This lecture explores the evolution of Chelsea from riverside fishing village into a Bohemian literary and artistic enclave. Starting at Sloane Square, we discover the curse of the boy who never grew up and where the 'revolution in English theatre' took place. We examine the classical exterior (and modern interior) of one of our great 'star'chitects' and his 'modernist'  conversion. 

Before the British arrived in India, the Indian subcontinent was ruled by the Mughal Emporers. The stunning buildings and gardens they constructed from the sixteenth to the eighteenth century have left an indelible stamp on India's architectural and cultural landscape. Mughal architecture fused elements from Islamic, Persian, Turkish and Indian architectural tradions, and gave rise to some of the most beautiful and iconic buildings in the world. 

A successful painter of architectural decorations in a conventional manner, Klimt's later more personal style was criticised as pornographic. He subsequently accepted no more public commissions but achieved a new success with the painting of his 'golden phase', The Kiss being perhaps his most famous. His work encapsulates turn of the century Vienna at its distinctive artistic peak. 

In 1932 the artists Edward Bawden and his wife Charlotte moved into Brick House, in the Essex village of Great Bardfield, initially sharing the house with another artistic couple, Eric Raviilious and Tarzah Garwood. It was to be the beginning of a fascinating artistic community. In the years before and during the Second World War painters, printmakers and designers settled in the village, relishing the peace while remaining within easy reach of London. While Bowden and Ravilious saw active service as War Artists (Ravilious dying in 1942) other artists captured the soon-to-change world or rural England through the Recording Britain project. 

Old Saigon, elegant Hanoi, mystical Ha Long Bay ... these places captivated French artists of the 19th century colonial regime in Vietnamese where they taught painting at the School of Fine Arts. Their sensual portraits and radiant landscapes evoked an idyllic world of gracious people with rich artistic traditions harking back to ancient civilisations. Imbuing their students with Western ideas, artists such as Alex Ayme, who revived lustrous lacquer work and silk painting and Victor Tardieu, a pupil of Matisse, formed a generation of Vietnamese painters whose creative expression fused Eastern imagery with Paris Modernism. 

Ngoc Van 1943 By the Lilies Fine Arts Museum Hanoi. - copyright permission arranged by speaker.

The work of artists over the centuries contains hundreds of images of London, providing a fascinating social document of the Capital. This lecutre looks at just a few of these works, both from home-grown Cockneys to Visitors to the City. With images of buildings long gone and the documenting of new arrivals as London expanded and changed, we get a fascinating glimpse into the Changing face of London. 

The bed has been the site of multiple encounters in art from Titian's stunning mythologies through Manet's Olympia, Picasso's nudes and the abject of Tracey Emin's infamous My Bed. But if the bed has been linked to passion, it has also been linked to death and this lecture explores its manifestations in the art of Caravaggio, Munch, Klimt and others. 

This lecture tells the Christmas story through a selection of well-loved paintings and illuminated manuscripts by Italian and Flemish artists, including Botecelli, Fra Angelico and Jan Van Eyck, together with many lesser well-known images. From the Annunciation to the Nativity, the Journey of the Kings and the Flight into Egypt, it explores the rich symbolism of Christmas imagery, highlights the ways in which spiritual ideas and devotional practice shaped the depiction of the narrative and introduces some less familiar aspects of the story, such as the midwives and Joseph's stockings.

According to one leading architect, "the modern architectural drawing is interesting, the photograph is magnificent, the building is an unfortunate but necessary stage between the two". Architecture + Photography = Art introduces photographers who crystallised the architects' vision in images that are both works of art in their own right and shape our opinion of the buildings they depict. These photographers include Dell and Wainwright from Britain, Julius Shulman in the United States and Lucien Herve in France. The lecture also examines photographers who recorded rural churches, barns and cottages to create a lyrical vision of Britain. 

The Dutch graphic artist M C Escher achieved cult statue in the 1960's, featuring on album covers, book jackets and posters. Since then the popularity of his space-distorting geometrical constructions has soared, with exhibitions all over the world attracting hundreds of thousands of people. This lecture will explore the diverse and surprising source of his inspiration. Be prepared for a journey which takes in Leonardo da Vinci drawings, Piranesi's dark fantasies, the Islamic art of Granada and the discoveries of modern mathematics. 

Picture copyright 2025 - The M C Escher Company - the Netherlands. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Copyright permission arranged by speaker.

