Édouard Manet is one of the most remarkable and fascinating artists of the 19th century. His life is full of contradictions – he loved to dress well and be a ‘man about town’ but was also an extremely hard worked devoted to his art; he was sharp tongued and had an acerbic wit, yet was also generous and compassionate; he was outwardly a respectable married man, yet had a succession of lovers and admirers; he had a great influence on the Impressionist painters yet refused to exhibit with them.

Our speaker this year is Marc Allum, who is a freelance art and antiques journalist, writer and broadcaster based near Chippenham. He is one of the experts working as a miscellaneous specialist on the Antiques Roadshow.  Please don’t miss out on this opportunity to spend a day with a self-confessed collectaholic whose interests range from pre-history to modern design.

Marc has themed the day around the title “The Art of Collecting”. The first lecture covers the history of collecting and the great collectors. The second looks at fakes and forgeries and Marc will show us examples that will test our detective skills. The third session, after lunch, will be a “mini Roadshow” where Marc will talk about objects that we have brought in. You are welcome to bring in one object - nothing too large or very valuable, please - for Marc to look at. Obviously there is no compulsion to do this, and in practical terms Marc will only be able to examine a certain number of items.

The Study Day is at our usual venue, the Ellendune Hall. Doors open at 10am, our chairman will welcome everyone at 10.20am and the first lecture starts promptly at 10.30am. There will be a half hour break for coffee and biscuits at 11.30am, with the second lecture running from 12noon to 1pm. At 1pm we break for lunch, which will be a finger buffet of sandwiches etc, followed by homemade cake (lemon drizzle and coffee traybake have been promised!) and fruit. Wine and soft drinks will be served. The final session runs from 1.45pm to 2.45pm and the day will finish by 3pm.

For more information, please email Angela on info@theartssocietykennet.org.uk

This Study Day is designed to provide introduction to the unique tradition of Japanese visual culture with a strong emphasis on decorative arts. The sensibility to the beauty of nature and the changing seasons have inspired the craftsmen for centuries to create delicate and elegant designs, or bold and witty designs.  The distinctive Japanese aesthetics and symbolism seen in the arts of lacquer, ceramics, and woodblock prints will be examined in the historical and social context.

Lecture 1: 10 30 – 11.30 am Lacquer: Design and Technique Lacquer
 
Lecture 2: 12.00 – 1.00 pm Ceramics: Domestic Taste verses Export Market 
 
Lecture 3: 2.00 – 3.00 pm Pictures of the Floating World: Ukiyo-e Woodblock
Prints Woodblock a printing technique, first developed in China, was introduced to Japan ats far back as  the 8th century.
 
Tickets will be available at the December meeting.

Cost for the day: £35
 

Art of the Pharaohs

The remarkable civilisation of Ancient Egypt lasted some 3000 years. In order to explore some of the more fascinating periods of ancient Egyptian art in this study day, Lucia Gahlin will focus on the reigns of three pharaohs who are remembered for being in some way extraordinary. Lucia will begin with Hatshepsut, remarkable for being a female pharaoh. She will go on to explore the intriguing art of the pharaoh Akhenaten who made such changes to the traditional art and polytheistic religion that he was referred to as a criminal after this death. She will end the day introducing the colossal art of Ramesses II who reigned for more than 60 years and had statues of himself set up throughout Egypt.

Lecture 1: Portrait of a Female Pharaoh: Hatshepsut

The ancient Egyptian pharaoh was by definition male, he was the embodiment of the god Horus on earth. So, could a woman become king? She could … but not many did. Hatshepsut (c1479 – 1458 BC) is the one for whom we have the most fascinating array of evidence - from graffiti to monumental reliefs, obelisks and fine statuary. The art of this reign is intriguing – Hatshepsut is sometimes represented as a woman, at other times as a strong, bare-chested male ruler. In this lecture Lucia will explore the rise to power of this 18th dynasty queen, and her extraordinary achievements as pharaoh. Her name was later removed from the monuments and her depictions excised. Lucia will examine the evidence for this posthumous backlash against the presence of a woman on the throne of Egypt.

