Hogarth’s work was widely distributed in print and served as the News of the World of its day. Its bawdy scenes and dissolute characters have influenced political cartoons and even pub signs! Stella explores his moral series A Harlot’s Progress and his famous prints Beer Street and Gin Lane.

About the Speaker

Stella has lectured in many countries and has a vast range of specialist subjects. She has her own online lecture course which attracts listeners from five continents. She has published several articles and is a popular lecturer for travel companies and private clubs such as the RAC club. She spent many years modelling for the Welsh based artist, Harry Holland.

Leslie will explore how we got to where we are today with so many art forms and artists. He looks at the milestones and tipping points of Western European Art that changed the course of art history.

About the Speaker

Leslie is an art historian, author and broadcaster who specialises in many aspects of art history from Medieval art to the work of Rubens. His varied publications include contributions to the Oxford Companion Guide to British Black History and to the Royal Academy Magazine for” The Entangled Pasts” exhibition. His latest book to date is “The Foreign Invention of British Art.”

Gary delivered an entertaining lecture about his life and how he became a successful photographer.
Although he excelled at playing the harmonic and treated us to a short piece, he realised early on that he wanted to learn about photography and sought advice from famous photographers of the time, including David Bailey and Earl Snowdon. However, it was Patrick Lichfield who was keen to help him. He became so successful under his tutelage that he was in demand to take portraits of celebrities such as Frankie Vaughan, Ronnie Scott and Lord Sieff. He tried to capture the real person by including their environment in the picture, so Lord Sieff was shown surrounded by books in his study at different stages in his life.
Gary‘s father was a painter so together they produced Duets, whereby his father painted a relevant scene and then Gary superimposed a photograph of the person onto it. He was introduced by one of his clients to his idol Larry Adler and was asked to photograph him. This helped to propel his career. He showed us many of the photographs he produced for both private and corporate clients, such as promotional pictures for a Nigerian airline and Lang Lang playing a Steinway.
Gary restores photographs, works for charities and takes wonderful pictures of flowers. He donated 10 of his father’s pictures to the Dame Vera Lynn fund, for which he received a letter of thanks from King Charles  and Queen Camilla!

Spying, propaganda and art were inextricably linked in an entertaining lecture which sought to explore connections between the CIA and Abstract Expressionism.
During the Cold War, America and Russia tried to use culture to increase their world influence. America hired intellectuals to work out ways to counteract Russian influence. Abstract and modern art were used as tools in this endeavour. Abstract art signified artistic freedom and modern designs, such as the use of steel in furniture, had an international appeal.
Although Kandinsky was the father of modern art, he was Russian and Stalin condemned his art as degenerate, so he was forced to flee to Paris, where he came under the influence of modern French artists. These artists, who were mainly communists, migrated to America and influenced American art.
Works by Gorky, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Clifford Still and Mark Rothko were explored, illustrated with stunning slides. Tom Braden of the CIA set up an organisation which sponsored artists of Abstract Expressionism and an exhibition of their work toured Europe.
Such exhibitions sought to show Russian people just how good life was in the West and, as a result, artists did flee from the Soviet Union as they sought the artistic freedom America offered. Also, people who attended the exhibitions could see how much more attractive life was in America than in Russia. James concluded that art exhibitions were the influencers of their day.

Antonia Keaney entertained us with a variety of characters linked to Blenheim Palace. Queen Anne gifted the land and money for the palace to John Churchill, first Duke of Marlborough, following his military success in the battle of Blenheim in 1704.
Both John and his wife, Sarah Jennings, grew up in royal courts and Sarah rose to influential positions within the royal household. Her relationship with Queen Anne was close. But, when Sarah was supplanted by her own relative, Abigail Masham, the relationship between the Queen and the Duke and Duchess broke down dramatically.
Unusually, the title was inherited by the couple’s daughter Henrietta, whose husband was considered the most boring man in England. After giving birth to their first son, she said ‘Go tell the fool I’ve got him an heir’. Later she found love with the playwright William Congreve.

Another of Blenheim’s colourful characters was Lady Diana Spencer, daughter of the third duke. Divorced by her first husband for ‘criminal conversation’ she married her lover, a great-grandson of Nell Gwyn.  As his addiction to laudanum increased so did his dishevelment. His wig, he claimed, contained ‘enough lice to feed a parish’. Forced to earn her living, Diana became an artist and was invited to design pottery for Josiah Wedgwood. 

Other individuals vividly described included the sixth duke, who took part in a sham marriage and the eighth, the ‘Wicked Duke’, who sold much of the Blenheim collection. With divorce pending this duke’s brother, Randolph, called on the Prince of Wales, using blackmail, to stop it. The woman in the scandal was also intimate with the Prince, who was furious and thereafter would not set foot in any home connected with the Marlboroughs. Randolph was the father of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who regretted not getting to know his father.  

More scandal surrounded the ninth duke, who was married to ‘dollar princess’ Consuelo Vanderbilt. Their marriage was annulled due to her being coerced into it. A painting by John Singer Sargent of the pair looking miserable hangs in Blenheim. It contrasts with a nearby picture by Sir Joshua Reynolds of the fourth duke and duchess and their family who look a good deal happier.

More positively, we heard of the seventh duke, John Winston Spencer-Churchill and his wife, Duchess Frances, who raised money to help victims of the famine in Ireland, where he was Viceroy. Finally, Mary, wife of the tenth duke, who ran Blenheim during World War II was, on her death, reported to have led a life of outstanding public service.

