunday 9 August.

In a change from our scheduled programme, we will host an online lecture on Thursday, 18th June at 11.00, entitled "Painting the Modern Garden - Monet to Matisse", which will look at how artists loved to cultivate their own gardens and how they were in turn inspired by them to create experimental work.

Instructions on how to join the lecture will be emailed to everyone next week.

Lydia Bauman is an art historian, artist and lecturer at the National Gallery. Lydia studied at Newcastle University and the Courtauld Institute, specialising in Matisse and 19th–20th century European and American art.

‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ by Johannes Vermeer is one of the most enduring paintings in the history of art. Even today, its recent world tour garnered huge queues lining up for the briefest glance of its majestic beauty – in Japan 1.2 million people came to see the exhibition. Yet the painting itself is surrounded by mystery. This beautiful film seeks to investigate the many unanswered questions associated with the extraordinary piece. Who was this girl? Why and how was it painted? Why is it so revered?

After its world tour, the ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ returned to the much-loved Mauritshuis in The Hague, Netherlands, which had just completed extensive renovations. Enjoying unparalleled exclusive rights to this historical gallery, the film takes the audience on a journey as it seeks to answer many of the questions surrounding this enigmatic painting and its mysterious creator, Vermeer. This film is a gripping detective and a visual feast.

IN LIGHT OF GOVERNMENT ADVICE ON 16TH MARCH FOR US TO LIMIT SOCIAL CONTACTS, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THIS LECTURE which was to take place on the 21st May 2020

The history and development of wallpapers from earliest times. The changing ways it was made and a survey of designs and fashion and hopes to justify the claim that they were indeed a truly Decorative Art.

IN LIGHT OF GOVERNMENT ADVICE ON 16TH MARCH FOR US TO LIMIT SOCIAL CONTACTS, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THIS LECTURE.

The discovery of the body of the Apostle, St James in 813 in northern Spain proved a useful and timely propaganda tool just as the Christians in Spain began their re-conquest of the Iberian peninsula from the Moors. By the 12th century the Way to Santiago de Compostela, or the Camino, was a well trodden international pilgrimage route. Hospitals, monasteries, churches and shrines - many of them founded by royal and foreign patrons - grew up all along the Camino to attend to the spiritual and worldly needs of the pilgrims, and the large cities along it also prospered and expanded. The first official practical guide book was written in the early 12th century. Pilgrims' tales abound and the Camino still exerts a fascination making it as popular  today as it ever was.

Gail Turner read History at Oxford and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute. She has been an Accredited Arts Society lecturer since 1992 and lectures to the Art Fund, Martin Randall Travel and on the V&A's Medieval and Baroque Course. She has lectured for Art Pursuits and given courses at the Cambridge University International Summer School and the Courtauld Institute, and at the National Gallery in London.

She has led tours to Spain for The Arts Society and other tour companies. She is also a painter and etcher, and has walked much of the Camino de Santiago herself. In 2015 she was awarded the Encomienda de Isabel la Catolica (the Spanish equivalent of the CBE) by the King of Spain for promoting Spanish art and culture among the British.

IN LIGHT OF GOVERNMENT ADVICE ON 16TH MARCH FOR US TO LIMIT SOCIAL CONTACTS, WE HAVE DECIDED TO CANCEL THIS LECTURE.

Calcutta was the second  city of the British Empire and a hub of cultural and artistic production throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. This lecture provides an overview of the arts (poetry, theatre, literature, song) and architecture of this extraordinary city, which was India’s capital until 1911. At the epicentre of the 'Bengal Renaissance', Calcutta played a central role in shaping the arts and culture of modern India, as a huge variety of artists sought to interpret India's classical heritage in new ways, and to combine this heritage with Western cultural forms. The lecture examines how Calcutta’s arts and architecture were affected by British rule and explores the fascinating ways in which Indian artists viewed the British in India.

Dr John Stevens is a Research Associate at SOAS, University of London, and a member of academic staff at the SOAS South Asia Institute. His PhD in History is from University College London. He teaches British Imperial history, Indian history and Bengali language, and is a regular visitor to India and Bangladesh. He publishes widely in the fields of British and Indian history. His biography of the Indian guru Keshab Chandra Sen - Bengal's Forgotten Prophet - was published by Hurst and Oxford University Press in 2018. He appears regularly in the Indian media, and was recently a guest on BBC Radio Four's In Our Time discussing the poet and artist Rabindranath Tagore

PATHFOOT BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING, AT 7.00 PM

Paul Stirton was formerly a Lecturer in History of Art at the University of Stirling and Senior Lecturer at the University of Glasgow.  He is now Professor of Modern European Design at the Bard Graduate Centre in New York and editor of West 86th: A Journal of Decorative Arts, Design History and Material Culture, published by University of Chicago Press. He is the author of Jan Tschichold and the New Typography (Yale 2019) and “Is Mr Rushkin Living too Long?” Selected Writings of E.W. Godwin (Oxford 2005).