Lecture 2:  The Mythologising of a Pharaoh: Akhenaten, deformed or divine?

Akhenaten (c1352 – 1336 BC) is probably the most controversial of all the Egyptian pharaohs. He made extraordinary changes to the religion and art, all the more striking when we consider how conventional the ancient Egyptians tended to be in these respects. He replaced the traditional polytheistic religion with the worship of one solar deity, and the art is unlike that of any other pharaoh’s reign. He chose to be represented in a most singular fashion. Did he really look like this? Or was his representation determined by ideology? Lucia will explore these questions and consider the mythologising of a most unusual pharaoh – a mythologising that began soon after his death and has continued through to the present day.

Lecture 3:  The Colossal Art and Architecture of Egypt’s Boldest Pharaoh

Ramesses II (c1279 – 1213 BC) is known by many as ‘Ramesses the Great’. He left his mark throughout Egypt, building extraordinary temples (notably Abu Simbel and the Ramesseum), and adorning them with colossal statues of himself, his wives and mother. In this lecture Lucia will explore the art and architecture of this particularly long reign, and piece together the great achievements of this bold ruler during a golden age of Egypt’s pharaonic history.

1.Getting a handle on Islamic Art: Calligeofiguresques.

In Europe, in both a religious and secular context, we are used to art which is representational, and it is commonly held that Islamic art is non-representational. This lecture introduces Islamic art through its three most widely appreciated non-representational strands, Arabic calligraphy (the Islamic art form par excellence), geometry, and the arabesque. All three were popular because of their close association with the writing and decoration of Korans, and we shall see how Koranic arts impacted other media, including ceramics. However, the lecture will also explore the figural side of Islamic art, and show how widespread figural art really is -  even, most surprisingly, in some religious settings. 

 2. “All is not gold that glitters”: the Story of Lustreware in the Islamic World

The art of putting a golden surface onto a ceramic glaze was first developed in Iraq in the 9th century AD, and from there spread both eastwards to Iran, and westwards to Egypt, North Africa and to Muslim Spain. The technology was constant, but the decoration was rich and varied, and Islamic lusterware is represented by a host of magnificent objects with golden surfaces, paralleling the widespread Islamic taste for silver gilt, and inlaid brass. The unexpected result of this tradition, however, was nothing less than a revolution in European taste, for 15th century Hispano-Moresquelustreware was the inspiration for Maiolica, the first great decorative ware in Renaissance ceramics.

3. Linking China with Europe: Blue-and-white in the Middle East.

Granny may have had a blue-and-white tea-pot which we remember as children, but where did the idea come from, and the technology? We instinctively connect blue-and-white with China, but it actually originated in Basra in Iraq! It was later adopted by the Mongols, for whom it was made in Ching-te Chen in China, and was then re-adopted throughout the Middle East, where Chinese blue-and-white was widely collected and copied. From the 16th century it became a major item of Indian Ocean trade, and in the 17th centurythe Dutch used Persian potters to fill gaps in Chinese exports. Blue-and-white then spread to Europe, where the its ultimate expression was to be found in the Delft factories.

Session 1

A clash of styles. What style of building should a civilized society adopt? The Greek Revival was popular as it reflected a lost world of democratic values and a sophisticated society to which modern Britons should aspire. The burning of the Houses of Parliament changed that. Should we rebuild in a 'national style’ and what would that be? Sir Charles Barry, classicist and Edward Pugin, architects of the new House of Parliament reflect the tension that existed between the two styles, the Classical and the emergent Gothic.

 Session 2

In search of Godliness. The religious revival of the mid-19th century was a huge catalyst to architectural development, both religious and secular. Furthermore the industrial revolution and the growth of Empire injected huge wealth into the nation; wealth that was often poured into new buildings. It was an age of church building, led by Pugin, Scott and Burges, as well as a rich diversity of public buildings, schools and country houses.

