MONTHLY MEETINGS 1000 for 1030am 3rd Tuesday in the Farnham Maltings
| 15 September 2009 |
THE COURT OF THE GRAND MUGHAL A senior curator in the Asian Department of the V&A, Susan Stronge is a specialist in the Mughal Period and the Punjab under Sikh rule. She has written and lectured extensively, receiving several awards. Her talk on royal patronage is from the time of Akbar to the reign of Shah Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal. It describes the influence of Mughal art on the courts of later rulers, whether Hindu or Sikh Maharajahs, or Muslim Nawabs. It coincides with – and we emphasise is a Prequel to – the exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum entitled ‘Maharajah: The Splendour of India’s Royal Courts’. |
| 20 October 2009 |
THE REVIVAL OF POST WORLD WAR II BRITISH PAINTING Dr Watkins is a former Head of the Department of the History of Art & Film, University of Leicester. He is also an author, commissioned to write for many international galleries, and a regular contributor to the TLS, the Burlington Magazine and other leading journals. His lecture covers a fascinating period when negative British feelings towards modern art were gradually being overcome. From the vast differences of approach and the contrast in the styles of this talented generation of artists, major themes and influences gradually emerged. |
| 17 November 2009 |
BEAU BRUMMELL: Ian Kelly is a writer, actor, TV historian and the author of three acclaimed biographies, recently acting in The Pitmen Painters at The National Theatre. He has been nominated for several literary as well as stage and film awards, and has lectured widely. His biography Beau Brummell was described by The Independent as ‘magisterial, utterly gripping, a witty vibrant parable for modern times’ and by BBC Radio 4’s Bookclub as ‘quite possibly the best book ever written about London’. This will be a particularly amusing and entertaining lecture. |
| 15 December 2009 | IN THE BLEAK MIDWINTER: ARTISTS’ RESPONSES TO SNOW Lecturer Ann Clements has wide experience of lecturing both at home and abroad. Her early work included cataloguing English watercolours and drawings for the Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester, research for the Paul Mellon Foundation and university lecturing. For this special Christmas lecture, early winter landscapes are explored, including the first time when winter became a sustained topic in 17thC Holland. The next great blossoming of snow subjects occurred in 19thC France, with wonderful works by the Impressionists, and there are also some surprising images by artists not normally associated with this subject. followed by Christmas drinks |
| 19 January 2010 |
BRITISH CHURCH MONUMENTS THROUGH THE AGES Jane Kelsall is a freelance lecturer in Fine Arts, and an Honorary Guide at St Albans Cathedral. She studied Fine Art and Sculpture, and is graduate in English and History. The Church’s depiction of Purgatory in the 12th Century, with the need for Christians to hasten the soul through Purgatory to Heaven as quickly as possible after death, was followed by successive changes from the medieval style. After the Reformation, a Gothic Revival returned to the medieval effigy. Despite its topic the lecture is very amusing, as one would expect from the creator of ‘The History of a Royal Necklace’, so much enjoyed by Farnham DFAS three years ago. |
| 16 February 2010 |
DESIGNED FOR WEARING: Susan Rumfitt is a jewellery advisor and auction consultant who has lectured extensively. She was an international jewellery expert at Phillips Auctioneers, becoming Head of their Jewellery Department. She is also a specialist on the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. From Chanel to Mary Quant and the colour explosions of Versace, fashion has had an exciting journey through the 20th C. Jewellery design has reflected this, incorporating the delicacies of the Edwardian period, the contrasts of the Deco period, the sculptural creations of the 20’s, the cocktail-style of the 40’s and 50’s, right through to the ‘bling’ culture of the 1980’s. |
| 16 March 2010 |
LOVE AND LOSS: Assistant Curator at the National Gallery, a trained classical musician, author and broadcaster, Lois Oliver will give a lecture combining her two passions of art and music. Wonderful music from Monteverdi, Gluck and Offenbach will combine with a rich array of classical paintings to give an unforgettable account of this moving love story. |
20 April 2010 |
ART, CRAFT OR CURIO: AN INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN ART The lecturer ran her own art history courses in Johannesburg and since coming to the UK has worked as a freelance lecturer, presenting courses and lectures at the Manchester Art Gallery and the Walker National Gallery in Liverpool. She will provide an introduction, based on her own experiences, into traditional, sub-Saharan African art which is both informative and entertaining. There will be a focus on the influences of Africa on Europe and vice versa, and how best to appreciate African art. |
| 18 May 2010 | MURDERERS, MISTRESSES AND MUSKETEERS: A lecturer with a Master’s Degree in Art History from Manchester University, a tour guide and freelance speaker for The Art Fund and the National Trust, Fenella Billington is a specialist in the Renaissance period with a particular interest in the French Monarchy at this time. |
15 June 2010 |
ST PANCRAS AND FRIENDS: An Extra-Mural Tutor for London, Essex and the Open University, author and broadcaster, Andrew Davies is well-known to FDFAS Members for his popular London Walks. This lecture explores the history and architecture of many iconic structures, revelling in the splendours of St Pancras and the memorial to Sir John Betjeman, the interwar Piccadilly Line masterpieces, and gleaming might of the new Jubilee Line, which brings the lecture right up to date. Preceded by AGM |
| 20 July 2010 | TROMPE L’OEIL: THE ART OF ILLUSION A practising artist and designer, Tom Errington is an adviser on Art, History of Art and Stained Glass to the Doicese of Southwell, and the Diocese of Coventry. This is an exciting and original talk, covering what makes the brain accept information, involving perspective, colour and shadow. The theory is illustrated with, amongst others, examples of works by Corregio, Crivelli and Tiepolo. This will be a fascinating lecture on which to end our Programme Year. |