The National Gallery celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2024. In this talk (it could be up to 10 paintings) of well-known and well-loved paintings from the National Gallery are discussed, enjoyed and put in their context. These vary from Jan Van Eyck's Arnolfini Marriage, Gainsborough's Mr and Mrs Andrew's, Velazquez' Rokeby Venus, Zurbaran's A cup of water and a rose, Constable's Haywain, Van Gogh's Chair and others. 

Arts and crafts remain an essential part of Mexican life. After the Spanish conquest of 1521, the raw materials, techniques and art styles of Europe merged with those of the New World. Drawing on skills inherited from Aztec, Maya and Spanish predecessors, makers bring a modern vision to ancient traditions. Exquisite textiles, silver jewellery, wooden dance-masks, imaginative toys and fine pottery are still used in many regions. Chloe Sayer has made collections for the British Museum. She also owns an extensive range of Mexican folk art and is happy (if travel arrangements allow) to display examples when she lectures. 

Paintings are a wonderful source for the jewellery historian. This talk explores what jewellery was worn and how it interacted with dress, as well as what jewellery was worn by particular people and how this changed over time. Paintings can show us lost jewels which have been destroyed or stolen. But should we trust paintings? In this lecture, we will look at whether jewels in paintings reflected real life use or were artistic inventions. 

Bridge the Thames as people have been doing since the Bronze Age - 1.500 years before  the Romans built London Bridge. In the 1700 year wait for the next bridge, other crossings relied on watermen and horse ferries, as traffic jammed on London Bridge. The last 200 years have seen 50 new crossings over and under the river.  Some are great feats of engineering; some are architecturally elegant. Every crossover changes the city's genetic code. Even now a newly designed bridge awaits a start on site. This lecture explores the way we have connected up across the Thames and what that tells us about the culture of the capital through time. 

Genius Spanish architect and designer Antoni Gaudi (18521926), a key figure in Catalan Modernism, stands as one of the creators of Barcelona's urban identity. Inventor of new techniques and a magpie enthusiast of all things botanical and sacred, Gaudi's most famous building, the Barcelona Church of the Sagrada Familia, is Spain's most visited monument and one of the seven of the architect's works listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Building works on Sagrada Familia were begun in 1882 and are still ongoing, a fact that stands in stark contrast to contemporary building projects and brings to life the nature of cathedral building in medieval Europe. 

During the reign of Napoleon III, Paris expanded and transformed. The development of the railways drew increasing numbers of visitors and workers to the capital. Areas of the city were demolished to make way for new boulevards, apartments, and public buildings. Department stores evolved and entertainments such as theatres and bars burgeoned providing employment and leisure opportunities. For artists, Paris was a dynamic artistic hub with international appeal and for the Impressionists, it provided dynamic motifs for modern painting. This lecture explores images of Paris seen through the artistic lens of Manet, Renoir and Caillebotte. 

Almost everyone has played Monopoly at some time in their life. It is one of the world's most popular and enduring board games. But, how well do you really know it? This talk starts with the original Landlord's Game of 1903 and it's evolution into the game as we know it today. Based on the classic 1936 London version we then take a photographic journey around the locations on that Monolopy board. Expect some surprises as we explore the relationships between the various properties, look at the ones that don't actually exist and uncover the story behind the game we all know so well - or do we?

An examination of paintings from the National Gallery with an autumn and winter theme. We are grateful to Jacqui for stepping in at short notice. 

Joaquin Sorolla hated darkness. Claude Monet once said that painting in general did not have enough light in it. Sorolla could not agree more. Sorolla believed painters could never reproduce sunlight as it really is, and he could only "approach the truth of it". Most of us when standing in front of one of his canvases would agree that he was the master of light. He managed to capture like no other the light of the Mediterranean beaches he loved and the energy of Spanish life. He painted what he saw, quickly, to capture that precise moment. As he said "I could not paint at all if I had to paint slowly"

Art Deco has the reputation of being the most glamorous and popular style of the 20th century which was prevalent during the 1920's and 1930s. We wil review the development of the style within the context of its social and economic environment and look at specific examples of objets d'arts, including silver, jewellery, furniture, ceramics, clocks and architecture.

Postcards have documented our shared history across the globe for over a century. This lecture celebrates the history and scope of picture postcards as the bearers of news and the repositories of memory. 