Despite their aim to make painting about purely visual concerns, many early 20th century artists incorporated text in their work. The “narrative art” of the Victorian period have been rejected, but words and letterforms became an essential feature in the paintings of the Cubists, the Futurists and the Dada artists.  This talk will explore the ways in which modern artists employed text, sometimes for simple reasons of composition but often to reveal new levels of meaning. A further theme will be how the constructivists employed text to make their art into a medium of mass communication. The classic modern art movements of the early 20th century are often confusing. This talk will examine some of the basic principles of modernist painting, revealing how artists like Picasso, Braque and Kurt Schwitters opened up new modes of visual aesthetics.

Bonampak (650 CE - 850 CE) is a Classic Maya site in Mexico. Its architecture is simple with one minor exception : its murals. The discovery of these painted walls caused a huge controversy among Mayan experts since the murals clearly depicted war, torture and bloody rituals. Prior to then scholars had firmly believed the Maya were a peace-loving people, only dedicated to contemplating the sky in order to create their calendars. The Bonampak murals represent a vivid portrait of Classic Maya life. For many years it was thought that BONAMPAK meant 'painted walls' but in 2006 Dr David Stuart deciphered Bonampak's glyphs and re-named the place 'Hill of the Vultures'.

Maria Chester was born in Buenos Aires. She studied Fine Art and Art History and is a Professor of Pre-Columbian Art. She has travelled the world and is multilingual. She taught in several South American universities as well as private institutions. Since 2003 she has been living in the Scottish Borders. She is tutoring annual courses on Art History for Berwick Educational Association and also works for Berwick Visual Arts delivering conferences linked to art exhibitions, complemented with guided tours in Berwick upon Tweed.

In May 2018 she was made a Visiting Research Fellow at CAUA Research Centre for International Elderly Education in Shanghai. She became an Accredited Arts Society Lecturer in October 2018.

For almost 400 years the most popular and influential artist in Europe was the Italian painter, Raphael. Born in Urbino in 1483 he travelled to Florence in 1504 to study and fell under the spell of Michelangelo and Leonardo and produced work of exceptional beauty in a style that has come to epitomise the High Renaissance. He established his reputation with a number of Madonnas and altarpieces. The Pope called him to Rome in 1508 to work in the Vatican where he frescoed the celebrated School of Athens, among other works. Unfortunately he died tragically young in 1520 at the age of 37. Thereafter, the myth developed of the beautiful young genius who was loved by all and to whom nothing was impossible. His influence on later artists was enormous.

This lecture will examine some of his finest creations and chart his influence on four centuries of European art, until the mid-19th century when artists such as the Pre-Raphaelites reacted against his over-refined work. It will also look at Raphael’s presence in Scotland.

Brendan Cassidy retired in 2018 as Professor of Art History at the University of St Andrews.

He started life as a scientist (of sorts) and taught Chemistry in West Africa before taking his M.A. in Art History at Edinburgh and Ph.D at Cambridge. He has been Research Associate at the Warburg Institute (1985-88) and Director of the Index of Christian Art at Princeton, USA (1988-95). His research interests cover Italian art c.1250-1600, British art and the Grand Tour on which he has published and lectured widely. Among his books are Politics, Civic Ideals and Sculpture in Italy 1250-1400 (2007) and The Life and Letters of Gavin Hamilton (2011).

THE FOUNDATIONS OF FASHION: THE HISTORY OF UNDERWEAR FROM 18th TO 20thc

Covering almost two hundred years of changing silhouettes, this lecture looks at how both men and women have shaped their style through a range of undergarments. Looking at corsets and crinolines, calf pads and sleeve puffs the range of unusual objects is always a surprise.

Kate Strasdin has worked as a curator of textiles and dress for over 20 years and is now the Deputy Curator at the Totnes Fashion and Textile Museum. She is a Senior Lecturer in History and Theory at Falmouth University and a Special Visiting Lecturer for the DeTao Masters Academy in Shanghai. She has a number of publications and her book on Queen Alexandra's wardrobe was published in 2017 and she is working on 'The Secrets of a 19th Century Dress Diary'.

She is one of the youngest practitioners of the dying art of Honiton lace.

