Turner’s rise will be told by our lecturer Raymond Warburton, who is an experienced Tate guide, through Turner's paintings.  Turner’s motivations, intentions, wanderlust and his identification with the leading poets and scientists of the day, will be explored alongside his relationship with the Thames and many of his paintings. 

The renowned Pamela Campbell-Johnston will first cover Art Deco architecture in the UK, including hotels, restaurants and tube stations to apartment blocks, offices, picture houses, power stations  and lidos. Her second lecture will discuss how the Paris Expo in 1925 helped give rise to a new international and truly global style that we have come to know as ART DECO

Lydia Bauman has been a lecturer and guide at the National Gallery for 35 years and is therefore eminently qualified to tell us about this home of one of the greatest collections of European Art.  It is also the repository of headline stories involving acquisitions, conservations, thefts, film appearances, acts of vandalism and scandals all of which Lydia will bring to life against a backdrop of some of the most glorious masterpieces in the collection.

 
Our first Special Interest Morning will be on Thursday 21 November and will be “The Making of Landscape Photographs” given by the renowned photographer Charlie Waite.  He draws much inspiration from the great landscape photographer Ansel Adams and in these fully illustrated lectures Charlie will be exploring the relationship between the making of an image and the way it is perceived by the viewer. 

To reserve a place please email programme.tasm@gmail.com requesting tickets and pay the sum of £30 per ticket into the bank account below:

Bank transfer details:

Payee:  The Arts Society Marlow   (business account)  
Sort Code:     30-95-36       

Account Number:    03278210

We hope to see you on the 21 November.

The 20th century saw “Musical Theatre” established as an art form.  By the 1930s Ivor Novello and Noel Coward were the biggest names in the West End, but post war American musicals dominated until Julian Slade, Sandy Wilson and Lionel Bart came on the scene.  Then, of course, we had the huge success of Andrew Lloyd Webber in the 1970’s and 1980’s.  This promises to be a fascinating journey! 

Malcolm has lectured on the Victoria & Albert Museum Short Course and Year Course Programmes since 2009, devising and developing a range of courses on Theatre History and Practice. He also lectures on theatre for Road Scholar and London Arts Discovery Tours for theatre groups visiting UK from America.   

Malcolm was Workshop and Events manager at the V&A Theatre Museum in Covent Garden for 10 years where he was responsible for lectures, Study Days and workshops for adults and interviewed many leading British actors and directors including Kenneth Cranham, Zoe Wanamaker, Barry Cryer, June Whitfield and Don Black. He has lectured and led workshops at many drama schools including RADA, The Actors Centre and Rose Bruford College. He has chaired panels and post show talks for Ambassadors Theatre Group. Malcolm has contributed as a speaker on theatre to many television and radio programmes. He has worked with Age Exchange Community Arts since 2000 on many creative arts programmes with older people and intergenerational film and theatre projects.

  
Price £40 to include 3 lectures, sandwich lunch and coffees.
Doors open at 10.00am and the first lecture starts at 10.30am.
To book contact Jennifer Garvan on 01628 525045 or 07900 060931.
Email: jennifergarvan@aol.com or sid.tasm@gmail.com.
Payment will be by BACS (Account Name: The Arts Society Marlow
Sort code: 30-95-36  Account Number 03278210), Cheque or Card.

British Artist Cedric Morris was the only person of his generation to achieve national stature both as a painter and a plantsman and his love of art and botany combined to form one of the most remarkable artistic lives of 20th century.  As well as painting portraits, still-lives and landscapes Morris is best known for his flower paintings which took them out of the taxonomic sphere into an expressionist mode.

Artists such as Lucien Freud and Maggie Hambling attended The East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing founded by Morris and his partner Arthur Lett-Haines in 1937 at their home, Benton End, in Suffolk.  This became a hub of artistic activity and contemporaries such as Ben and Winifred Nicholson and Paul and John Nash became friends of the couple as were Beth Chatto and Constance Spry.