Nowadays the colour blue is immensely popular but this has not always been the case. Caroline will explore the changing popularity and symbolism of this fascinating colour. The lecture retraces the story of blue in Western arts, from antiquity to the present day.

A designer, craftswoman and younger daughter of William Morris, May Morris was a leading figure in the Arts and Crafts Movement. She was Head of Embroidery at Morris and Co by the age of 23 and also designed wallpaper, made jewellery and was a talented amateur water colour artist. 

Alexandra will present this lecture on the "poor little rich girl" who changed the face of twentieth century art. Peggy Guggenheim discovered and nurtured a new generation of artists through collecting not only art, but the artists themselves. Her life was a radical art collection.

Hopper's painting are synonymous with the isolation experiences by many in the Covid era. This lecture will explore his unique contribution to American art in the 20th century with his haunting images of loneliness in the midst of urban life.

Shells have been viewed as mythological and religious symbols, as subjects for fine art, and have been widely used in the applied and decorative arts. Exotic and fragile shells were traded from the Eastern seas, used in the creation of beautiful objects and displayed in European cabinets of curiousities. Anne will explore our fascination for these objects of wonder from the natural world. 

The wide reproduction of paintings by Georges Seurat and Vincent Van Gogh has led to a sense of familiarity and potentially a diminished desire to look closely at the real art itself. Yet when Van Gogh visited Seurat's studio he remarked upon the "fresh revelation of colour" in Suerat's work. This presentation aims to rejuvenate our interest in looking slowly with a curious eye to discover how works by both artists were both extraordinary and pioneering. Despite their short careers, both artists made extraordinary contributions to the delveopment of modern art, each through their own distinctive and experimental approaches to picture making. 

Patrick will investigate the roles of angels as guardians, messengers and fighters through imaginative music by Britten, Elgar and Mendelssohn. He will also explore angelic music by composers such as Bach, Mozart and Walton and call on some of the world's finest art and poetry to expand this journey into the heavenly realm. 

MR PATRICK CRAIG

Patrick Craig is a Vicar Choral at St Paul’s Cathedral. For twenty years he combined this with an international career singing over a thousand concerts with the world-renowned early music consort The Tallis Scholars. He also sings with the award-winning group The Cardinall’s Musick. He founded and conducts this country’s leading all-female professional choir, Aurora Nova. He has conducted concerts for the BBC Proms, the Brighton, Lichfield and Aldeburgh Festivals, and with the City of London Sinfonia.

As a Cambridge history graduate with a lifelong interest in the arts, he has gone on to lead choral workshops for amateur singers across the world, where he places music in its historical and cultural context. He regularly lectures for the St Paul’s Adult Education programme and for John Hall’s Venice Courses, which have allowed him to incorporate his interests in theology, art and poetry. 

Ray Warburton will describe Lowry's life and explain his art through a selection of his paintings. This selection will balance his industrial paintings with his portraits, seascapes etc. Is his art more than crude depictions of the industrial north?

MR RAYMOND WARBURTON
Ray has had a life-long love of art. From 2014 to 2017, he studied art history at the Open University, and then at the University of Buckingham, from where he has an MA in the History of Art. Since 2011, he has been a guide at Tate Britain and Tate Modern, where he leads public tours of all the permanent displays and also undertakes exhibition tours. In his twenties, Ray studied social sciences at the London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies, from where he was awarded a BSc and a MSc respectively. These degrees led to a career in health and social care, with art being an evening and weekend passion. They also gave Ray a grounding in evidence-based approaches, which he now uses to ensure his art lectures are well-researched and well-informed. Ray is an experienced public speaker who, over many years, has given presentations and lectures on a range of health, art and other themes to diverse audiences in the UK, and abroad from San Diego to Hong Kong. In mid-2020, Ray began organising, hosting and giving many on-line art-based seminars for fellow Tate guides and other art lovers. Ray is a member of his local Arts Society in Blackheath.

Caravaggio was a man out of step with his time. He scorned the traditional, idealised interpretation of religious subjects. Instead, he took his models from the streets, painting them realistically, heightening emotional intensity with dramatic use of light and shade. His private life was equally dramatic and this lecture will study the man, his works and his influence on later artists. 

MRS SHIRLEY SMITH
Graduated from the University of East Anglia with a first class honours degree in the History of Art, specialising in the Italian and Northern Renaissance. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a part-time lecturer for the University of East Anglia and for the Department of Continuing Education of the University of Cambridge. Has run study days and certificate courses as well as residential weekend courses. Also lectures to the Art Fund and individual clubs and societies. She is particularly keen to set the art and architecture of the period in the context of the society for which it was produced.