Having introduced this diverse band. Antonia let her audience decide to which category - Saint, Sinner or Scoundrel - each should be consigned. 

A captivating lecture about the history and carving of walnut furniture explored the many types of furniture for which walnut has been used since the 1600s. The Purdey Gun stock and Jaguar car gear stick knob were made out of walnut as it absorbs shock. At the other end of the scale, Hardwick Hall houses a beautiful French walnut table designed in the 1560s that was compared with an old plain chair, which was so dark with the patina on it that it is difficult to identify it as walnut. Walnut was valuable and highly coveted, as was shown in a dazzling sideboard used to display silver.
Walnut is a close-grained timber, so is suitable for carving, as seen on royal chairs where two cherubs support the Saint Edward crown. The influence of the Continent can be seen in Baroque chairs with a barley twist and plaited effect on the uprights. Chinoiserie became fashionable when chairs were lacquered in black to to try to ward off woodworm, with little success. Chair backs became tall during the last ten years of the seventeenth century, when they would be arranged around the walls of a room. If they had no arms, they were known as side chairs, and were for lesser-ranking people to use. Ornate Queen Anne walnut dining chairs, such as those with ball and claw feet depicting a dragon’s claw clutching a ball of wisdom, were shown. In Georgian times, carving was less ornate, as the emphasis was more on the form and structure of the chair itself.

We were treated to an uplifting talk, exploring ten iconic dresses painted during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which either shocked or delighted audiences.
Madame X by John Singer Sargent, a portrait of Virginie Gautreau, proved scandalous because the dress was incredibly low cut and one strap was slipping off her shoulder before Sargent repainted it in place. She wears make-up, which was considered improper at the time and her red hair was believed to show that she was either a witch or a prostitute. Sargent was so upset by the hostility surrounding this painting that he escaped from Paris to London to paint. His later portrait of Lady Macbeth, played by Ellen Terry, displays a magnificent green iridescence, has her dress consists of hundreds of beetle wings sewn onto it. Ellen Terry has red hair too, but this painting increased Sargent’s reputation. Another iconic dress explored, which also used beetle wings, is the famous Peacock Dress made for Lady Curzon for the coronation of Edward VII. Here, the wings used form the centre of peacock wings on gold fabric with chiffon.

This was an inspiring lecture, illustrating that Norwegian Arts have always had a close relationship with Nature. It led to the exploration of the work of several artists, including Peder Balke, J.C. Dahl and Edward Munch.  Early paintings showed the dominance of the glaciers and mountains but, as Norwegian painters mixed with other artists abroad, Romantic and Realist influences could be seen. Tidemand and Gude, who both studied in Dusseldorf, collaborated on landscape paintings, with Tidemand painting the figures. Their painting entitled “The Bridal Procession” shows the dominance of Nature, with mountains and glaciers almost surrounding the small figures in the boat. By the time Erik Werenskiold painted peasants in landscapes the figures were seen in the foreground and seemed to be harnessing Nature, as in his work showing peasants drying grass on a fence. Munch’s “The Scream” shows Nature itself screaming as the erupting volcano Krakatoa reddens the sky. A student of Dahl, Peder Balke painted powerful Romantic visions of Norway such as “Mount Stetind in the Fog.”

The lecture explored other aspects of art, such as the music of a Hardanger violin illustrated by the playing of the gifted Ole Bull. Ibsen and Greig collaborated on the drama Peer Gynt, which was inspired by Norwegian fairy tales. Architecture has even been designed in the shapes of Nature, such as The Oslo Opera House, which is built to resemble a gigantic iceberg on which people can walk. Every two years Norwegians climb the Snohetta mountain to show their respect for Nature. Overlooking this mountain has now been built The Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion, which has a magnificent interior creating a protected and warm space from which can be viewed the wonderful outside scenes of Nature.

Peter treated us to a wide range of Christmas carols, including Victorian and German examples, many of which he sang himself. We learned that carols often tell the Nativity story from the point of view of the shepherds or the Virgin Mary. A carol was even mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales, in The Miller’s Tale.
Peter told the history behind the historical sites that inspired Christmas Carols such as “O Little Town of Bethlehem” and “Away in a Manger”. Helena of Constantine and her son Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and visited the sites mentioned in the Bible, founding churches wherever they went. She discovered what was claimed to be the true cross and tried to identify the Magi. This story is told in the carol “We Three Kings.” Many carols have question and answer formats such as “I Saw Three Ships.” Others were founded in dance such as “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” where the chorus is repeated to allow for dancing that Peter suggested kept people warm in winter!
Peter told us many stories behind the origins of carols.  He said, for instance, that after the Restoration, when carols were sung again after the austere years of Puritanism, John Byron wrote a Christmas poem for his daughter Dolly which John Wainwright put to music the following year. It is now performed as ‘’Christians Awake.” Poets and authors contributed to the idea of a white Christmas, which is often referred to in carols such as “In the Bleak Mid-Winter”,  about which Chrisina Rossetti wrote a poem. Charles Dickens also wrote about snow at Christmas. Today we are adding other songs to the    Christmas carol list such as “White Christmas” and “Mary’s Boy Child.” Carols are just as much part of our Christmas now as they were many years ago, providing respite from our turbulent times.

VENUE: DOUBLETREE BY HILTON HOTEL

In Christian iconography angels have been depicted in many different ways. Leonardo da Vinci painted the Angel Gabriel with realistic bird wings, while Raphael imagined his angels as a pair of toddlers. Van Eyck’s angels sing and play musical instruments whereas William Blake envisages phantoms in his pictures and poetry. In this lecture, Sarah Burles explores images of heavenly beings across religions and the centuries.