 Session 3

Home Sweet Home. The last quarter of the 19th century is associated with a renewed  interest in the vernacular architecture of Great Britain as well as the architecture of the Golden Age; late 17th century England, the age of Christopher Wren. At the same time there was revived interest in authenticity, of crafted rather than machine made objects. Richard Norman Shaw, William Morris and Philip Webb created a whole new world of buildings, culminating in the work of Detmar Blow in Wiltshire, and Edwin Lutyens in Surrey.

 Because of the Corona Virus outbreak this will be online  only

The River Thames has been at the heart of our history for 2,000 years.

It may be only 210 miles long but for centuries it has attracted some of the world’s greatest artists: Canaletto, Turner, Monet, Whistler, Stanley Spencer.

The history and development of this most fascinating river will be explored through the eyes of famous and not so famous painters (e.g. Thomas Girtin, J.Atkinson Grimshaw). The docks, London's bridges, the Pool of London and the Boat race will also be covered.

A visual panorama.

Session 1: Great Beginnings (maps, Hollar, Hogarth)

Session 2: From Canaletto to JMW Turner

Session 3: Victorian and Modern

The Silk Road was a series of trade routes that linked the Far East with the West. The routes began to develop in the 1st century BC and were actively used by merchants for more than a millennium. An explanation of the Silk Road is offered in a stand-alone lecture which is illustrated with examples of the art and architecture created along its routes. The day begins with an introductory session which is followed by in-depth sessions which consider the art and architecture of the following cultures during the first millennium: Persia, Islam, Ferghana Valley, India, China, South-East Asia and finally Japan. The topics all work as stand-alone study days.

The lecture titles are:

1) Routes, trades and commodities

2) Near east to India

3) Khotan to Chang’an

In the first lecture, the scene will be set, routes discussed, traders and commodities taking in examples of art and architecture to illustrate these points. We then follow a path eastwards and survey some of the buildings and art that travellers along the Silk Road in the first millennium (when it was at its busiest) would have seen. So we begin with sites in Syria including Palmyra and Dura Europos and then move eastwards through the Persian lands and central Asia, then on through India and into China. 

A special interest day on English furniture from medieval times to the late 18th century.  The day is divided into a session for each age to show how the properties of oak, walnut and mahogany were successfully exploited through differing furniture making and decorative techniques. Covering such a broad period will enable a wide range of furniture to be considered.

Session 1 The Age of Oak: A survey of English oak furniture in terms of its construction, style and decoration from the mediaeval period through to the end of the 17th Century. We shall look at furniture from the point of view of its practicality, utility and durability.

Session 2 The Age of Walnut: Walnut was much favoured by the Elizabethans and its use for fashionable furniture coincided with advances in furniture design and construction –largely thanks to the continued influx of continental craftsmen, styles and improved construction techniques- resulting in furniture which was extremely pleasing on the eye and well suited to the sophistication of cities in the mercantile age. 

Session 3 The Age of Mahogany: Mahogany became the timber of choice for cabinetmaking in the  early 18th century and talented designers and cabinet makers exploited its characteristics in producing furniture which set a new quality standard in terms of both design and craftsmanship.  The Age of Mahogany encompasses the work of great designers and cabinetmakers like Kent, Vile, Cobb, and, of course, Chippendale, who between them made this “The Golden Age of English Furniture”.

This will be our first 'study day' at the Ellendune centre where we shall be using the Spooncer suite.  Coffee will be provided on arrival, and there will be a hearty sandwich lunch. 

Lynne Gibson writes:

Modern Art is challenging to the viewer.  It is, undoubtedly, different from the classical art forms which are rooted in the Renaissance. Modern Art generally is agreed to have appeared as a major force in mid-19th century Europe with Paris as the epicentre.  Was this due to a handful of rebellious individuals such as Courbet, Manet or Picasso? Was it related more to the wider political and social changes sweeping through Europe? It certainly  gave rise to a number of 'isms'. So, during the day, we will look at Cubism, Impressionism. Expressionism and Conceptualism to name but a few! We will  explore some of the ideas behind these 'schools'; emerging feminism, socialism and capitalism for example.