This is a journey through the 60's in using music and images, following the Beatles from the Hamburg Reeperbahn in 1960 to Abbey Road in 1969. The band was always fascinated by the visual arts - the 'fifth' Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, was a prodigiously talented painter - and they also learned very early on that artists and designers could help promote their image and their music. Their rise to global fame was aided and recorded by an impressive roster of photographers, including Astrid Kirchherr, Bob Freeman, Robert Whitaker, Angus MrBean and Linda McCartney. The innovative covers for releases such as Rubber Soul (Bob Freeman) Revolver (Klaus Voorman) the White Album (Richard Hamilton) and Sgt. Pepper (Peter Blake and Jann Haworth) turned album design into an art form in its own right. 

Covers surprising attempts to create some graphic unity, even in the 1860's and 70's, expansion of the Underground and the need to create some cohesion between the different operating companies, Leslie Green's architecture and the Art and Craft movement, Frank Pick, Edward Johnstone's typeface, Charles Holden's architecture and the Streamlining Moderne/Art Deco movement, the New Works Programme, post war austerity/design, Victoria Line, loss of Johnston and rescue by Kono, Jubilee Line Extension/architecture, creation of TfL recent schemes and future works including the Elizabeth Line/Northern Line extension to Battersea etc. 

By the close of the sixteenth century, the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II had amassed one of the most impresseive collections of art, natural artefacts and scientific instruments in Europe at the time. According to one Venetian ambassador, the paintings in his collection alone numbered three thousand. While somewhat reclusive on the political arena, Rudolph wielded his powers through culture and the opulent display of wealth at his court in Prague. After a brief introduction to the concept and practice of the Kunsthammer, this lecture will explore the nature of Rudolph's collection, the wide network of artistic patronage that his collection enabled across Europe, and examines the group of artists, philosophers, alchemists and esoteric figures who gathered at his court. 

Originally intended to house an equestrian statue of William IV, the Fourth Plinth in London's Trafalgar Square lay empty due to lack of funds for many years. Eventually, it was decided to use it for what has been described as "the smallest but most prominent sculpture park in the world". The inaugural work, Eccentric Homo, a poignant life-sized figure of Christ in white marble by Mark Wallinger, fittingly presided over the arrival of the new millennium and since then many contemporary artists have had their work displayed there. From horses to hotels, bottles to cockerels, we follow the course of the Fourth Plinth Commission, up to (and beyond) David Shrigley, who gives it a big "thumbs up".

Bosch's world of devils, demons and deadly sins are truly unforgettable. At the same time, his extraordinary treatment of religious themes can be deeply moving.His works are among the most mysterious in the whole of European art, yet if we examine them in the context of contemporary politics and cultural sources we find that not only are they perfectly understandable, but they also provide an amazing insight into the society in which the artist lived.

In 1964 Terence Conrad opened the first Habitat shop in London's Chelsea. Habitat's clarion call to colour and contemporary design saw off the lingering shades of post war austerity and revolutionised British retailing. From the beginning Conrad spread the word of this new lifestyle look through twice yearly Habitat catalogues: copies are now collected and traded by a new generation of interior decorators and designers. In the early 70's, then a design journalist, I worked for Terence Conrad copy writing and editing the Habitat catalogues. Crazy, demanding and inspiring times, full of tension and humour, working with some of the best designers, art directors and photographers in the UK. This is a rare insider's view of how Terence Conrad's vision and determination changed the way we lived then, and the way we live now.

This lecture evaluates the work and contribution to the Impressionist movement of four female artists: Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, Eva Gonzales and Marie Bracquemond, in the context of the social strictures upon middle-class women in the late nineteenth century and the subsequent judgements of both 'traditionally-minded' male and also feminine art historians.

The false myth still exists that these four artists were merely 'pupils' of more famous men, mentored in the case of Morisot and Gonzales by Eduardo Manet, Cassatt by Edgar Degas and Marie Bracquemond by her husband Felix. This is far from the truth and only Eva Gonzales was for a a couple of years Manet's student. She did, however, quickly develop her own style from the early 1870's.

Like their male colleagues, all had received formal training by established, albeit conservative, artists and institutions that allowed women to attend classes, before they were introduced to key figures of the Impressionist movement int he late 1860's and early 1870's.