Sarah Burles

After gaining a History of Art degree from Cambridge University and a master’s degree from U.C.L., Sarah established new services in three museums before working at the Fitzwilliam Museum. She is the founder of Cambridge Art Tours; she is also a Tour Director for a travel company leading cultural tours abroad to the continent and America.

Sarah Dunant gave us an entertaining lecture, which showed that Isabella d’Este‘s life and work led her to be viewed as the foremost woman patron of the arts during the Renaissance. Through the reading of many of the 30,000 letters she wrote and the replies, Sarah pieced together this fascinating woman’s character.
Isabella grew up surrounded by art and culture in Ferrara in Italy and was extremely clever.  She married Francesco Gonzago of Mantua at the age of 16 and proceeded to adorn her rooms with art that Mantegna painted for her. She also commissioned paintings by such artists as Perugino. When her husband died, she was responsible for painting the Ducal Palaces. She was an avid collector and even organised agents to take letters to art collectors who were ill, offering to buy their paintings. She loved sculptures too, so commissioned miniatures of  expensive originals. Her letters reveal a scholarly woman. She wanted a flattering portrait of herself and Leonardo da Vinci sketched her in profile as a thank you for her hospitality. A portrait of her on a gold coin reveals a beautiful head dress and jewels, which showed she was a fashionable woman and a style icon.

Gavin opened our new series of lectures with a talk about the birth of Expressionism, which he attributed to Edvard Munch. He focused on Munch’s painting of “The Scream”, using slides to illustrate his points. Munch’s upbringing and surroundings in Oslo in the late 1880s were mooted as possible explanations for the naturalistic, expressive style of many of his images. “The Scream” seems to show what most of us have felt at some time in our lives. Other influences on Munch included his art teacher, who advised him to use the misogynist society in which he lived as an inspiration for his artwork. Another important figure in his life was Christian Krohg, the author of “Albertine”, a story of an unfortunate girl who ended up becoming a prostitute. The philosopher Hans Jaeger was also a friend, an anarchist who believed destruction was a creative act. Others whom he mixed with in the cafes of Copenhagen and Berlin, where he was forced to go to display his art, included Henrik Ibsen, Nietzsche and Freud, all of whom contributed to the birth of Expressionism. Other pioneers of the movement were Schoenberg and Kandinsky and Gavin not only explored Schoenberg’s path to writing groundbreaking music but played us part of a piece he wrote, which illustrated perfectly the despair of a woman screaming, Freud commented that we all present a façade and cover up what we truly feel, and that this facade makes us hysterical. Munch is the only painter to have inspired an e Moji!

Dr Paul Rabbitts delivered a hilarious and informative lecture about the history and development of public parks in England from the time of Henry VIII to the park runs of today.

The earliest parks were royal parks which only royalty, the rich and famous could use. Greenwich Park is the oldest recorded park as it was completed in 1433. Regent’s Park was developed by John Nash and George IV when he became Regent. Hyde Park enclosed Henry VIII’s Royal Hunting Ground and later promenaders gathered there in The Row which later became Rotten Row, which developed into the fashion centre of London. Pleasure Gardens developed where music such as Handel’s Music for Royal Fireworks could be listened to from the bandstand. These gardens fell out of favour and after the Industrial Revolution, when 80% of the population lived in towns or cities. Concern was felt for the masses living in awful conditions. Committees were set up to highlight the health benefits of parks to ordinary people. Victoria Park by Tower Hamlets was constructed with a very grand entrance designed by James Pennethorne in 1841.Birkenhead Park in Merseyside was the first park funded by public funds and we were shown its wonderful topography, the Swiss Bridge and the Boat House. Benefactors such as Calthorpe of Calthorpe Park in Birmingham were inspired to finance the establishment of public parks. Albert Park in Middlesborough has a lover’s walk, cricket ground and a boating lake. After continued concern for the health of people, playing fields which could not be built on were added. Ordinary people became involved in the construction of parks such as designers, engineers, gardeners and park superintendents. Park Lodges were built for the gardeners and tennis courts became part of the park areas. Eventually refreshment areas and shelters were added. After a period of decline in the maintenance of parks in the 1970’s the National Lottery invested a billion pounds in the 1990’s for their restoration

Daniel Robbins gave a captivating talk about the Life and Works of Frederic Leighton shown through the history of his home, Leighton House in Kensington. Daniel was instrumental in creating this astonishing museum by researching the painter’s life as he progressed from being an art student in Frankfurt to president of The Royal Academy. Engaging slides illustrated the talents of Leighton from his first successful painting bought by Queen Victoria entitled” Cimabue’s Madonna which is carried Through the Streets of Florence,” to the stunning rooms of his house which he created from various forms of art which he collected on his travels. Each room exhibited an individual type of art such as an amazing sculpture, or some beautiful tiles. He then decorated the walls and ceilings of the rooms in a way which enhanced the beauty of the artwork. The most remarkable of these rooms is The Arab Hall with its Middle Easter tiles and Golden Dome. Venetian art and tiles decorated the Staircase Hall. At times he had to sell his own paintings to pay for more decorations to the house, such as his work entitled “The Syracusan Bride” in 1866. His house was used not only as his studio but as a showcase for other artists’ works and he conducted tours of it himself. Paintings of great artists such as Sir Joshua Reynolds and Delacroix adorned the walls, and he became very popular in society. He was very different from the traditional idea of an artist in a garret room. When he died his last words were reported as being “Give my love to the British Academy” showing his devotion for art. He was given a funeral in St. Paul’s Cathedral and there is a memorial to him in the North Aisle by Sir Christopher Wren.