Caroline has lectured in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Europe and Japan as well as for cruises crossing the Baltic, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Red Seas, and the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. In 2017 she returned to The Arts Society in New Zealand. University of Cambridge ICE Academic Tutor and Course Director; lectures for the Royal Horticultural Society, museums and online for The Gardens Trust and organisations worldwide. Author of 12 books including Monet at Giverny, Water Lilies and Bory Latour-Marliac, the genius behind Monet’s water lilies; Impressionists in their Gardens; Follies of Europe: Architectural Extravaganzas; and in 2020 Where the wildness pleases – the English Garden celebrated. 2017 recipient of the Herb Society of America ‘Elizabeth Crisp Rea Award’. Consultant designer specialising in evoking historic, artistic and symbolic references. Contributions to Viking TV include Monet’s Garden at Giverny

Price £40 to include 3 lectures, coffee mid morning and a sandwich lunch

This lecture will give us a fascinating glimpse into the work of three of the most iconic architects that the world has ever produced. Their wonderful buildings, both magnificent and of more modest proportions, will always impress and we look forward to gaining more insights into their contributions to our culture and heritage.

Andrews was previously Assistant Director of the British School at Rome from 1998 to 2002 and since 2004, Associate Professor at the University of L'Aquila. Part of his PhD (Courtauld Institute 1995) on Venetian architecture was awarded the Essay Medal of 1996 by the Society of Architectural Historians (GB). A Fellow at Harvard University's Villa I Tatti in Florence in 2003-2004, and in 2009 was the Paul Mellon Senior Visiting Fellow, Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. Amongst his many publications are, with Arnold Witte, Alois Riegl, The Origins of Baroque Art in Rome (2010), and Baldassare Longhena and the Venetian Baroque (2012). 

3 lectures including coffee and lunch (10.30-15.00pm approx)    £28

All those who remember Andrew Davies's lectures and London walks with our society in the past will know that we are in for a treat. He always brings his subjects to life and the story of buying and selling over the centuries, from medieval fairs to the present-day high street, promises to be both incredibly interesting and entertaining.

Andrew is an extra-Mural Tutor for London, Essex and The Open University; Author of 9 books, including The East End Nobody Knows; frequent contributor to radio and television; has lectured all over the world; organises walks to complement his lectures.

3 lectures including coffee and lunch (10.30-15.00pm approx)

Mary wowed us with her SID on New York New York and promises to do the same when she takes on a virtual tour of Paris. An enjoyable day exploring how and why the city of Paris has acted as both a magnet and a cauldron of talent for aspiring artists and designers.

Whether strolling along new boulevards, calling into a café, nightclub, gallery or popping into the Opera, the descriptions of Zola, Stein. Hemingway and Fitzgerald will accompany the imagery with maps and recreate the sense of ‘being there’.

Whether you have been to Paris recently, or never, Mary will have stories and secrets to share with us!

Thirty years' experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art and a MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. Now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. Author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills. Lectured for ADFAS Australia and New Zealand in 2011, 2013 and 2016. Mary is an enthusiastic member and President of The Arts Society Glaven Valley

ENCAUSTIC TO ACRYLIC

Paintings may be described as oils on canvas or tempera on panel, but one might be surprised to discover the importance of this sticky stuff to the history of art.

Buon fresco allowed artists to decorate the vast new Christian basilicas and Renaissance palaces. Tough egg tempera was ideal for altar panels. Rich gouache was the perfect paint for illuminations on vellum and paper. Without oils the Mona Lisa would not be mysterious, without modern processes Impressionism would never have existed, and Jackson Pollock could not have ‘splashed and dripped’ without industrial car paints.

By examining some key works from Western Art history, as well as looking at paints, media and brushes, we will discover the important role materials and their techniques play in our understanding and enjoyment of Art.

Venue: The King’s Church, Raans Rd, Amersham HP6 6LX     10.30am - 3.00pm

Cost: £40 per day.  This includes coffee and sandwich lunch

Open to both The Arts Society members and non-members

For more information - Contact Felicity Sykes or Tel  01296 620830

No need to be an opera or ballet fan to enjoy this fascinating day of the artistic history of this iconic building.  It has attracted world class performers for over 280 years and therefore many backstage stories to tell.  Sometimes things don’t always go to plan! An informative and entertaining day.

Nigel Bates is the Music Administrator of The Royal Ballet and has been a performer for nearly forty years in and out of the Royal Opera House, including seventeen years as Principal Percussionist with the Orchestra. He has worked with many of the leading figures in the classical music industry and was also a producer for both the BBC's Maestro at the Opera and Pappano's Classical Voices documentary series. He is a regular contributor to the printed and online content of the ROH.

