NadfasCostadelsol website - Earlier Lectures and IllustratedTalks

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Earlier Lectures and Illustrated Talks

Earlier Lectures and IllustratedTalks

Lectures

January 9th 2012
The A.I.A. - Andalusian Artists Lecture
David Bomberg - A British Cubist Artist
The British Cubist movement was inspired from Cubism started by Pablo Picasso. Cubism and Futurism fused together to become known as Vorticism - a short-lived British art expression of the early 20^th century. Wyndham Lewis established Vorticism at the Rebel Art Centre and has its roots in the Bloomsbury Group. Although the style grew out of Cubism it is more closely related to Futurism in its embrace of dynamism, the machine age and all things modern. Vorticist painting strived to capture movement in an image of modern life using bold lines in harsh colours, provoking the viewer’s eye into the centre of the canvas. The movement broke-up in part due to World War I and apathy towards the work. Although Wyndham Lewis is seen as the central figure, perhaps this was due to his contacts rather than the quality of his works. David Bomberg was renowned for his complex geometric compositions of striking colours, turning humans into simple angular shapes and often overlaying the whole painting in a strong grid-work colouring scheme. His style changed many times during his life; his early avant-garde work continues to exert influence on the most important British painters working today. Lecturer Alan Read will also be looking at the work of Leon Kossoff and Frank Auerbach whose art was influenced by David Bomberg’s work before the First World War. He moves onto Bomberg’s shattering experiences as a private soldier which brought about the first of many major shifts in his style.
Lecturer: Alan Read, B.A., M.I.T.G.

December 12th 2011
The S G Private Banking Hambros Lecture
300 years of Christmas at Covent Garden
Forget Callas and Domingo – Covent Garden Theatre is the place for pantomime. Christmas Shows started here in the 1730’s and even today opera and ballet have echoes of those first Christmas entertainments. Columbines and Harlequins still dance in the Nutcracker and Cinderella either dances, (in the Ashton Ballet) or sings (in the Rossini opera) on her way to the Ball and back. This year the Royal Opera House will be awash with mice and toy soldiers, battling it out in the Nutcracker, while in the wings a pile of gingerbread children will be waiting in the Witch’s store cupboard to be rescued by the young heroes of Humperdink’s opera Hansel and Gretel. A life time spent principally in the theatre with the English National Opera at the London Coliseum and at the Royal Opera House, Sarah Lenton writes programme articles for them, gives lectures and arranges/conducts study days and backstage tours. Sarah will lead us on a magical and exciting journey of our favourite fictional fantasies. She also writes and directs shows for the Linbury which is the studio theatre of the Royal Opera House. Sarah presents programmes on BBC Radio 3 and 4 as well as providing interval talks for the live opera broadcasts on radio and she boasts a ‘sideline’ as a cartoonist.
Lecturer: Sarah Lenton

October 10th 2011
The Bruce Roberts Yacht Design Lecture
Madame de Pompadour and Sèvres
King Louis XV ruled France from September 1715 until his death in May 1774. During his reign his favourable reputation earned him the epithet ‘le Bien-Aime’ – the Beloved. Although he was a popular king, the Seven Year War changed public attitudes towards him and he was later heralded as the most unpopular king in the history of France. His most favored mistress was the beautiful Madam Pompadour; from humble beginnings, born as Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, she became Marquise de Pompadour and a member of the French court and the official maitresse-en-litre to King Louis XV from 1745 until her death in April 1764. Madam Pompadour had a great influence on the French arts during King Louis XV’s reign and was responsible for the development of Sevres porcelain manufactured in the suburbs of Paris. She also had great interest in architecture and was influential in the building of the Place Louis XV now called Place de la Concorde. David Battie will expand on his passion for porcelain having written several books on this subject. David is a familiar figure, appearing on the ‘Antiques Roadshow’ since 1979. He is a Graphic Designer and became Director of Ceramics and Oriental Works of Art at Sotheby’s, retiring in 1999. His vast knowledge of Pottery and Porcelain, both European and Oriental, promises a fascinating lecture.
Lecturer: David Battie, FRSA

November 14th 2011
Lecture Sponsor
The cult of the South Pacific from Cook to Gauguin
This lecture will reveal the enduring Western obsession with, and invention of, the so called ‘exotic’ or ‘noble savage’ with the discovery of Tahiti in 1767. It will chart the impact, through painted images of the island and their people and of the English and European influence in this part of the world. Looking at how romanticised depictions of the island and its peoples by artists such as William Hodges (1744-1797), Benjamin West (1738-1820), John Webber (1751-1793), and John Cleveley (c.1712-1777) bolstered these notions in the minds of Europeans. This Background of England’s exploration abroad also sees the creation of the Royal Academy under its first Director Sir Joshua Reynolds. His involvement in these new discoveries is charted through his paintings. This lecture eventually comes into the modern period and looks at what happens to the ‘exotic’ in the 19^th century, explored through the Post-Impressionist work of the next visitor to the island of Tahiti, Paul Gauguin, in his search for paradise. Leslie F. Primo Art Historian/Freelance lecturer and Television Presenter graduated with two degrees in Art History. His lecturing repertoire ranges from Medieval to Early Renaissance right through from the 17^th century and up to the 19^th century encompassing Impressionism and Post-Impression.
Lecturer: Leslie Primo, B.A., M.A.

