The Travels and Art of John Singer Sargent
Arthur Morison Memorial Hall Rowls Lane, Wincanton, Somerset, United Kingdom.We will explore his ability to capture a sense of place - the atmosphere, light, colours and textures of a land or seascape - with an intimately personal and often unusual interpretation. Whether it be luscious pomegranates in a Spanish orchard, brilliant hues of poppies in the Cotswolds, silver light on glistening fish in Norway, […]
Art Down Under: Australian Art from the convict years to the modern era
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute Thomas W Roberts, Australian Painter 1856-1931 Description of Lecture Artistic responses to life in the strange new continent were initially seen through European, and especially British, artistic traditions. In the 19th century, Australian Impressionism & the Heidelberg School challenged the dominance of the ‘Victorian’ style, with Tom Roberts, Arthur Streeton and others […]
The Christmas Story in Medieval Art
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute Adoration of the Magi, tondo by Fra Angelico and Filippo Lippi, c. 1450 (NGA, Washington) Description of Lecture It was during the Middle Ages that many of the familiar images associated with the Christmas story were devised and popularized: including the stable in Bethlehem inhabited by the ox and ass. What were […]
The Election Entertainment Series and the birth of political satire
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute Description of Lecture The long British tradition of political satire is coming to the fore again as a General Election approaches - January 2025 at the latest. At the root of that tradition is William Hogarth’s Election Entertainment series of prints from the 1750s. His ruthless exposure of electoral corruption and hypocrisy […]
Scandinavian Landscape Painting 1840-1910
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "Arktisk vårdag. Studie från Nordlandet" is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. Description of Lecture There is something special about Nordic nature. Its vastness, wilderness, and remoteness are some of the reasons it is so fascinating. Let’s not forget the exceptional light conditions, such as the midnight sun and auroras. Surely, nature […]
Art for the Afterlife : ancient Egyptian tomb scenes and funerary goods
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "KV17, the tomb of Pharaoh Seti I of the of the burial chamber, Nineteenth Dynasty, astronomical vaulted ceiling Valley of the Kings, Egypt" by Following Hadrian is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Description of Lecture The ancient Egyptians had extremely elaborate burial practices and funerary beliefs. In this lecture Lucia sheds […]
Poet in Paint : The Art and Life of Paul Nash 1889 – 1946
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "THE MENIN ROAD BY PAUL NASH" by summonedbyfells is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Description of Lecture Paul Nash was one of the most important British artists of the twentieth century, and one who united the pastoral and mystical tradition embodied by English artists such as William Blake and Samuel Palmer, […]
Visions of India : Art and the East India Company – The meeting of East and West in Historic Paintings by Indian and European Artists
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "sepoy service East India Company" is marked with CC0 1.0. Description of Lecture This lecture will focus on the history of the East-West trade and the artistic interaction and exchange that took place between European and Indian artists during the age of the East India Company. From its foundation in 1600 […]
A Magical Mystery Tour : The English Miniature from the Tudors to the Victorians
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "Katherine Howard, 18th Century Minature based on Holbein's Painting of Elizabeth Seymour" by lisby1 is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0. Description of Lecture From Holbein to the arrival of photography, the English have always kept a special place in their affections for the miniature. No other country has supported such […]
Gone in a flash ? A history of firework displays from the Renaissance to the age of electricity
Stalbridge Hall Stalbridge Hall, Lower Road, Stalbridge, Sturminster Newton, Dorset, United Kingdom.Featured Image Attribute "Versailles Feu d'artifice" by Maurits Verbiest is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Description of Lecture The fireworks that mark great events such as the opening of the Olympics, or even the start of a New Year make an enormous impact. Despite their brevity, the displays live on through film and photography. […]