He has given lectures for over thirty years, including many arts societies and conservatoires in the UK and across Australia.

A series of 3 lectures with Nigel Bates on all aspects of the Royal Opera House including the

building itself, The Royal Ballet, The Orchestra and the Royal Opera Company

Price £28 per person to include 3 lectures and sandwich lunch - coffee at 10.15am

To book contact Jennifer Garvan

HOW TO LOOK AT ART

Become an active, rather than a passive, viewer.  It is a tool for life: simple and effective. 

We will put it into practice, through small group work, by looking at a range of paintings, and by discussion and sharing of ideas.  

This study day is a must for anyone interested in visiting galleries, exhibitions and art museums. 

‘See’ more!  Learn to trust your eyes and enjoy Art to the full.

Venue: The King’s Church, Raans Rd, Amersham HP6 6LX     10.30am - 3.00pm

Cost: £42per day.  This includes coffee and sandwich lunch

Open to both The Arts Society members and non-members  

For more information - click here

Or contact ace@theartssocietychilternhillsarea.org.uk   or Tel  01296 620830

To BOOK go to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/what-makes-a-painting-a-work-of-art-tickets-167198444047

A new study day, on how women have been represented in western art since ancient times. It presents a wide range of images of women, asking what the functions of such pictures were in their own times, and how we might read them today. In the process, many nuances and meanings are revealed, and changing attitudes to women, beauty and morality, are addressed. The theme of visual representation runs alongside a parallel theme which looks at the long history of how women have struggled for political representation, and what that has meant for their roles as subjects, and makers, of art.

Session One:  LOOKING BACK – From Antiquity to Renaissance

Session One examines the development of European artistic conventions, starting with some important images from the ancient world, before moving on to medieval Christian Europe, a period which saw the Biblical figures of Eve and the Virgin Mary profoundly shape attitudes towards women and their representation in art, but which also saw the rise of the more secular cult of courtly love.  From there the discussion moves on to Italian Renaissance portraiture, the rise of classicism and the return of the female nude to art.  The roles and importance of women as patrons of art, and as artists themselves is also introduced in this first session, plus the theme of women as subversives, trying to challenge convention.

Session Two:  LOOKING THE PART – Some Women in British Art c.1550-c.1900

The second talk narrows the focus down to British art, looking at the influence of those European conventions around images of women, and their adaptation to specifically British traditions in art and society.  Various factors are considered, including sumptuary laws, propriety, beauty regimes, and changing attitudes towards eroticism and sexual behaviour.  A wide range of women is covered: from all-powerful monarchs down to the ubiquitous Fallen Women of the Victorian era.  It moves on to pick up on the themes of women as artists and activists by looking at the rise of the Women’s Movement and the implications such things as the Cult of Beauty and the Rational Dress Movement had for the representation of women in art.

Session Three:  WHO ARE YOU LOOKING AT? – Twentieth Century Art and Feminism

The final talk starts by examining some late nineteenth-century images of women to show some of the ways in which the early avant-garde challenged and subverted European traditions in art, and discusses the parallel rise of the cult of Bohemia and what that meant for women trying to succeed as artists. This provides background for a look at the difficulties women had making their voices heard in the 1950s, and moves on to explain the confrontational strategies employed by feminist artists in the 1970s, comparing them with the more nuanced attitudes of more recent feminist art

Linda holds two first-class degrees in Art History. A broad knowledge of art historical subjects, but specialises in British Art and twentieth century art. Experienced lecturer and guide, especially at Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Has lectured to a wide variety of audiences in different venues, including school and university students, and independent arts societies in the UK and overseas.

£28 per person including tea/coffee and sandwich lunch .

To book contact Jo Wilson

josephine.wilson1954@gmail.com

This will be a love story of a day! It is the 200th Anniversary of the births of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, ‘the Coburg Cousins’ born three months apart in 1819. Their shared enthusiasm for art and music endured throughout their twenty-two years of marriage.

Together they furnished and extended Buckingham Palace, made significant changes to Windsor Castle and commissioned two other royal residences, Balmoral and Osbourne House.