A comprehensive survey of his life and the development of his art, from his early struggles as an artist up to his final recognition as RSA, RSW. The people he met including Gauguin, Vuillard, Hornel - and the places he painted - Kirkcudbright, Normandy, Venice - form the core of the lecture.

The illustrations cover all aspects of his oeuvre - watercolour, oil, tooled leatherwork, woodblock prints and sculpture. A journey with this 'forgotten man' of Scottish art will provide evidence of his skill as a colourist and reclaim his place in art's pantheon.

Pat Clark is a retired headteacher with a passion for Charles Mackie, a neglected figure in Scottish art. A degree in History from the University of St Andrews was followed by a career in education, north and south of the border. Two years with VSO in Cambodia preceded retirement. Lectures to Khmer colleagues, fellow volunteers, sister NGOs and representatives from the Ministry of Education widened her experience.

Now an independent researcher and writer, she is the author of 'People, Places and Piazzas: The Life of Charles H. Mackie' published by Sansom & Co. in 2016. She was invited to deliver the Annual Edinburgh Philosophical Institution Lecture in May 2019.

Modern art is often considered difficult, but it is much less so when seen through the eyes of some of the greatest cartoonists of the last one hundred and fifty years, who provide a humorous and sceptical but instructive guide to modern art from Courbet to the Britart of the 1990s. A chance to enjoy the insights and cartoons of (among others) Daumier, Larry, Giles, Thelwell, Matt, the wise guys at the New Yorker magazine and, of course, the immortal Giles. Collectively they provide an absorbing, illuminating and, above all, a funny, revealing and sidelong view of 150 years of modern art.

Barry Venning is an historian of British art with a particular interest in the work of JMW Turner, on whom he has published widely, including the volume on Turner in Phaidon's Art & Ideas series, and several catalogue essays for exhibitions in the UK, Germany, Italy and Poland. He was the BBC's script consultant on Turner's Fighting Temeraire and has recently taken part in a BBC documentary called The Genius of Turner: Painting the Industrial Revolution. He has also published a study of John Constable's paintings.

His interests and his teaching extend from medieval architecture to contemporary British art. He is currently Associate Lecturer with the Open University and lectures on a freelance basis for The Arts Society, Christie's Education and other organisations.

For the series ‘Downton Abbey’ Andrew was commissioned to make jewels for the main characters and this inspired him to create a talk based on Downton and the changing styles of jewels and fashion portrayed.

Jewellery and Fashion are often seen as two entirely separate and distinct fields of design, but this is very far from the case. In his talk Andrew guides us through the extraordinary periods and events between 1890 and 1929, where the great couturiers collaborated with the finest jewellers to produce jewels of outstanding quality and glitteing opulence.

Along with this he discusses the clients and patrons who commissioned the jewels, and shows how they were worn with the sumptuous gowns.

As part of the Habsburg Empire, Prague was beloved of kings and princes. During the 19th century, however, the Czechs sought to reclaim the city for their own. Looking back at ancient mythology they imagined a new future by means of art, architecture, literature and music. From Romanticism to Cubism the Czechs re-conceived various artistic movements in specifically patriotic ways. Looking at painter and decorative artist Alfons Mucha, artist Karel Svoboda and composers Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak, this talk shows how the Czechs created a capital that was fit for a new independent nation.

Note: The Society AGM will begin at 10.45 before this lecture

Gavin Plumley is a writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3, Radio 4 and contributing to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes worldwide. He is an accredited Arts Society lecturer and lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. Recent talks include the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Theatre, the British Museum, the V&A, the Tate and the Neue Galerie in New York as well as The Art Fund and Arts Societies.

NOTE: The MAY lecture is FREE for visitors

In 2019 it will be 450 years since the death of Pieter Bruegel the Elder on 9 September 1569. Probably best known for his colourful depictions of peasants making merry or toiling in the fields. He also painted religious scenes in the Netherlandish countryside. He was very much a townsman with a good eye for landscape, who painted for discerning collectors. He also lived in a time of religious and political turmoil that is echoed in some of his ‘darker’ works. This lecture will show that there is much more to Bruegel than just peasant scenes.

Dr Sophie Oosterwijk was born in Gouda in the Netherlands. She has an MA and PhD in English Literature(Leiden), an MA in Medieval Studies (York) and a PhD in Art History (Leicester). She has taught at the Universities of St. Andrews, Leicester, Nottingham and Manchester and other organisations including Sotheby's Institute of Art, the National Trust and the V&A. She is a regular lecturer for Cambridge University and Martin Randall Travel and is Honorary Research Fellow with the School of Art History at the University of St Andrews.