This charming lecture celebrated 250 years since Jane Austen’s birth. Annalie explored various objects which she felt were proof that Jane Austen was indeed a material girl! Interspersed with stunning slides of paintings illustrating various aspects of the life and times of Jane Austen were discussions of varying objects such as the novel “Camille”, footwear of the time and jewellery. Each object was shown and then we were given proof of its importance to Jane Austen after examining evidence of it in her writings. Walking was a regular activity of the time as it was a means of leaving the confines of the house and we were shown a slide of a fascinating publication advertising shoes suitable for walking such as boots. Among other objects looked at were miniatures and samplers. One object which is not in any of her books was a turquoise ring which Jane Austen owned and has sold for £152,000 because of its association with the great writer herself. The development of commerce was shown with the production of porcelain jewellery boxes and her novel “Sanditon” shows just how important shopping was to people with Jane Austen herself taking great pleasure in it.

Annalie concluded with the thought that “Little matters they are to be sure but highly important.”

To celebrate 400 years since the accession of Charles I to the throne, Barbara Askew traced some of the art he purchased, which became part of one of the greatest art collections in the world. However, in doing so, he bankrupted the nation and became very unpopular with his people, so most of the collection was sold in The Commonwealth Sale after his execution. Much of his art is now in great world art galleries. The stunning slides began with the famous painting by Antony Van Dyck showing Charles at the height of his powers called “Charles I with M. de St. Antoine.” In his travels to Spain Charles realised that a king’s art collection gave him status and so he set about acquiring as much as he could. Some of the paintings explored included “Woman in a Fur Wrap” by Titian which is now in Vienna, the Pardo Venus completed in 1515 and now in the Louvre and works by Raphael. He bought seven out of ten cartoons of Raphael’s Acts of the Apostles from which the tapestries which hang in the Sistine chapel were made. He was given works of art by Philip of Spain, including a sculpture by Giambologna of Samson slaying a Philistine, which is now in the entrance to the V and A Museum.  He sent Lanier to Mantua to buy from the Gonzago collection, which was the best in Europe and had been started by Isabella D’Este and contained many Titians. One of the pieces he bought from this collection was “The Toilet of Venus” by Guido Reni which is now in The National Gallery.
Together with his wife, Henrietta Maria, he collected many paintings and encouraged artists such as Van Dyck and Rubens to come to London to work. Rubens painted the ceiling of The Banqueting House in London. He also painted various pictures for Charles and commented that Charles was the greatest lover of all paintings of all the princes. One of the other paintings which Barabara explored was the triple portrait of Charles by Van Dyck. She even linked Charles and Henrietta with Stratford-upon-Avon with Henrietta being a guest of Susannah Hall

Alice White gave an animated and well-structured lecture, flavoured with the professional artist’s insights into the progression of the techniques of the two painters.
Bacon was born in Dublin, and Freud (the grandson of psychoanalyst Sigmund) in Belin, by the 1930s they were in London and became significant figures in post-war London nightlife. Bacon joked “Champagne for my real friends, real pain for my sham friends”. Both gambled ferociously, although Freud, who was once bailed out by Lord Rothschild (a family friend) when the Kray twins threatened to cut off his hand if he did not pay them £!,000, gave up gambling once he became successful, because the thrill of risking losing all his money had gone.
The two were friends for 30 years, but later fell out when competing for the attention of the art world. The shared an aim to bring figure painting back to mainstream art. But there were also contrasts in their lifestyles and their work:
Bacon was homosexual, and his father throwing him out of the family home at age 17 as a result led him to go to Berlin and then Paris where he was much influenced by the work of Picasso. Freud was married twice and also fathered a dozen children, many of them by different women in the same period. When asked about this he quipped “You do realise I have a bicycle?”;
Bacon did not like to have models in his studio and worked mainly from photographs. He worked hard and quickly, finishing a work in a few sessions. Freud also worked hard, painting live models, one in the morning under natural light and a different project in the evening under artificial light. He took weeks or months to finish a work. Women who sat for Freud had mixed experiences, one finding it harrowing, while others found it electrifying and did not want the sessions to end;
Bacon listed Picasso among his influences, Freud followed Rembrandt in producing self-portraits through out his life, showing changes in both his body and his painting technique;
An unfinished work by Freud shows how he sketched the outline of what he wanted to paint in charcoal. Bacon claimed in more than one interview never to sketch, although an examination of his studio after his death showed this was not entirely true.

Image courtesy National Portrait Gallery

Pepe Martinez delivered an entertaining, informative and thought-provoking lecture about the artist Banksy. With the aid of stunning slides and through exploration of the history of graffiti; the use of stencils and the work of the artists who influenced him, we were invited to consider the value of his work.

Modern influences on Banksy include Big Robbo and Keith Haring. Haring was an American Street artist who used his art to raise awareness of health issues, and Banksy seems to be drawing attention to social ills which he sees in society. One such wall painting is entitled “Mild, Mild West” which shows a bear about to throw a Molotov cocktail at police. This appeared during a time of social unrest when teenagers attended illegal raves. The police were called in and Banksy felt they were too heavy-handed in the way they dealt with the young people.

 Banksy uses stencils, as they are a quicker way to complete a painting onsite. He held exhibitions of his work in unexpected venues such as his show in 2003 in Hackney where everything in it was painted on - even the animals! It received good reviews, and in that year he also set up another gallery where his prints were sold. It was so successful that in 2017 it had to close as it could not cope with demand.