After Albert’s untimely death in 1861, Victoria became The ‘Widow of Windsor’. For the rest of her days she commemorated her beloved husband in architecture, paintings, busts and statuary. The Frogmore Mausoleum, the Albert Chapel and Albert Memorial bear eloquent testimony to her eternal grief.

This will be a fascinating day although we may shed a few tears!

All days of Special Interest include coffee and biscuits on arrival, a sandwich lunch and 3 lectures.

Price: £28 per person 

Bookings will be taken at December and January lectures.

Or contact Jo Wilson (details on your programme card) or email: info@theartssocietymarlow.org.uk

Explore how photography has shaped our understanding of the modern world.

Time 10am - 3.30pm. Coffee served from 10am, first lecture 10.30 am. Sandwich lunch between the second and third lectures.  Cost £31.

Venue  The Hub, Easton Street, High Wycombe HP11 1NJ

Contact Lisa Green to book or for more information

email    lisachilternhills@gmail.com

telephone   01494 521750

Giles will tell us about the revolution in theatre that took place in the late C19th and it’s legacy on the European theatrical styles of the early C20th. He will examine the impact of the First World War and the Great Depression on the theatre and extraordinary divide that emerged between the drawing-room dramas of Noel Coward and Terrence Rattigan in London’s West End, and the work of Lillian Bayliss, south of the river at The Old Vic.

Whilst Coward and Rattigan dominated the pre-war theatre scene, by the 1950’s they had begun to fall out of favour. A revolution was taking place in the arts and new voices were beginning to be heard such as John Osborne, Arnold Wesker and Harold Pinter.

This will illustrate the stark contrast between pre and post war British theatre and how we in the C21st can reassess which playwrights really stood the test of time and what their legacy was to the current crop of leading British writers.

This promises to be an entertaining day!

All days of Special Interest include coffee and biscuits on arrival, a sandwich lunch and 3 lectures.

Price: £28 per person 

Bookings will be taken at October and November lectures.

Or contact Jo Wilson (details on your programme card) or email: info@theartssocietymarlow.org.uk

Armour as a medieval art form and its relationship with painters and sculptors.

Time 10am -2pm. Coffee served from 10am, first lecture 10.30am, sandwich lunch after the second lecture. Cost £25.

Venue The Hub, Easton Street, High Wycombe HP11 1NJ

Contact  Lisa Green to book or for more information

email   lisachilternhills@gmail.com

telephone  01494 521750

A personal ‘virtual’ tour in which we unashamedly cherry-pick the artistic highlights and icons of New York. We will consider the influence of ‘new money’ on art patronage and track the move of fashionable society from Washington Square, so beloved by Henry James and Edith Wharton, in the relentless move uptown. Digital photography will be used to full effect with visual collages and exquisite details to re-create the atmosphere of the brownstones and high society clubs of Gramercy Park, the Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, the grand hotels and nightclubs, the 21 Club and the Speakeasy, the building of the great art collections including the Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim. Whether you know and love New York or maybe have never visited, join me and have fun discovering more about the personalities of the artists, designers, patrons and social climbers who shaped this extraordinary and ever-changing city. The aim will be to create the sense of ‘being there’ and to capture the vibrancy and energy of the city. 

Thirty years' experience as a lecturer, with a BA in History and History of Art and a MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. Now a freelance lecturer to various arts, heritage and antiquarian societies. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. Author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills. Lectured for ADFAS Australia and New Zealand in 2011 and 2013. Mary is an enthusiastic member and President of Glaven Valley DFAS.

The Marquesses of Bute; ‘Patrons of Opulence’ 

This study day combines Art and Architectural history with stories of different personalities and events that shaped the fortunes of this reclusive but influential family.  Looking at houses and their collections, three enjoyable and relaxing sessions chart this history of extraordinary patronage. 

Session 1.  ‘The Rise to Prominence’

The Bute family have been associated with the Isle of Bute, off the S.W. coast of Scotland, since the C12th.  By the C18th, they had become Earls of Bute and built Mount Stuart; a classical mansion that replaced the now ruined Rothesay Castle.  The 3rd Earl was Prime Minister; an intimate friend of Royalty, a scholar, and Art collector who acquired both Luton Hoo and Highcliffe Castle.  His son and grandson added to the family fortunes by marrying well, bringing further estates in Wales and Ayrshire.  As the Industrial Revolution took hold, the family’s coal-rich estates were cleverly exploited to make the coffers swell even more.