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 Norway'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.

A senior modern languages teacher for many years, Brian Healey has also enjoyed a successful parallel career since the 1980s as a professional artist and interior designer. Since 2006 he has been regularly appointed to a number of prestigious ocean and river cruise lines, either as resident artist, guest lecturer on art history or as destination speaker for more than forty countries. Most recently this work has successfully extended to art guiding through important towns and museums in France, Belgium, Holland and Spain.

A look at life backstage at London’s Royal Opera House and the tribulations and triumphs of working with the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet companies. Will look at the way artisitic inspirations, the people involved and the very special Victorian building all function together to create world-class opera and ballet in a unique environment. Includes several performance video clips.

Nigel Bates is the Music Administrator of The Royal Ballet and has been a performer for nearly forty years in and out of the Royal Opera Hoiuse, including 17 years as Principal Percussionist with the Orchestra. He has worked with many of the leading figures in the classical music industry and was also a producer for both the BBC's Maestro at the Opera and Pappano's Classical Voices documentary series. He is a regular contributor to the printed and online content of the ROH.

He has given lectures for over twenty years, including to arts societies and conservatoires in the UK and across Australia.

Marc Allum has been a miscellaneous specialist on the BBC Antiques Roadshow since 1998. In celebration of 40 years of the show he and Paul Atterbury wrote a new book to accompany this anniversary.

Marc is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster. He regularly writes for mainstream magazines and is an author, antiques consultant and lecturer. His interests range from pre-history to modern design and he is a self-confessed collectaholic. He has a passion and reputation for divining the unusual through 'a desire to connect with history through the interpretation and pursuit of objects and their origins'. Marc has lectured widely for many years to a number of organisations in both the public and charity sector, including travel companies, The National Trust, The WI and many literary festivals.

This lecture covers 700 years of art history related to the plague from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. It illustrates how artists such as Tintoretto, Raphael and Titian, amongst many others, reflected in their art the wide range of human response to the devastating affect of plague on individuals and communities. It also illustrates the triumph of the human spirit in the face of great adversity.

Dr James Grant MBE is a retired country doctor with a lifetime of working in the NHS, both in hospital and in rural practice. He is passionate about all aspects of medicine, its history and its relationship to art and artists.

Susan Bradbury is a stained glass artist working from a studio in a converted church in Ayrshire. She came to Scotland in 1980 to be Town Artist to Irvine. This was to be a two-year contract with the Scottish Arts Council but, although her work has been all over the UK, she settled happily on the west coast of Scotland.

Susan has had commissions for a wide range of clients. The largest window she has made is larger than a tennis court but the smallest is only 150mm square. She will address issues such as designing for the surrounding architecture and working for the recently bereaved. Her talk will be profusely illustrated and will include stained glass made for a range of clients including Marks and Spencer, Durham County Cricket Club and the RAF, as well as many churches and a couple of synagogues.

This lecture looks at a century of remembering and commemorating the First World War across Scotland and the UK. War memorials erected after the conflict - sometimes too familiar to be properly appreciated - are often surprisingly original, direct and powerful in their images. The work of individual war artists also showed the War's lasting influence, while poetry by those who wrote during wartime, or in its aftermath, has often been discovered, or re-discovered, much later in the century. Many contributions to the war effort, overlooked at the time, have now been more fully recognized; and the voices of conscientious objectors have now been fully heard. The act of remembering changes as decades have passed and will continue to change in the future.

Dr Patricia Andrew holds degrees from Nottingham and Edinburgh Universities. She worked as a curator of museum and galleries in Sussex, Essex and Durham before returning to Scotland as Assistant Director of the Scottish Museums Council. She is now a consultant, lecturer and writer, and lectures regularly for the National Galleries of Scotland and other organisations including cruise lines.

Her research has centred principally on British and italian art and culture in the 18th century, and Scottish art of all periods. Her recent book on 20th century Scottish war art won the 2015 'Scottish History Book of the Year' award.

Music was a constant theme in Manet’s life and art. His wife Suzanne Leenhoff was a gifted pianist, and regular musical soirees were held at the Manet family home. His pictures of musicians and their audiences range form major early canvases depicting itinerant gypsy musicians and Spanish dancers, through to paintings encompassing the full range of Parisian music culture, from private performances to street entertainment, cafe concerts and the Paris Opera. Manet also designed cover illustrations for music composed by his friends.

This lecture brings together Manet's art and the rich range of music that inspired him, from Spanish flamenco, to Haydn string quartets, Wagner piano transcriptions and cafe songs.