Another aspect to his work is shown when he satirises society through his adaptation of a famous work of art such as the Mona Lisa. His Dismal Land show in 2015 was based on Disneyland and a pastiche was constructed of Cinderella’s coach which had crashed in a similar way to Princess Diana’s fatal Parisian crash. It was held in Weston-Super-Mare and made £14 million for the town. The sets were reused as temporary housing for refugees in Calais. One of his most important moments came when his “Girl with a Red Balloon” was partially shredded as the hammer fell at a Christies auction and has sold several times since for ever-increasing sums of money. It was suggested that Banksy is trying to tell us that works of art destroy themselves the moment they are sold. He may not have been so popular if he had not kept himself anonymous, but he has successfully brought to our attention what is wrong with society today.

An old friend of STRADFAS, Sandy delivered an uplifting lecture exploring Christmas music from Russia, South Africa, America and Great Britain. He explained the history of the pieces, played sections of each piece and then commented on the actual construction of the melodies.
He started in Russia with Tchaikovsky who composed quartets, symphonies and ballets. His Christmas Classic The Nutcracker originated from a creepy children`s story by Hoffmann. Sandy showed us an image of a Celesta or Bell piano used in the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, which Tchaikovsky had imported secretly into Russia for the premiere.
The lecture included a heartwarming ballad from Mel Torme, beautiful music from Soweto, enchanting sounds from Johann Sebastian Bach and a more cynical piece from Eartha Kitt.
Interesting people mentioned included Elizabeth Poston, a DJ during the Second World War, who was actually a spy sending coded messages through recorded music to British troops in France. The lecture concluded with Sandy himself playing “White Christmas” and the audience singing along.

A fact-packed lecture took us through the life of Frans Hals and the influences on him as a painter.

Born in Antwerp in the early 1580s, his family fled to Haarlem where he sought solace in the Grote Kerk of Saint Bartholomew. He learned to paint the simplicity and calm of the church, which had been cleared of all its treasures as a result of religious conflict, by studying the techniques of Saenredam.

He became a major portrait painter as is shown in his beautiful painting of “Catharina Hooft and her Nurse.” He learned from the techniques of Dutch artists such as Henrik Ter Brugghen. Antonisz painted military portraits and Hals also looked to the military for commissions, as can be seen in his painting “The Militia Company of Saint George.” Italian influences can be traced in his work after a group of artists from Utrecht returned from a visit exploring artistic techniques in Rome.

His use of paint to portray fabrics such as the fur on the coat of Jacobus Zaffius, and the light catching  his moist lip, were examined in detail. His famous “Laughing Cavalier” appears to be smirking rather than laughing and by looking closely at the features in the fabric of his coat it could be deduced that it is a portrait painted to advertise the sitter’s wish to be married. Hals' use of light is remarkable and can be seen in many of his paintings. The importance of where figures were placed in paintings illustrated whether they were married or not, broken pots indicated the transitory nature of life. In one painting he even includes a small house in the background, based on the house in the garden of Reubens, so Reubens was also an influence on Hals. His later paintings of groups of men used quieter colours, as the subjects were no longer militiamen engaged in training for conflict but were committee members doing good works for the community.

He was quite an extraordinary painter.

Breathtaking jewellery from the Art Deco period formed the centrepiece of a dazzling jewellery display by Pragnell which complemented the lecture about the origins, social history and characteristics of jewellery during the Art Deco period.

Jewellery was a mark of a woman’s place in society, and it was worn in profusion at court. A sensational slide showed the 143-carat emerald surrounded by diamonds made for an American lady. Jewellery of this time was also made of chromium plated brass, wood and steel. The design of jewellery changed as women’s lives transitioned and gemstones were recycled and reset.

Social changes influenced the design of Art Deco jewellery and it was displayed at the 1925 Paris Jewellery Exhibition if it showed “A modern inspiration and a real originality. “The Ballets Russes and Diaghilev’s love of colour resulted in stones such as Lapus Lazuli being used. As women’s hair became shorter jewellery bandeau ornaments became popular. Cloche hats were fixed by diamond arrow shaped hat pins. Striking brooches made in pairs were clipped onto the edge of clothing. There were examples shown of abstract and geometrical designs, some of which were influenced by the architecture of the time. With the advent of the motor car less jewellery was in demand but a brooch was made of the vehicle used to break the land speed record by George Eyston.

Clare also showed how gemstones were formed into exquisite shapes and explained about the various metal used. Amongst the dream jewellery Vogue magazine felt women should possess during this period were strings of pearls, hair jewellery and one large bracelet!

Simon explored so many aspects of Chelsea by including artists, novelists, a poet and architects who were all either residents in the area or people who changed the landscape in some way and helped it to evolve into a literary and artistic community.

After the influence of Hans Sloane on the buildings in Chelsea, the creativity of Sir Christopher Wren was explored with specific reference to The Royal Chelsea Hospital. Beautiful slides were shown illustrating many of the famous artists who have resided there as, initially, it was a cheap place to live. Millais painted his famous image of Ophelia there and other not so famous artists produced outstanding pictures such as Henry Greaves who painted Chelsea before it was built on. J.W. Turner was the first artist to make Chelsea famous and his most well known paintings were created there. Tite Street became a street inhabited by many gifted artists such as Whistler who was forced to live there after becoming bankrupt and John Singer Sargant whose studio was at Number 33.

