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LECTURE PROGRAMME FOR
2011/2012
NEW SEASON OF
MEETINGS AND LECTURES STARTS IN SEPTEMBER 2011 AT BUXTON
The venue is the Pavilion Arts Centre (new name for the old Paxton
Suite)
24TH MAY 2011
TCHAIKOVSKY AND CHEKHOV - Rosamund Bartlett
Tchaikovsky was one of the first people to perceive Chekhov’s
genius, and unusually took the step of becoming personally
acquainted with the writer, despite his shy and retiring nature.
The admiration was mutual and the much younger Chekhov was proud to
dedicate a story collection to the great composer. This lecture
explores why Tchaikovsky and Chekhov should have felt such
admiration for each other’s work, and examines their lives and
careers in the context of late 19th century Russian
culture, paying particular attention to the landscape paintings of
Levitan, whose name is often mentioned in the same breath.
... and an extra summer lecture
on the programme, postponed from November 2010. This will be our last lecture at
Cliff College venue.
21st June 2011
– Emma, Lady Hamilton: Scandal, Celebrity and Art in 18th
Century Britain
Dr.
Kate Williams
This richly illustrated talk tells the remarkable story of how Emma
Hamilton ascended through the ranks of British society, beginning as
a courtesan and a model to become wealthy and famous – an
ambassadress, a fashion icon and mistress of Lord Nelson. Her life
was a true rags to riches story, but after Nelson’s death, she lost
all her money and died in penury. Dr Williams, author of England’s
Mistress: the Infamous Life of Emma Hamilton, explores her
relations with artists such as Joshua Reynolds and George Romney,
shows how she manipulated her image through portraiture – and
reveals her impact on the visual culture of the time. Drawing on
her five years of research in archives across the world, she tells
Emma’s astonishing story and explores how her 18th
century world was both glamorous and cruel.
NEW SEASON OF MEETINGS
AND LECTURES AT BUXTON
The venue is the
Pavilion Arts Centre (new name for the old Paxton Suite)
Notices and
Lecture start at 11.00 am prompt
LECTURE
PROGRAMME FOR 2011/2012
27th
September 2011
Prague: “The City of the Winter Queen” Mr
Douglas Skeggs
Prague is one of the great treasure houses of Europe. Reduced
to a near ruin under the communists, it has now been restored to its
former glory, a unique blend of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau
architecture. The lecture looks at the rich fabric of Prague's
past, its legends and its history, as well as the artists,
composers, statesmen and rogues that have illuminated this fairy
tale city.
25th
October 2011
Cooking for Kings Mr Ian Kelly
In a lavishly illustrated and mouth-watering lecture acclaimed
biographer Ian Kelly traces the meteoric career of history's first
celebrity chef, from abandoned orphan on the streets of
Revolutionary Paris to international celebrity, cook to Napoleon,
the Prince Regent, and Tsar of Russia. A culinary tour of the
pleasure-palaces of Britain and Europe in the ultimate age of
gastronomic indulgence, when for the first time, food and art
history became intimately linked, chefs became celebrities and the
modern restaurant was born. Food is an art, Careme argued and
proved, as does this lecture.
29th
November 2011
St Pancras Station Mr Mike Higginbottom
St Pancras Station is a celebration of Victorian architecture
and engineering: two contrasting exceptional Victorian structures,
the train shed by W. H. Barlow & R.M. Ordish (1863-5) and the
magnificent Midland Grand Hotel by Sir George Gilbert Scott
(1868-74). Threatened with demolition in the 1960's. Scott's hotel
was recognised as a major work of Gothic Revival, and the
magnificently restored station is now the centrepiece for a
spectacular revival of a long-neglected corner of central London.
This lecture shows how the hotel, the station and their surroundings
have been transformed over the past thirty-five years.
31st
January 2012
Brothers of the Brush – Artist Monks in 15th Century
Florence Miss Sian Walters
This lecture examines the unusual phenomenon of the artist monk
or “frate dipintore” in Renaissance Florence – men who lived, on the
one hand, an austere and cloistered existence and yet rose to become
some of the most successful and highly respected artists of their
time. Fra Filippo Lippi, Lorenzo Monaco and Fra Angelico were
well-known not only as painters of devotional works for their own
orders but also as highly active and successful figures outside
their monasteries. How were they able to lead these demanding and
no doubt attractive double-lives, and did their religious duties
help or hinder their artistic activities? We discuss these
questions with reference in particular to works on display in the
National Gallery.
28th
February 2012
The Tiger in Ancient Art Mrs Zara Fleming
Intriguing and beautiful, tigers are some of the most
awe-inspiring and mysterious creatures on earth. Feared and revered
in equal measures, they have inspired countless legends, beliefs and
works of art. This lecture explores the significance of the tiger
as a symbol of power and protection in its ancient homeland,
illustrated by a diverse range of art and artefacts. The tiger is
seen in early Chinese bronzes, Japanese netsukes, Indian paintings,
Tibetan rugs and other Asian works of art. It will also comment on
the current situation of the tiger and how this magnificent animal
now faces the threat of extinction.
27th
March 2012
Hampton Court Palace and Magnificence Mrs Siobhan
Clarke
Explores the way the palace has been used over five hundred
years as a vehicle for magnificence and the way in which its
buildings, grounds and artefacts expressed the image and wealth of
its powerful owners. This lecture also covers tapestries and Tudor
court dress.
24th
April 2012
The Great Twelve – An Introduction to the Senior Livery Companies of
the City of London, their medieval origins and their role in modern
Society
Mrs Fenella Billington
Livery companies originated when medieval merchants banded
together to form guilds or fraternities. These guilds were probably
in existence before the Norman Conquest and were to be found, not
only in London, but in other parts of the country and on the
continent.
Today there are 107 Livery
Companies in the City, direct descendants of the medieval trade
guilds. They are still influential bodies, maintaining fine Livery
Halls with art treasures and contents of historical value. They
support charitable causes and play a large part in the field of
education. A number of companies have extensive interests in
schools and universities and many maintain almshouses.
Only Liverymen and Liverywomen
may elect the Lord Mayor and Sheriffs of London, and many ceremonial
occasions are supported by the Companies.
29th
May 2012
Norman Rockwell: Great American artist or mere illustrator?
Mr John Ericson
A celebrated and prolific 20th century American
painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in
the United States, where Rockwell is most famous for the cover
illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for “The
Saturday Evening Post”. But it is his undoubted technical ability
coupled with his talent to tell whimsical stories in his pictures
that is to be most applauded and admired. No other illustrator
remains in the public eye through calendars, reprints, and
monographs, as does Norman Rockwell.
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