Dr Lois Oliver studied English Literature at Cambridge University, and History of Art at the Courtauld Institute, writing her doctoral thesis on The Image of the Artist, Paris 1815-1855. She worked at the Harvard University Art Museums before joining the curatorial team at the V&A and then the National Gallery.

Currently Associate Professor in History of Art at the University of Notre Dame in London, and a Visiting Lecturer at the Courtauld Institute, Lois is Guest Curator of a forthcoming major exhibition "Manet and Music" at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. She lectures for arts organisations throughout the UK, writes audio and multimedia tours for clients including the National Gallery, Royal Academy and Tate. She has appeared on TV programmes for the BBC and Channel 5.

Also a keen violinist she plays regularly with groups including the St Endellion festival orchestra.

David Rosier stepped in at the very last minute when travel disruptions meant our intended lecture by Andrew Prince on JEWELLERY AND FASHION from 1890 to 1929 could not take place.

We hope to reschedule this lecture at a later date.

Jane Austen : Her Life and Times

Considered to be one of the earliest and greatest female writers of the 18th century, Jane Austen has survived better than most and is admired more now than in her own lifetime. Follow this journey to one of the greatest literary periods in history when the novel, as its title suggests, was a new way of writing. The author was a quiet, unassuming vicar's daughter who wrote in private, always struggling to try and create her own independence. She achieved this only in moderaton during her lifetime and not through marriage, which was the main occupation for women at the time, but through her thoughts and imagination which she put down in her notebooks many years before publication. It wasn't until after her death that her work became fully published and appreciated by a worldwide audience.

Jane Tapley has been Special Events Organiser at the Theatre Royal Bath since 1987. She frequently interviews visiting actors, writers and directors. She is a Blue Badge Tour Guide and Lecturer and has been a NADFAS accredited lecturer for over 20 years. Freelance author and researcher, home economist and theatrical landlady. Consultant to various TV productions of Jane Austen adaptations on  food in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Great Tarts in Art : High Culture and the Oldest Profession

A mixture of art-historical analysis and scandalous anecdote, this lecture takes a generally light-hearted look at changing attitudes to sexual morality down the ages, by examining the portraits and careers of some of history's most notorious mistresses and courtesans. It also charts the rather complex and ambiguous attitudes of art and society towards the numerous anonymous working girls at the lower end of the scale, by investigating how they have been represented in different times and places from the 17th to the 20th century.

Linda Smith MA

Linda Smith is a well-qualified art historian with a broad range of knowledge, and a special interest in British art and the art of the 20th century.

She offers illustrated talks, presentations and study days on a variety of art-historical topics, and has taken on various types of assignments at a wide range of venues, including public galleries, secondary schools, universities, cruise liners and private arts societies in the UK and overseas. She is an accredited Arts Society lecturer, and an experienced gallery guide especially at Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London where she works as a Guide and Lecturer.

The Age of Jazz

100 years ago a group of American musicians docked in London, bringing with them for the very first time one of the 20th century's most important musical genres: jazz. A fascinating blend of rigorous structure, free-wheeling creativity, close-knit ensemble work and improvisation.

To tie in with the The Age of Jazz Exhibition, a collaboration between The Arts Society and the Bulldog Trust at London's Two Temple Place running from January - April 2018, Sandy Burnett's lecture covers the early years of jazz from its beginnings through to the start of the Second World War.

Drawing on his practical experience both as musicologist and gigging musician, Sandy is able to shed light on jazz from the inside. His illustrations range from early pre-impressions by Maurice Ravel and others and the very earliest jazz recordings through to classics by Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and the Duke Ellington Orchestra and the dawn of the Swing Era.

Sandy Burnett

After studying music at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, and working as music director for the RSC, National Theatre and in London's West End, Sandy Burnett spent a decade as one of the core team of music presenters on BBC Radio 3.

He enjoys a varied career that embraces broadcasting, conducting, playing double bass and communicating his passion for music. His radio series for Ireland's RTE Lyric FM, Great Moments in Classical Music, recently won silver in the Specialist Music category of the PPI Radio Awards. He regularly leads cultural lecture holidays, and is the author of 'The Idler Guide to Classical Music'. He joined The Arts Society as a lecturer in 2017.

Masquerades, Music Lessons and Monkeys - The World of 18th century Porcelain Figures

This lecture explores the taste and fashion for porcelain figure sculpture in the 18th century, beginning as a form of table decoration and gradually moving onto the mantelshelf and into the china cabinet; and how these figures reflect 18th century society in miniature.