The Royal Court Theatre in Sloane Square became known for paving the way for new playwrights. It staged the premiere of “Look Back in Anger” which led to the staging of other plays by playwrights such as Edward Bond and Harold Pinter. Oscar Wilde, A.A. Milne and the “Lost Boy” on whom Peter Pan was based were all residents in the now famous streets of Chelsea.

A fascinating lecture which traced the history of self-portraits from Durer to selfies of the modern day. Many examples of self-portraits can be seen to show a certain image and lifestyle which a painter wants to project. Self-portraits by Durer, Velazquez, Rembrandt and Van Gogh opened a fact packed talk which explored the obsession with Cartes de Visite in England and abroad in the mid 1870’s. Self portraits were in the domain of the wealthy so when the art of photography became popular, images of ordinary people could be produced at a very low cost. Examples of Cartes de Visite were explored in terms of the expressions, dress, position and objects shown in the pictures. The card itself on which the image was projected was also examined for clues about the date the picture was taken. Such cards were used by everyone from Napoleon 111 to the man in the street. They were used to record an event such as a new job or even to gain support for an upcoming election! Cartes de Visite shops where anyone could have their photograph taken were in every town. With the advent of the mobile phone and selfie sticks the Carte de Visite was proved to be the fore runner of the modern selfie.

Whistler’s style of painting owes much to the influence of other painters such as the Impressionists, Gustav Corbet and Japanese artists. However, his model and muse Joanna Hiffernan had a significant impact on the development of his style.

 The lecture took us from his self portrait which was in the style of Rembrandt to his desire to create realistic paintings such as “Wapping” where Hiffernan is seen in a central position on the canvas, with open arms suggesting a likeness to a prostitute as prostitutes were commonly used as models, in front of a busy River Thames. His famous painting entitled “Symphony in White, No 1” was explored in detail, looking at the various shades of white, the symbolism of the flowers and the patterns on the curtains. His second Symphony shows Heffernan in a middle-class dress leaning up against a mantelpiece. A Japanese influence can be seen in the details of the fan, azaleas and vases. The River Thames is reflected in the mirror. In his third symphony Hiffernan is lying on a sofa and her dress is draped and echoes the shape of the second girl’s dress. Although there is much less detail in the picture, Hiffernan’s features are more defined. The two girls are in harmony and a fluidity flows through it. Whistler considered this his purest painting.

 We were also shown a painting of her by Courbet entitled “Jo, La Belle Irlandaise” which displays her stunning red hair. She is gazing into the mirror, and this is a very modern image, encouraging the viewer to see her as a thinking woman.

As Whistler’s relationship with Hiffernan changed. Jo argued that his depiction of her in his artwork showed more depth to her as a person not just a model.

Auctions underwent radical changes from the 18th century when they were held in Coffee Houses. Nowadays many are online and can reach a vast worldwide audience. Edward Millington was one of the first auctioneers of note and was very successful at auctioning paintings until 1703. The great wealth of the Georgian era brought the formation of specialised auction houses. Sotheby’s was founded in 1794 and specialised in dealing with the contents of libraries. Christy’s specialised in country house sales and Phillips in jewellery and designer furniture. With the opening of art galleries such as the Royal Academy art was available to more people as previously it was primarily available to those who had commissioned it. Through these galleries great artists such as William Blake, Constable, Gainsborough and Turner became well known, their art was sought after and a second-hand art market flourished. The auction houses became great as they sold great collections such as the Hamilton Collection sale of 1801.

Connie Gray traced the life and art of René Gruau whose art defined Dior. The fashion illustrator began in 1910 and worked until photography took over in the 1970’s. He has been described as showing “grandeur, nobility and sensuality” in his art. There were many similarities between Dior and Gruau as both had been born at the end of the nineteenth century, both born into wealth, elegance and opulence, both lost that wealth, and both travelled to fashion areas in Europe.

Dior met René Gruau at Le Figaro where René Gruau was working, and they immediately became friends and supported each other. When war broke out many Parisian couture houses and fashion magazines closed or moved away so René went to Cannes to draw for Marie-Claire. He was asked to do more and helped with layouts, so he understood the placement of figures on a page.

Eventually Dior was designing women’s dresses under the tutelage of Lucien Lelong which led to Dior’s designs of cinched in waists and flowing skirts. Meanwhile René Gruau was developing his style as a fashion illustrator and was influenced in three ways: by the deep, dark ink of Japanese art of the 1600’s, by Toulouse Lautrec’s graphic style and by the society painter Giovanni Boldini who depicted women in fabulous, often white, dresses. Gruau’s illustrations feature deep dark black lines from the Japanese style used to show a silhouette using only red, black and white and the dresses themselves are cocktail dresses.

 An exhibition in Paris in 1945 at which René Gruau was present was so successful that he was invited by Dior to illustrate his “New Look.” His elegant drawings were found in Vogue in 1953. Christian Dior believed that lilies of the valley brought him luck and Gruau placed them in his drawings. His images were used in advertisements for other Dior products such as Miss Dior perfume, for which he designed the swan with a black bow at the neck. René created his own separate designs for his own products such as a beautiful beach towel featuring a mermaid. John Galliano took René Gruau as his inspiration for his 2011 fashion show. There have been many books written about him that show his art is amongst the most iconic fashion images of the twentieth century.Connie Gray traced the life and art of René Gruau whose art defined Dior. The fashion illustrator began in 1910 and worked until photography took over in the 1970’s. He has been described as showing “grandeur, nobility and sensuality” in his art. There were many similarities between Dior and Gruau as both had been born at the end of the nineteenth century, both born into wealth, elegance and opulence, both lost that wealth, and both travelled to fashion areas in Europe.