Berthe Morisot, Mary Cassatt, and to a lesser extent, Eva Gonzales, came from very wealthy and privileged background and were financially independent. In addition their families, and (in the case of Morisot and Gonzales) their husbands were fully supportive of their careers as professional artists. In general they were able to develop their interests and passions for new ideas and ways of expression without bending to creat works which were likely to sell.

In contract, Marie Bracquemond's background was far more modest. She had formal studio training from Jean-Augusts-Dominique Ingres and the beginnings of a successful career as a painter by the time she married the artist Felix Bracquemond. He became jealous of his wife's independence as and artist, and intensely disliked her association with the Impressionist Movemenr and in particular the artists Sisley and Gauguin. By 1890, in order to maintain domestic harmony, Marie virtually gave up her career as an artist.

Our royal families have celebrated Christmas throughout their long history, from William the Conqueror making sure of his claim to the English throne by being crowned in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066. Feasting on a spectacular scale characterised medieval Christmases - we read of extraordinary culinary delicacies served to Henry II. crane's flesh, peacocks and herons. Present-giving always marked the season, from the extravagant - the City of London presented Richard II with a camel and a pelican - to the witty - Mrs Thatcher sent the Queen a pair of yellow washing-up gloves having seen Her Majesty doing the dishes without any. The Royal Christmas Broadcast is now an established part of our celebrations and we shall hear extracts from George V's, George VI's and our present Queen's addresses. This lecture explores these Royal traditions, many of which we have adopted as a necessary part of our own celebrations. 

An overview of just why folk were so terrified of demonic threats to their world in the late medieval and early modern periods (c1350 - 1700). Given such a widespread and general belief that the Devil was stalking the land, this lecture looks at the various ways in which people attempted to protect their buildings from evil. These folk traditions often leave tangible remains in the archealogical recording, ritual protection graffiti, concealed artefacts and burn marks on the walls. The discovery and interpretation of such finds allows us to trace the lost belief of systems connected to the fear of Satan himself....

Why were they created and what and who did they represent? In the 19th century sailing ships with their colourful figureheads were a regular sight but now just a few figureheads survive.

Mass Migration and the Arts in Britain.

The mass migration of the French Protestant Huguenots in the 16th and 17th centuries impacted the arts, the military and finance sectors of the countries to which they fled after suffering Catholic persecution in their homeland. It is estimated that upwards of 50,000 people settled in the British Isles and that perhaps one in six of the country's current population descends from Huguenot lineage. 

This lecture focuses on three areas of the arts impacted by the migration: the baroque style of Versailles that arrived in London through the great Huguenot designer, Daniel Marot  who worked for William and Mary at Hampton Court; the growth of the silk weaving industry in Canterbury, Spitalfields and later Sudbury and Macclesfield; and on the silversmiths and ceramicists who ushered the French Rococo style into Britain. This is put into context of how their work changed material culture and was absorbed into British national identity. 

British photography enjoyed a golden age in the 1960's. Young, talented newcomers broke out of the conventional studio to revolutionise perceptions of fashion, portraiture and popular culture. This lecture looks at a range of superb images from photographers such as  David Bailey, Terence Donovan, Lewis Morley, Tony Ray-Jones and Jane Bown.

A last minute addition to our lecture series but if you remember Nicola's last visit in March 2020 Tuner V Constable: the great British Paint-off you know you are in for a treat.

The Camden Town Group was an innovative circle of painters united by the desire to paint works of a modern character. 

The story of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain speaks of the important trade between East and West along both the overland and maritime Silk Roads.  The cobalt blue mineral, or "Mohammedan Blue", that provided the distinctive under-glaze colour of Chinese blue-and-white porcelain owed its origins to China's early trade with Persia. During the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese imperial kilns at Jingdezhen perfected the production of blue-and-white wares and thus extended the scope of China's trade with the West. Oriental export porcelain has its own rich history, enhanced by tales of shipwrecks and lost cargoes, that hints of the fascination for these products from the East, that came to be adapted for Western markets. This lecture will trace the history of blue-and-white porcelain and the trade in export porcelain. It will also recount tales of salvaging operations that have resulted in the recovery of sunken treasures from the East. The "Nanking Cargo" and the "Hoi An Hoard" are but two examples of early shipwrecks in Eastern waters, the recovery of which have enhanced our understanding of the blue-and-white porcelain and its wider commercial impact.