During the lecture you will meet characters from the Commedia dell'Arte and the English stage, beggars and pedlars, exotic figures from distant lands, lovers and musicians, shepherds and shepherdesses, the gods of Olympus - and even the occasional monkey!

Adams,Len and Yvonne Meissen Portrait Figures (Vintage 1989)

Adams,Yvonne Meissen Figures 1730-1775:The Kaendler Period (Schiffer 2004)

Lane,Arthur English Porcelain Figures of the Eighteenth Century (Faber&Faber 1961)

Jane Gardiner M.A. History of Art, London University

Jane trained at the V&A and continues to lecture there and was Senior Lecturer at Sotheby's Institute of Art for 17 years; becoming a Deputy Director of Sotheby's UK. She has also lectured for the National Trust, the Art Fund, London University, Buckingham University, l'Institut d'Etudes Superieures des Arts in Paris, at a private women's college in Saudi Arabia, on cruise ships and at antiques fairs and Interior Design Conferences in America.

This lecture will look at the enduring Western obsession with the so-called 'exotic' or 'noble savage' starting with the first discovery of the Island of Tahiti in 1767 and charting the impact, through painted images of the island and the people, of the English and European influence in this part of the world through the eyes of not only Captain Cook  and those who came before him, but also through the eyes of the artists who accompanied these pioneering voyages and into the 19th and early 20th century with the images of Gauguin.

This background of England's exploration abroad also sees the involvement of Royal Academicians such as its first director Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792), Johann Zoffany (1733-1810) and the botanist Joseph Banks (1743-1820). The lecture eventually comes into the modern period and looks at what happens to these notions of the exotic in the 19th century explored through the Impressionist and PostImpressionist work of this period's most notable visitor to the island of Tahiti looking for the exotic and paradise - Paul Gauguin (1848-1903). His experiences, vibrant evocations of paradise, his discoveries and eventual death in the South Pacific bring this exploration of the exotic to its conclusion.

Leslie Primo holds a BA in Art History and an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London. Was Visting Lecturer in Art History at the University of Reading in 2005 and 2007. He gives lectures and guided tours at both the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery. He also lectures at the City Literary Institute and has presented a series of talks at the National Maritime Museum and the Courtauld Institute.

'The Ultimate Renaissance Ruler and Fine Art Collector'

The Emperor Qianlong was arguably the greatest of all Qing Emperors as he guided China through a period of unquestionable political, economic and cultural prosperity whch rivalled any comparable period of high achievement in Chinese history.

Territorially Qianlong added more than 30 per cent of landmass to the Empire through successful military campaigns and astute diplomacy. He was passionate about preserving Manchu culture whilst respecting and nurturing other ethnic Chinese cultures. Qianlong travelled his Empire, regularly undertaking lavish expeditions to the South and West designed to forge loyalty to his Imperial rule.

Despite all these successes as a ruler it is in the fields of the sciences, arts and culture that Qianlong made the greatest contribution to China's heritage. Qianlong was a noted scholar who during his lifetime wrote and published over 43,000 poems, painted on virtually a daily basis and was accomplished in the art of calligraphy.

It was perhaps as a collector of Fine Art that Qianlong created his greatest legacy. He amassed a treasure trove of hundreds of thousands of works of art from previous dynasties or which represented the finest current workmanship. His collection spanned all genres of the arts including paintings, porcelain, jade, textiles, enamelling, ivory carvings and snuff bottles.

This lecture will provide an insight into Qianlong not only as a successful Emperor of China but also as a scholar and 'ultimate' collector of fine art. A wide range of items of the highest quality, produced by the Imperial Workshops, will illustrate the lecture.

David Rosier

A Chartered Insurer by profession and a Fellow of the Assurance Medical Society, with extensive international experience as an author and lecturer in Medical Risk Assessment. He has in excess of 25 years of working and living in Asia. Whilst living in Hong Kong(1991-2004) he assembled a collection of approximately 700, predominately Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Imperial and related textiles/costume accessories. A past Committee Member of the Hong Kong Textile Society and frequent speaker on Imperial Insignia and Badges of Rank.

Scottish Artists in London 1700-1800: careers and connections

In the eighteenth century, many Scottish artists went to London for a short period; a few tried their luck at a long-term career there. Why did so many go to London? Why did some make such a success of their stay there, whereas others failed? These themes are illustrated by examples spanning the century, including William Aikman, Cosmo Alexander, Allan Ramsay, David Allan, Catherine Read, Anne Forbes and Jacob More; and two great architects, James Gibbs and Robert Adam.