Dior met René Gruau at Le Figaro where René Gruau was working, and they immediately became friends and supported each other. When war broke out many Parisian couture houses and fashion magazines closed or moved away so René went to Cannes to draw for Marie-Claire. He was asked to do more and helped with layouts, so he understood the placement of figures on a page.

Eventually Dior was designing women’s dresses under the tutelage of Lucien Lelong which led to Dior’s designs of cinched in waists and flowing skirts. Meanwhile René Gruau was developing his style as a fashion illustrator and was influenced in three ways: by the deep, dark ink of Japanese art of the 1600’s, by Toulouse Lautrec’s graphic style and by the society painter Giovanni Boldini who depicted women in fabulous, often white, dresses. Gruau’s illustrations feature deep dark black lines from the Japanese style used to show a silhouette using only red, black and white and the dresses themselves are cocktail dresses.

 An exhibition in Paris in 1945 at which René Gruau was present was so successful that he was invited by Dior to illustrate his “New Look.” His elegant drawings were found in Vogue in 1953. Christian Dior believed that lilies of the valley brought him luck and Gruau placed them in his drawings. His images were used in advertisements for other Dior products such as Miss Dior perfume, for which he designed the swan with a black bow at the neck. René created his own separate designs for his own products such as a beautiful beach towel featuring a mermaid. John Galliano took René Gruau as his inspiration for his 2011 fashion show. There have been many books written about him that show his art is amongst the most iconic fashion images of the twentieth century.

Angela’s knowledge as an artist, teacher in prisons and Arts Coordinator to the leading prison charity Koestler Arts has resulted in her developing techniques to help educate prisoners. She showed stunning slides which helped illustrate how underlying issues in prisoners’ lives could be addressed through art. One issue was the overstepping of boundaries which she explored with prisoners through the colours yellow, red and blue. In groups inmates were asked to communicate with each other only through the use of the colour they were given by painting on paper.

When someone went into another person’s space on the paper with a different colour, they were asked how that felt and then they would relate those feelings to how the person felt who they had committed a crime against. Other issues covered included the idea of a quick fix mentality when a crime is committed for instant gratification. Angela led projects involving time consuming stunning outdoor mosaic displays which gave the prisoners self-esteem. Other amazing art works were shown to address the issues of a lack of an authority figure in a prisoner’s life and the issue of emotional illiteracy when a person is constantly reacting to situations. Slides of art ranging from cartoons to harrowing self-images were explored to show that prisoners can learn life skills through art.

Inspired by the gift of a book called “The Concise British Flora in Colour” by the Reverend William Keble Martin, Mark explored the wonderful world of plants and how they can help the police solve crimes. Beautiful slides of plants, flowers and landscapes accompanied a fascinating talk about Mark’s career as one of only two United Kingdom Forensic Botanists. A bed of brambles, a pillow of ivy and an Ash tree helped Mark solve one crime. He explored famous crimes such as that of Charles Lindbergh in which the tracing of a special wood from a specific tree in a particular area was the defining factor in prosecuting the criminal.
Rubus Fructicosus - the common bramble - is one of Mark’s favourite plants and the position and colour of this plant at a crime scene can help determine when a crime was committed. Pollen from the fuchsia woolly thistle is insect-borne so if that is found at a crime scene it will not have travelled far. An unusual slide of the attractive shapes of Diatoms made of silica was shown as these are used to determine whether or not drowning was a cause of death. He concluded with a stunning slide of the white iris which has been spread all over the world from Southern Spain due to its connection to Islam.

Report on the December lecture

December 7th 2023
From Cradle to Grave: The Iconography of the Nativity in Late Medieval Italian Art.
By Helen Dejean

The Stradfas Christmas lecture was celebrated by Helen Dejean talking to members about eighteen hundred years of the iconography of Christ. She explored the nativity iconography in the East and how Italians viewed the art until it eventually became reproduced for Christmas cards. Icons are devotional images through which the viewer and Holy subject matters make contact. They were intended to instruct. Beautiful slides displayed icons by Duccio from 1305 showing the life of the Virgin. The artistic style is a fusion of Western Gothic and Byzantine, and the subject matter is the Birth of Christ. Helen explored the different images in the icons such as the cave, the Virgin Mary lying down, the Ox and Ass and an altar crib, with the baby in swaddling clothes. Thus, it shows traditional imagery in telling the story but in a new style.
Two gospel writers, Luke and Matthew, told the story in such a way that icon painters could easily reproduce the images in paintings, and Helen illustrated this by reading a passage from Luke 2 verses 4-8 about Joseph going into the city and showed how this story was depicted in an icon. The old law as shown in the style of Giotto looks more like a stage set: there is no cave, there is a lean-to construction, the virgin is sitting up and Joseph is shown at the side. With the coming of the Black Death in 1346-1353, images changed. By the end of the 14th century, there was a cave in the icons. The cave was suggested to have come from the idea that Christ was supposed to have been born in a hollowed-out cave over which the basilica in Jerusalem was built. The virgin is sitting up, the Christ child is lying on the ground and Joseph is at the side. Northern European Renaissance painters were influenced by iconic art, and so, this art, together with the influence of the visionary Saint Bridget of Sweden, has combined to help form the modern day religious images on Christmas cards.