Session 2.  ‘The Richest Man in the Empire’

It was the 3rd Marquess of Bute who benefitted from the vast wealth that his coal-rich lands produced, although he was personally disinterested in the source of his money.  A medieval scholar and antiquarian, with a passion for building and restoration, he utterly transformed the family properties in Scotland, Wales and England.  His architects included William Burges; one of the most eccentric and original designers of his time, who produced decoration, textiles, silver jewellery and furniture to complement Bute’s amazing buildings.  A fire in 1877 largely destroyed Georgian Mount Stuart but from its ashes rose one of the most amazing Victorian houses in Britain.

Session 3.  The 20th and  21st centuries.

Despite enormous social changes, the 4th Marquess continued to conserve the family properties, and indeed, added to them by buying houses in Spain and Morocco. His collecting passion included amongst many others, furniture, glass and porcelain, rare books, stamps and memorabilia.  The heavy death duties extracted from his father’s estate were compounded by those imposed after his own and his son’s deaths in 1947 and 1956.  However, whilst some of the houses and their contents were dispersed, the core of the Bute inheritance survives and both the present Marquess and his father added to the family heritage by opening to the public and by encouraging contemporary Art into the 21st century.

Matthew Williams trained as an art and architectural historian before undertaking postgraduate Museum Studies.  He lectures widely on the subject of design, and is especially interested in that of the 19th and 20th centuries. He has been the Curator of Cardiff Castle for many years and has published widely in art and architectual journals.  Matthews lectures and study days are lively, informative and amusing. 

Price: £28 per person inclusive.

A Day of Special Interest starting at 10am with Coffee/tea with the first lecture starting at 1030. There will be comfort break for 15mins before the second session followed by a sandwich lunch at approx 1pm. The afternoon and final session will start at 2pm and finish at 3.15pm aprroximately. 

Bookings wil be taken at October and November meetings. 

For more information please contact Jo Wilson   jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com

A STUDY DAY IN THREE PARTS

Classical Rome and its Legacy. The Pantheon, Colosseum and Bas of Maxentius. We shall look at these three inspirational buildings each with a different form and function – these were the edifices that could be seen in ruin ever since the Sack of Rome, and provide the basis for understanding Roman Renaissance painting and sculpture.

The Flight of the Renaissance. Frescoes by Fillipino Lippi in the Carafa Chapel, Michelangelo’s St Peter’s Pieta and Raphael’s School of Athens allow us tom trace the development of theology, philosophy and aesthetics along with the emergence of the High Renaissance.  These are bright, intelligent frescoes and a sculpture of breath-taking brilliance.

Giants of the Baroque.  Caravaggio’s painting in the Contarelli Chapel in San Luigi dei Francesi, Bernini’s San Andrea al Quirinale and Ecstasy of San Theresa, are three of the most celebrated Baroque embellishments in Rome.  A gritty series of paintings by a notorious sinner, a scandalous religious sculpture group and interactive architecture by the Baroque mastermind will allow us to understand the context and purpose of the flamboyant art and architecture of the seventeenth century of Rome.

Dan Evans is an educationalist with a passion for all things Italian. Formerly Head of History of Art at Wycombe Abbey School, Daniel is now Deputy Head of Sixth Form at Cheltenham College.  He has been lecturing since 2001, and spent 9 years working as a senior tutor of Art History Abroad.  He was voted the British winner of the World Guide of the Year Awards in 2008 and offers stimulating study trips to a range of destinations in Italy.

Bookings will be taken at December and January lectures or email Jo Wilson at jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com

Price: £25

A day of special interest starting at 10am with tea and coffee, first lecture starting at 10.30. There will be a 15 minute break before the second lecture at around 11.45am followed by lunch 1-2pm. The final lecture should end at approximately 3.15pm.

Chiltern Hills Study Day

The Royal Collection is the last great European Dynastic collection to survive in royal ownership. It comprises over 485,000 objects collected by members of the royal family over the last 500 years.

It includes a large number of the best examples if many forms of art, from paintings to Old Master drawings, from sculpture to ceramics, from furniture to clocks, from jewellery  and objects in gold and silver to books, manuscripts and watercolours.  The collection is wholly unlike a museum collection in that the latter seeks to be comprehensive, the former is primarily a testament to the personal collecting tastes of many members of the royal family over the years.