Dr Patricia Andrew holds degrees from Nottingham and Edinburgh Universities. She worked as a curator of museum and galleries in Sussex, Essex and Durham before returning to Scotland as Assistant Director of the Scottish Museums Council. She is now a consultant, lecturer and writer, and lectures regularly for the National Galleries of Scotland and other organisations including cruise lines. Her research has centred principally on British and Italian art and culture in the 18th century, and Scottish art of all periods. Her recent book on 20th century Scottish war art won the 2015 'Scottish History Book of the Year' award.

Russia in Revolt!

The Revolution that began in 1917 led not just to a seismic shift politically, but also artistically, as artists adapted to their new masters. This revolution was long in coming however, and this lecture wil examine how its gestation was mirrored, however covertly, not just by the avant-garde but by the critical realism of artists such as Ilya Repin, Nikolai Kasatkin and Vladimir Makovsky. These artists were part of a group of young rebel artists called "The Wanderers" who, more than fifty years before the Russian Revolution itself, were themselves breaking free from the shackles of the Imperial Academy of Arts and chartering a course that for the world of art would have equally dramatic consequences.

Brian Healey

A senior modern languages teacher in an independent grammar school for many years, Brian has also enjoyed a successful parallel career as a professionsl artist and interior designer since the 1980s. Since 2006 he has been regularly appointed to a number of prestigious ocean and river cruise lines, either as resident artist, guest lecturer on art history or as destination speaker for more than forty countries. Most recently this work has successfully extended to art guiding through important towns and museums in France, Belgium, Holland and Spain.

The Edo Period (1603-1867) in Japan was characterised by its isolation policy towards the West from 1639. As the nation developed a prolonged period of domestic peace and prosperity, the towns and cities rapidly grew and evolved a lively and sophisticated urban culture based upon the affluent merchants, artisans and townsfolk. The popular entertainments of kabuki theatre, sumo wrestling, tea houses, pretty women, shops and brothels wre captured in woodblock prints depicting Ukiyo-e, the 'floating world' of transient pleasures.

Of the many fine artists working during this era two in particular captured the spirit of the age in their masterful woodblock print designs: Katsushika Hokusai and Ando Hiroshige. Contemporaries, their work covered the late Edo Period from 1780s to 1850s, depicting in great detail the daily lives, past times, preoccupations and leisure activities of the population of Edo.

In their final years both artists produced their best work, creating masterpieces of landscape imagery that are world famous today, including Hokusai's The Great Wave at Kanagawa from the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, and Hiroshige's The Fifty-three Stations of the Tokaido Highway.

Suzanne Perrin is visiting lecturer at University of Brighton Art and Design School and University of Cape Town, South Africa. Teaches on the Asian Arts course at the British Museum and the V&A. Founded Japan Interlink in 1995 to promote the understanding of Japan in educational and cultural circles. Studied Nihonga (traditional Japanese painting) at Nagoya University of Arts, Japan, 1986-87.

Gustav Klimt and his colleagues broke away from the imperially-endorsed art institutions in Vienna in 1897 and founded the Secession. That was the same year that Gustav Mahler arrived to take charge of the Opera House in the city. Comparing these two totemic fin de siecle talents, this lecture places Klimt and Mahler in context, asking what fundamentally links and, indeed, divides them.

Gavin Plumley, a writer and broadcaster, appearing on BBC Radio 3 and Radio 4 and contributing to The Indpendent on Sunday and The Guardian. Lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries, including to the National Gallery, the British Museum, the V&A, the Southbank Centre, the Tate and the Neue Galerie, New York, as well as for history of art societies and The Art Fund.

Carl Larsson (1853-1919) is Sweden's best known artist and together he and his wife Karin blended traditional native designs with the then unfashionable 18th century Gustavian style and the newly emerging Arts and Crafts influences. This eclectic approach resulted in a distinctive and influential style. His intriguing watercolours of the house and family spread this style throughout Europe, and it is today enjoying a new lease of life in the IKEA age.

Ann Clements has wide experience lecturing both at home and abroad. Earlier work includes cataloguing English watercolours and drawings for the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, research for the Paul Mellon Foundation and university lecturing.

Photography as Fine Art

Should we accept that the very best photographs can be regarded as Fine Art?

This question is at the heart of a lecture which argues that photography can equal, not to say exceed, more traditional disciplines in the key genres of portraiture, landscape and still life. Photography, moreover, has carved its own area of excellence in depicting the human condition. All these ideas are discussed with reference to the work of some of the acknowledged masters of photography, including Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fay Godwin, Bill Brandt, Ansel Adams and Wolfgang Tillmans.