Report on the November lecture

November 16 2023
The Culture of the Ukraine
By Rosamund Bartlett

The history and geography of Ukraine was skilfully interwoven with examples of art, music, dance, architecture and embroidery so that its culture could be understood. The lecture centred around Lviv, Kyiv, Odessa and the Cossacks who were originally itinerant groups in the North. Ukraine is now multi-ethnic and multi faith.
Ukraine and Russia were originally one country but when the people of Kyiv were searching for their own religion, they settled on the beliefs around the Hagia Sophia Mosque in what was then Constantinople, as it had beautiful singing and wonderful mosaics. The Greek monks taught reading and writing and translated the gospels. We were shown beautiful icons and mosaics in the cathedral. Music as another part of the culture was explored and we were treated to a video of the singing of a Dumas - an epic song - about the river Dnieper - accompanied by the playing of a Kobka which is a multi-stringed lute. The Kobka was originally played by itinerant Ukrainians during the Hetman era.
A talented painter, Taras Shevchenko, born a serf in 1814, became the great national poet of Ukraine and we heard some of his poetry about the Russian motherland. Another aspect of Ukrainian culture, dance, was displayed in a film of some very energetic Cossacks dancing a Hopak! The famous painting by Ilya Repin entitled “The Reply of Zaporozhian Cossacks to the Turkish Sultan” painted between 1880-1891 was explored showing the Cossacks' response to the Sultan demanding acceptance of the Turkish rule. Ivan Mazeppa was one of the last great Cossack leaders and he began to restore religious buildings including the Church of the Assumption in Kyiv. He introduced the Baroque style.
Peter the Great founded St. Petersburg to which many artists and musicians migrated and one such painter was Dimitry Levitsky who was born in Kyiv and became a great Russian portrait painter. Catherine the Great extended the borders of the Russian Empire to include Kiev and she was a patron of the arts and literature.
Colour is at the heart of much of Ukraine’s culture even today, whether it be in painting on houses or embroidered shirts and family icons, where flowers or geometric designs symbolise the journey from earth to heaven. A triangle symbolises the Holy Trinity and a diamond pattern symbolises fertility. Ukrainian as a language was recognised in 1917 although Ukraine was not legitimised as an independent country until 1991.
 

Report on the October lecture

October 19 2023
Tamara de Lempicka - Art Deco Diva
By Alexandra Epps

Alexandra Epps delivered another memorable lecture, about Tamara de Lempicka the Art Deco Diva who re invented herself so many times in order to survive.
Born in Warsaw around the time of 1898 into a life of privilege, she went on art tours with her grandmother as a young girl and wintered in Petrograd. Whilst there she absorbed the culture which influenced her art. In 1916 she married a lawyer but when the Bolsheviks took over, she had to flee to Paris with her daughter. In order to survive they initially lived off the proceeds of the sale of jewellery she took with them. She trained as an artist under the guidance of Andre Lhote who was a pioneer of Cubism, and his influence can be seen in “Rhythm” painted in 1924. The figures have longer more sweeping backs than Lhote produced, and she has softened them using light across their bodies in a similar way to Caravaggio. “The Pink Tunic” is of a woman looking at the viewer, supposedly waking up to her own sexuality, in the style of Raphael.
In Milan she painted portraits of men including “Marquis D’Afflitto” with a tiny waist, broad shoulders and in a similar pose to Botticelli’s “Mars.” Her famous “Auto Portrait” of herself driving a green Bugatti with her initials on displays her steel eyes possibly signifying determination as driving at that time was considered to be a male activity.
She had many affairs with both men and women, such as Suzy Solidor who was the first female owner of a Parisian nightclub. She displayed Tamara’s paintings on the stage and so more of her portraits were sold. Her painting of the Duchesse de la Salle in 1926 in a riding habit shows a very different kind of woman from other portraits of the time and her silhouette was used in an advert for Gitanes.
Her first husband left her, and she later settled in New York as a baroness where she painted more in the Baroque style. A magazine article written about her in 1967 rekindled interest in her work and her designs were used on paperback book covers. Armani dedicated a fashion show to her, and she modelled for Van Cleef and Arpels. In 2019 a painting of hers sold for 22 million dollars.
 

Report on the September lecture

September 21 2023
Bruegel: The Seasons and The World
By Gavin Plumley

The Hunters in the Snow by Pieter Bruegel the Elder 1565in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Beautiful slides and a wealth of knowledge and information delivered in a light-hearted way resulted in in a fascinating lecture about Bruegel the Elder. Some of the Six Seasons paintings commissioned by Nicholas Jongelinck were explored in depth. They were painted in oil on wood panels and were probably adorning the walls of his dining room in Antwerp in 1565.
“The Harvesters”, representing July and August shows the stooks of wheat piled high to avoid the damp, a drunken man lying down and another man emerging from the wheatfield. On the horizon is a solar eclipse! “The Return of the Herd” representing Autumn depicts rain clouds but in the foreground is a white dappled cow showing how important the arrival of the herd is to the people’s survival of winter. The lead white snow in “The Hunters in the Snow” illustrates just how terrifying winter is to ordinary people with the mill wheel frozen so that no work can be done and a fire in a chimney being extinguished with the snow. In all the pictures there is something to remind us of our own short tenure on earth such as gallows or a scythe representing the Grim Reaper. Other paintings were shown, and fascinating facts were given about the whereabouts of the existing paintings, the inspirations and influences on them interspersed with anecdotes about Gavin’s own life and home. However, he ended on a note of caution by warning that Bruegel the Elder showed us through his paintings that he understood that we are not in charge of nature but mere custodians of it and we ignore the rules it sets at our peril.