This study day seeks to illustrate the works of art, their position in the history of art and the personalities of the royal collectors.  From Henry VIII and Holbein Oliver will move through Charles I, probably the most perceptive of all royal collectors, Charles II who recovered much of the collection sold by Oliver Cromwell, George III who added greatly to the collection over a wide range, George IV, the most prolific royal collector with extraordinarily diverse tastes, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as enthusiastic patrons of the arts, and, in the twentieth century, Edward VII, George V and Queen Mary, the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother’s extensive collection, and ending with our present Queen’s reign.

Our Lecturer: Oliver Everett served in the Foreign Office including postings in India and Spain before becoming Assistant Private Secretary to the Prince of Wales 1978-80, then Private Secretary to Diana, Princess of Wales 1981-83. He was Librarian in the Royal Library, Windsor Castle 1984-2002.

At The Hub, Easton St., High Wycombe HP11 1NJ – 10am -3pm

Price £30 to include morning coffee and a sandwich lunch

For booking and further information:

Lisa Green, Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area
lisachilternhills@gmail.com
Tel:  01494 521750 

Or download the booking form from Documents under the tab ‘About Us’.

With its huge variety of cultural influences from southern Italy, Northern Europe and from the East, Venice was designed by its inhabitants to be an exceptional place.  It’s music is exceptional too, and from 1550 to 1750 Venice was at the forefront of musical ideas in Europe.  The study day explores the music making at St Marks, the music of Venice's 17th century opera houses, and the important role played by the four Ospidali, which gave rise to the great concertos of Vivaldi and his contemporaries.  The study day also looks at 19th and 20th century compositions that were premiered in Venice.

Session 1

The Musical world of Venice in the 16th & 17th centuries

From the 1520s through to the 1650s the basilica of St Marks was considered the nerve centre of Venetian music making, and attracted a range of musical talent from the Flemish composer Adrian Willaert to the Cremona born Claudio Monteverdi.  The first session will explore some of the partsongs, canzonas and largescale choral works of Andrea & Giovanni Gabrieli, before sampling moments from Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 and his final opera L’incoronazione di Poppea of 1643.

Session 2

For a variety of reasons, the music making at St Mark’s was eclipsed in the later 17th century by the musical performances to be heard at the four Ospedali, Venetian orphanages that gave strong emphasis to general education, and particularly to musical instruction.  By the early years of the 1700s the young female musicians (figlie di coro) of these institutions became the leading figures in Venice’s musical life and drew large audiences to their chapels and music rooms in order to hear the motets and particularly the concertos that had been especially written for them.  Consequently, an entirely new school of Venetian concerto writer emerged which, headed by Vivaldi and Albinoni, turned away from the Corellian concerto grosso - where the emphasis in the music was on contrasting sections between solo instruments and full strings - towards the solo concerto, of which the main ingredient was the display of bravura and skill.  This session examines the aesthetics behind these works and goes on to explore some of the rich moments that lie in the movements of these great Venetian concertos.

Session 3

Although musical composition and performance in Venice was to decline d dramatically when the Venetian Republic fell at the hands of Napoleon in 1797, it was La Fenice the opera house built in 1792 that was to restore musical confidence in Venice during the course of the 19th century. It did this by playing host to a variety of eminent composers who premiered their operas on its stage. Works included Rossini’s Tancredi, Bellini’s Cappeleti e Montecchi, Donezetti’s Il Belisario, and most significant of all - Verdi’s Rigoletto, La Traviata and Simon Boccanegra.  In the 20th century, Stravinsky was increasingly drawn to Venice and premiered his only opera The Rake's Progress (at La Fenice), Canticum Sacrum (at St Mark’s), and Threni (in the Tintoretto hall of the Scuola Grande di San Rocco.) Benjamin Britten, too, gave the first performance in 1954 of The Turn of the Screw in Venice, at La Fenice. The opera was commissioned by the Venice Biennale.  This final session, then, shifts the emphasis from Venice as creator of music, to Venice as inspirer of music.  A subtle difference.