In 1915 Churchill was rescued from depression by the "muse" of painting. Painting was the mainstay that allowed one of our greatest national leaders to achieve all that he did. Churchill's paintings record landscapes from the Riviera to Blenheim, Chartwell and Marrakech. The most fascinating aspects of this exploration of a talent beyond the mere amateur is the role it played in his personal and political life, the restorative power of the process of painting and the insight it allows us into the art of his age. Churchill took lessons from Lavery, Sickler and Nicholson, and the choices he made tell us much about the colour, texture and direction of art in the early twentieth century.

Macdonald "Max" Gill, younger brother of the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, was an architect, graphic designer and letterer, best known for his pictorial maps, especially those for the London Underground. He also created painted maps for Arts and Crafts houses including Lindisfarne Castle, magnificient murals for Cunard liners, and eye-catching publicity posters for organisations such as the Empire Marketing Board. An enduring legacy is his alphabet for the Imperial War Graves Commission used on all British military headstones since the First World War. This illustrated talk by Max Gill's great-niece presents a colourful overview of this versatile artist's personal life and artistic achievements. 

NB Max's work can be found in may localities around Britain. Caroline will include local connections where possible. 

THIS LECTURE WILL TAKE PLACE ON ZOOM

This lecture explores the passion for the exotic and beautiful tulip flower which reached its' height in Amsterdam in the 1630's. Collectors, besotted by the exceptional beauty of this new and exotic flower, speculated in and paid ever higher prices for the rarest varieties, in expectation of the metamorphosis of bulb to a flower with petals of an unparalleled richness and intensity of colour. The variety "Semper Augustus" was the most desirable, with it's mysterious and spectacular flamed petals. The coveted tulip featured as a motif on still-life flower paintings by Balthasar van der Ast and Ambrosius Bosschaert and on many different works of art from furniture to embroideries, ceramics and silver. During the seventeenth century, this rare and precious flower, beloved in art and a feature of botanical gardens, inspired the production of Delftware flower pyramids for the English court of William and Mary and examples can still be seen in the collections at Hampton Court Palace and Durham Park near Bath.

A re-run of the lecture which was partly given in September but for technical reasons was not open for those members on Zoom. Please refer to the September lecture for a description of the content. This lecture is available to members only on Zoom - it will not be live in the hall. An email inviting you to participate will be sent as usual a few days before. 

Due to technical difficulties at the time of this lecture in November, Jennifer kindly agreed to repeat it using Zoom. Please refer to the November date for details.

PLEASE NOTE - this lecture will be delivered by ZOOM into your home AND the Masonic Hall in consideration of rising Covid numbers. Jennifer will not be there in person.

Since the birth of the earliest human civilisations, dance has been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations, a method of healing and a means of expression and entertainment.

Using stills and video clips we take a look at dance as an art form from its earliest beginnings; through the birth and rapid development of ballet throughout Europe, the explosion of modern dance in the early 20th century a time of unprecedented creative growth for dancers and choreographers and with the growth of post-modernism from the 1960s  the expansion of street dance, hip-hop, break dancing and rock dance.

This is an introduction to the most important Spanish artists of the 16th and 17th centuries. We look at El Greco's unique style of painting in Philip II's Spain. Velasquez' formal and informal portraits of members of Philip IV's family and court are studied, as well as the white robed monks of Zurbaran which contrast with the lively beggar boys and triumphant Virgins of Murillo. 

This lecture provides a colourful introduction to the secret world of our 2000-mile inland waterway network and looks at all aspects of their exceptional artistic, architectural and engineering vernacular. Features range from sweeping aqueducts to tiny bollards; from colourful historic narrowboats to ‘Roses and Castles’ artwork; from grand World Heritage Sites to quirky listed buildings.

A well-known architectural historian once described our canals as a ‘poor man’s art gallery’.

The Bauhaus was the most progressive and most influential art school of the 20th century. Founded in Weimar by Walter Gropius in 1919, its' teaching was both spiritual and practical. Students were expected to devote themselves completely to their art yet at the same time respond to the practical demands of industry. When the school moved to Dessau in 1925, Gropius designed a new building for it which has become the epitome of Modernist architecture: abstract and functional but also elegant and refined. The school was closed down when Hitler came to power in 1933 but its' visionary teachings live on as an inspiration to artists and architects all over the world. 