Brian's chief interests lie in architecture, photography and history and he combines all three in his lecturing career. He has taught architectural history at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London, since 1997 and became a NADFAS lecturer in 2003. He is a member of the Association for Historical and Fine Art Photography and an exhibition of his own photographs has been staged at UCL.

He has begun to work with a pre-war Leica camera as used by, among others, his great hero Henri Cartier-Bresson.

The Grand Tour was an important rite of passage for members of the British upper class. To complete their education young aristocrats were sent off to Italy by their parents to learn to speak foreign languages, to devleop their social skills, to improve their dancing, fencing or riding and to acquire culture. They hoped that their unsophisticated sons would return, polished and cultured and ready to play a leading role in British society. The sons, for the most part, saw it simply as an opportunty to sow wild oats. A few, however, took their time abroad more seriously. At school and university they had read the stories of the Roman gods and heroes and were eager to see the places where the actions had taken place: the Forum, the Colosseum and Roman Campagna. And they wanted to see the paintings by the great Old Masters of whom they had only heard: Michelangelo, Titian and especially Raphael. Many were wealthy and having admired the treasures of Italy they wanted to acquire similar things for themselves. They returned with crate-loads of Old Master paintings and antique statues and vases by the shipload. Britain's national collections would not be nearly as rich had it not been for the collections made by these 18th centruy tourists. And our great country houses would not be as tasteful or as opulent had it not been for the visual education that their owners received while in Italy.

Professor Brendan Cassidy MA from Edinburgh University and a PhD from Cambridge,art historian, author and lecturer. Has taught art hstory at Cambridge,London, Princeton and St Andrew's; lectures to academic and other audiences in the UK, USA and Europe.

The Christmas story: Paintings of the Nativity

The birth of Jesus has inspired many artists. This lecture illustrates how painters throughout history have represented various episodes such as The Annunciation, The Nativity, The Adoration of the Shepherds, The Adoration of the Magi and The Flight into Egypt.

Richard Box NDD,NTC,Dip.Hist.Art, Adv.Dip.Ed

Freelance artist (drawing, painting and embroidery), lecturer, teacher and author since 1985. Previously Head of Art at Avery Hill College of Education, he has taught in all schools from Nursery to Secondary. 

He exhibits work regularly at various galleries throughout the country.

Gillespie Kidd and Coia : Glasgow Architecture Practice

The lecture will focus on a selected number of significant buildings of the Gillespie Kidd and Coia practice which will serve to explain the context of the buildings and provide an insight into the principal design themes which underpinned the work of the practice as led by Isi Metzstein and Andy MacMillan. The illustrated talk will be accompanied by personal observations on the nature of their relationship alongside particular recollections of numerous conversations with them, as both a friend and a colleague, over a period of 40 years of architectural discussion.

Sadly Pamela Halford, our speaker scheduled for October has had a bad accident and will not be able to be with us. We are able to keep our theme of women artists and we will be delighted to welcome Mrs Ghislaine Howard, herself a practising artist.

Her talk will celebrate what we share, as men and women, and what makes us different - is there a feminine way of seeing the world? As a woman painter she draws upon the great tradition of men's paintings and work, interpreting it from her own experience. This will allow us to look at the work of women painters in a new way perhaps - great names some familiar some unfamiliar, some famous some infamous! She explores the bond that exists between such artists as Artimesia Gentileschi, Berthe Morisot, Kathe Kollwitz, Eileen Cooper and so many others.

Ghislaine Howard BA Hons is a painter of powerful and expressive means whose works chart and interpret shared human experience. Named as a Woman of the Year 2008 for her contribution to art and society, she has published and exhibited widely and has work in many collections including the Royal Collection.

She is currently working on a major new project entitled Seven Acts of Mercy and a monograph concerning her work is due to be published in December 2016.

Kandinsky - Colour into Abstract Art

Struck by the emotional impact on him of Monet, the Russian lawyer Kandinsky decided to become an artist. Working in Southern Germany with his fellow "Blue Riders", Macke and Marc, Kandinsky began to pull away layer upon layer from visible reality ... he "abstracted" from nature to reveal the underlying essence of the world - just as in music. This is why Kandinsky gave his paintings musical titles. The Russian's influence was strongly felt all over Europe and in Ameriacn Abstract Expressionism - Kandinsky's ideas are still alive today.

Eveline Eaton

BA Hons Courtauld Institute

Freelance Lecturer in Fine Arts and Tour Guide to:

Berlin,Dresden,Munich,Cote d'Azur,Normandy,New York.

In 2013 was elected Chairman of The Dresden Trust, an organisation helping with the rebuilding of Dresden.