Peter appears in the UK and abroad as musician and scholar, giving recitals and delivering illustrated lectures on music and the arts. He studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Salzburg. Takes groups to Europe (please enquire). All lectures are presented digitally. Lectures include live music sung and played on piano, virginals or clavichord. Musical programmes devised for special or larger scale events.

Bookings will be taken at October and November lectures or email Jo Wilson at jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com

Price: £28

A day of special interest starting at 10am with tea and coffee, first lecture starting at 10.30. There will be a 15 minute break before the second lecture at around 11.45am followed by lunch 1-2pm. The final lecture should end at approximately 3.15pm.

Chiltern Hills Study Day Series

FROM SUGAR BARON TO POWER STATION:

the Story of the Tate

In this Study Day we will look at the History of the Tate from its foundation in 1897 through to recent developments including the opening of Tate St Ives, Tate Liverpool and Tate Modern.

The timing of this day is serendipitous given that the major expansion of Tate Modern and its 10 storey extension is due to open in June 2016 and we will be given an exciting preview of what this will contain.

We will of course also examine many of the masterpieces in the Tate collection and the controversies surrounding some of them.

Session 1: History, acquisitions, disasters and controversies

Session 2: Current displays at Tate Britain and expansion to St Ives, Liverpool and Bankside.

Session 3: Tate Modern – development and highlights of current displays

Our Lecturer: Frank has been a lecturer and guide in Tate Britain and Tate Modern since 2000, and subsequently on P&O cruises on behalf of the Tate. He has been a popular NADFAS lecturer since 2003 in the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Gibraltar, Australia and New Zealand.

At The Hub, Easton St., High Wycombe HP11 1NJ – 10am -3pm

Price £32 to include morning coffee and a sandwich lunch

For booking and further information:

Lisa Green, Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area
lisachilternhills@gmail.com
Tel:  01494 521750 

Or download the booking form from Documents under the tab ‘About Us’.

Chiltern Hills Study Day Series

PERSONALITIES & PATRONAGE:

The Story of one family’s collecting at Chatsworth

Simon introduces us to Chatsworth and the first 400 years of collections focusing on the passions, personalities and patronage of each generation from 1550-1950, ending dramatically with the gloom of post-war death duties and despair.

We will then go “outside into the garden” with his second lecture on the evolution of the garden and park from 1550 to the present day.

The 3rd lecture brings us right up to date with collections since 1950, including a spectacular new ceramic installation commissioned in 2014. The era of the renaissance under the 11th and 12th Dukes and Duchesses is a positive and exciting story that weaves in all the themes of the day.

Our lecturer: Simon Seligman worked at Chatsworth for 19 years, with responsibility for education programmes, marketing attractions and events. He will certainly give us a real insight into this unique stately home and its history, and maybe a few secrets!

At The Hub, Easton St., High Wycombe HP11 1NJ – 10am -3pm

Price £32 to include morning coffee and a sandwich lunch

For booking and further information:

Lisa Green, Study Day Organiser, NADFAS Chiltern Hills Area
lisachilternhills@gmail.com
Tel:  01494 521750 

Or download the booking form from Documents under the tab ‘About Us’.

The study day will consist of 3 lectures (as follows) with lunch and coffee.

The Day Parliament Burned Down

In the early evening of 16 October 1834, to the horror of bystanders, a huge ball of fire exploded through the roof of the Houses of Parliament, creating a blaze so enormous that it could be seen by the King and Queen at Windsor and from stagecoaches on top of the South Downs. In front of hundreds of thousands of witnesses, the great conflagration destroyed Parliament's glorious old buildings and their contents. No one who witnessed the disaster would ever forget it.

Mr Barry's Great Work: Rebuilding the new Houses of Parliament

The Houses of Parliament is one of the most famous and staggering buildings in the world. It rises serenely from the Thames at Westminster, on a site which has been the centre of power and government in England from the earliest times. It is a masterpiece of Victorian architecture and a spectacular feat of civil engineering: a landmark which is today the essence of Britishness. And it was nearly never built at all.