The lectures includes a brief history of frames and focuses on their design and construction. Julia also discusses the conservation of frames, and how to choose the right one to transform a painting and display it to its best advantage.

– The History of Frames – including how frames have developed in Europe, influenced often by prevailing architectural styles.

– The Design & Making of Frames – an insight into their design & selection; gilding techniques over time, together with the materials used in the workshop.

Janet's talk is a ravishingly illustrated virtual tour of the Church of England’s magnificent 42 cathedrals, jewels in the crown of England’s built heritage, some recognised as World Heritage Sites. We will be treated to an overview of cathedral history and architectural evolution including their surprising stories and extraordinary treasures. The changing role in society both in the past and present day is also discussed. 

Janet's talk is based on her illustrated softback book "Director's Choice, Cathedrals of the Church of England" which has been revised and reprinted 2020. It is available for members  to purchase for £12 including postage. If you are interested please contact Janet by email janet@janet-gough.com and she will email you back with address and payment details. 

Antony Gormley makes fascinating and challenging sculptures based on his own and other people’s bodies. Many of his works are life-size and made of lead or other metal, and can often be found in unusual locations such as the Australian desert, in the sea off the Liverpool coast or on the rooftops of London. Works other than these very personal portraits range from the enormous Angel of the North, which is 65 feet (20 metres) high and can be seen at a great distance from the A1 at Gateshead, to his various fields of tens of thousands of small clay figures made under his guidance by ordinary members of the public.

At both ends of the scale, his work is astonishing and thought-provoking, and sheds a new light on the tradition of sculpture involving the human body.

Wells is Englands' smallest city - a gem set on the edge of the Somerset Levels. From the oldest street in England, past the cathedral and the lively market to the tranquil springs is a short walk, but full of interest of all sorts. 

Accomplished botanical painter and inveterate traveller, Marianne North (1830-1890) led an unconventional life capturing the life essence of exotic and rare plants in their native lands. Born in Hastings, her pursuit of plants took her round the world. This talk explores both the life and social context of Marianne North, including discussion of why her paintings troubled deeply conservative Victorian society and the eventual creation of her gallery at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew.

Painting by Marianne North

They have been called spectacles to help to see right into heaven and they caused one of the greatest theological debates lasting over a century. They have caused grown men to convert to Christianity and other to fling themselves furiously in the flames. Men and women have died for the right for them to be venerated. So what is it about Icons that causes these extremes of behaviour?  What are they and how are they made? What can we learn about how our ancestors worshipped and do they have mirrors in Western Christianity? All this and more!

Cleopatra, the woman for whose love’s sake Antony is imagined to have given up the chance to rule the Roman world, has been inspiring painters, poets and (more recently) film-makers for over two millennia. Their gorgeously voluptuous depictions of her offer insights into changing concepts of beauty, and into the racial and sexual assumptions underlying them.

Showing images ranging from Roman portrait busts, through medieval illuminations, the glorious works of Renaissance masters like Michelangelo, the splendour of Tiepolo and the exoticism of Gustave Moreau to 20th century film stars (Theda Bara, Claudette Colbert, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor and the Carry On team’s Amanda Barry), Lucy will show how Cleopatra became a screen onto which artists have projected their wildly differing fantasies about exotic danger and erotic bliss.

Launched nearly 100 years ago, Rupert has had three official artists and this is the story of each of them and their creativity that has made Rupert the longest standing strip thrilling generations with his adventures

William Morris was a one-man pattern-making phenomenon whose work had a powerful and lasting impact on many areas of interior design. He is probably best-known today as a designer of wallpapers and this lecture examines the development and production of his work in this genre from his early medievalising patterns to his more elegant mature style.

It explores the sources and inspiration for his wallpapers, changes in style, and how and where they were used, all within the context of 19thcentury design.

Lectures will be live via Zoom until further notice

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego Rivera (1886-1957) have iconic status in Mexico. Rivera’s intricate visual narratives, rich with allegory and symbolism, adorn the walls of public buildings. Inspired by Aztec and Maya imagery, and by early Italian fresco painting, his vast murals combine social criticism with faith in human progress. Kahlo’s work, unlike Rivera’s, is small in format.

Arguably Mexico’s most original painter, she made herself the principal theme of her art. Her paintings reflect her experiences and dreams. This lecture surveys the work of both artists; it chronicles their turbulent marriage and Mexico’s history after the 1910 Revolution.