Upcoming Lectures

This lecture provides a colourful introduction to the secret world of our 2000-mile inland waterway network and looks at all aspects of their exceptional artistic, architectural and engineering vernacular. Features range from sweeping aqueducts to tiny bollards; from colourful historic narrowboats to 'Roses and Castles' artwork; from grand World Heritage Sites to quirky listed buildings. A well-known architectural historian once described our canals as a 'poor man's art gallery'. Roger ...

"Take 4: Interiors" is part of a series of theme based lectures, in this instance looking at the theme of Interiors. The theme is considered through the work of 4 different artists in different places and periods, or from 4 different points of view. In INTERIOR, The artists are :- Edouard Vuillard;   Jan Van Eyck;   Jan Vermeer;   Edward Hopper. In each case, there is a "main" image with ...

Born in Fife in 1785, David Wilkie was a painter of everyday scenes of country life, he was the first British genre painter. He painted small, detailed pictures of domestic life peopled with well observed characters. His picture of his local village fair, painted when he was only 19, has 140 characters in it, many sketched from members of the congregation of his father’s church. He went on to paint ...

In 'The Art Of The Cartoonist' Harry will be tracing the history of his profession with examples from early practitioners like Cruickshank and Hogarth, to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz, bringing events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page at the meeting! Harry Venning has been a professional cartoonist for thirty years, during which time he has provided cartoons for several high profile ...

The decisive allied victory over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 ended a series of wars that had convulsed Europe for over two decades. Most people of the time experienced these conflicts not on the battlefield but through art, both serious and comic. This lecture explores the contrasting views presented by British and French artists, including such masters as J. M. W. Turner and J.-L. David. We also ...

Sometimes called Britain’s greatest ‘Art Form’, Pantomime has been a popular form of entertainment for over 300 years. In the early 18th century the word was used to describe the performances at Drury Lane Theatre based on the Italian Commedia dell’arte. In the 18th century it was often seen as an opportunity for political satire but it is through the 19th century the fairy-tale story plots were established and the ...