From the beginning, its design and construction were a battleground for its architect, Charles Barry. The practical challenges, even by the standards of Victorian invention, were immense. Following the disastrous fire of 1834, the new building was required to cover eight acres of unstable gravel beds. Its river frontage, a quarter of a mile long, was to be constructed in the treacherous currents of the Thames. Its towers were so gigantic they required feats of engineering and building technology never seen before, in order to construct them on the cramped site. And the interior design - stained glass, metalwork, encaustic tiling and wall coverings - needed ancient craft techniques not used since the middle ages to be revived. Battling the interference of MPs and royalty, coaxing and soothing the genius of his partner Pugin, fending off the mad schemes of a host of crackpot inventors and busybodies, and coming in three times over budget and twenty-four years behind schedule, this lecture will tell the story of how Charles Barry created the most famous building in Britain.

Bombing and Rebuilding: Parliament in the Second World War

In May 1941, during the height of the Blitz, the House of Commons’ chamber received a direct hit. Churchill wept in the ruins the morning after but vowed it would be rebuilt. Using dramatic contemporary photographs and artworks, this fascinating talk recounts the damage done and tells how the new Commons chamber rose again under the Atlee government and was rebuilt during in a period of post-war austerity and rationing with materials and furnishings from across the British Empire.

Dr Caroline Shenton

Caroline is an archivist, historian and author. She was formerly Director of the Parliamentary Archives at Westminster and a senior archivist at The National Archives at Kew. She is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal Historical Society and has appeared on national tv and radio and reviews books for The Spectator. Her first popular history book, The Day Parliament Burned Down, was published to rave reviews in 2012, and won the inaugural Political Book of the Year Award in 2013. Caroline lives in Oxfordshire but works in London so is easily available for bookings in those areas particularly. 

http://www.marlowdfas.org.uk/AboutUs/Documents.aspx

The Marquesses of Bute are an ancient Scots family who rose to prominence during the eighteenth century. Judicious marriages brought wealth and by 1860 industrial enterprise had made them one of the richest families in the Empire.

The scholarly third Marquess was a great architectural patron. His extraordinary and intensely personal buildings include two romantic Welsh castles and Mount Stuart, his own home in Scotland, once memorably described as being; ‘like a head on collision between the Taj Mahal and a Victorian railway hotel’.

This lecture looks at both personalities and buildings, and examines the Bute’s legacy of craftsmanship and creativity.

Matthew Williams

Matthew lectures widely on the subject of design, and is especially interested in that of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A recognised expert in the work of the designer William Burges, he has been the Curator of Cardiff Castle in South Wales for over twenty years and has published widely in art and architectural journals. His new book, the result of many years research, is a history of Cardiff Castle. A long standing member of NADFAS, Matthew has been a Volunteers Representative, a Programme Secretary and a Chairman. He has been a NADFAS Lecturer for more than ten years.

Marlow Methodist Hall - 10am -3pm

Coffee on arrival at 10am

3 lectures and sandwich lunch and coffee/tea

Price £25 per person

To book your place please contact Jo Wilson:

Email: jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com

Phone or text: 07855 343818

We will begin with an introduction to Chatsworth and the first 400 years of collections, focusing on the passions, personalities and patronage of each generation from 1550-1950, ending dramatically with the gloom of post-war death duties and despair. Simon Seligman will then lead us “outside into the garden” with his second lecture on the evolution of the garden and park from 1550-2015. He will then take us back into the house and bring us right up to date with collections since 1950, which includes a spectacular new ceramic installation commissioned in 2014. The era of the renaissance under the 11th and 12th Dukes and Duchesses is a positive and exciting story that weaves in all the themes of the day. Simon Seligman worked at Chatsworth for 19 years, with responsibility for education programmes, marketing attractions and events. He will certainly give us a real insight into this wonderful stately home and its history, and maybe a few secrets!

You will feel as though you have spent the day at Chatsworth and will certainly want to pay a visit in the future. Even if you have visited in the past, you will learn there is so much more to discover and enjoy. Marlow Methodist Hall – 10am -3pm. Price £25 to include morning coffees and a sandwich lunch. To book your place please contact Jo Wilson email:jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com

or text/phone 07855 343818

The price of £20 is fully inclusive starting with coffee at 10am followed by another short coffee break and sandwich lunch and finishing after the 3rd lecture in the afternoon. Spaces are limited so please contact me to book your place. I will also be taking bookings at the next lecture on Thursday November 13th. The study day is on the following Thursday NOVEMBER 20th. E: jo.wilson1@btopenworld.com T: 07855 343818