May 9th 2011
The Lions Services Lecture
Calatrava - Dancing in Valencia
You might call an architect of star quality a “st-architect”, such as Norman Foster, Richard Rogers, Franck Gehry, I.M.Pei, Daniel Libeskind, Jean Nouvel and … Santiago Calatrava (b. 1951). Such beings design and build in every continent, they are polyglot and world citizens. Calatrava is a Spaniard, speaks four languages and has created edifices worldwide. In England he designed a footbridge in Salford, a little masterpiece of humbling elegance. His admirers claim that he fuses engineering, art, design, architecture and sculpture. This lecture explores his work, from Switzerland through Europe to Canada, but begins in Valencia where he was born and bred, a town, which like Barcelona, has rediscovered its history. Is Calatrava to Valencia what Gaudi is to Barcelona? He might like us to think so.
Lecturer: Clyde Binfield, OBE, Ph.D, M.A.

April 11th 2011
The Heather Barnes Memorial Lecture
The Sacred Art of Tibet
Isolated from the outside world for centuries, Tibet is home to a unique artistic tradition inspired by Buddhism. This faith began in India in the 5th century BC and developed along three distinct paths – the Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana. Each share the same goal: to eliminate suffering and to achieve enlightenment, but vary slightly in their approach. The Hinayana believed it was disrespectful to portray the Buddha, but the later traditions of the Mahayana and the Vajrayana introduced an extraordinary system of visual imagery and these two permeated Tibet from the 7th century onwards. This lecture explores the wealth of this sacred tradition and explains how the paintings and sculptures are created and used as visual aids for meditation to guide the practitioner on the path towards enlightenment.
Lecturer: Zara Fleming

March 7th 2011
The ( second ) SG Private Banking Hambros Bank Lecture
Mycenae, Rich in Gold
In Greece 3,500 years ago there emerged a warrior elite whose military might led to their domination of the mainland and to their occupation of Palaces of Minoan Crete. Their heavily fortified citadel of Mycenae, with its walls of Cyclopean masonry and Lion Gate, was the legendary stronghold of Agamemnon, leader of the expedition against Troy.
Homer's description of Mycenae in the 'Iliad' as “rich in gold” was justified by the excavations of Heinrich Schliemann uncovering the magnificent jewellery and treasures in the royal shaft graves. The Mycenaean Greeks held the hegemony of the seas and formed a trading empire in contact with Cyprus, the Levant and Egypt. Drawing on the rich architectural, historical and artistic legacy of the Mycenaean world, this lecture illustrates the three golden centuries of their civilisation, before cataclysmic events around 1,200 BC brought about its collapse.
Lecturer: George Hart, B.A. (Hons.), M.Phil.

February 14th 2011
The Bruce Roberts Yacht Design Lecture
Revolting Artists
Can Art change the world? Used as a tool by the Vatican, Monarchy and State to proclaim their power, dissenters have fought back and played the authorities at their own game. Given by a specialist in Critical Studies in Art, who teaches the practical approach ('Understanding Art' and 'Learning to draw in a day') this lecture should inspire would-be revolutionaries to express themselves and to depart from a decorative to a conceptual or emotional aspect. However, the Lecturer appears to remind us that technique is as important as the message.
Lecturer: Lynne Gibson, M.A., B.Ed.

January 10th 2011
The SG Private Banking Hambros Bank Lecture
From Egg to Bacon; British Painting 1850-1950
This lecture gives an account of developments in British Painting and the occasional sculpture from the days of the Pre-Raphaelites to the aftermath of World War Two, being a particularly fertile period in the history of art. Attention will be drawn to the way in which developments in Paris were received in the London art world and how British artists contributed to the exciting exchange of new ideas. Some of the artists involved and mentioned are:
Augustus Egg; The Pre-Raphaelites; James Tissot; Albert Moore; James McNeil Whistler; Gwen John; Augustus John; Walter Sickert; The Bloomsbury Group; The Vorticists; Paul Nash; Barbara Hepworth; Henry Moore; Stanley Spencer; Francis Bacon.
Lecturer: Linda Smith, B.A. ( Hons), M.A.

December 13th 2010
The Clinica Noruega Lecture
Skin Deep
The beastly art of Beauty is both really so, and ridiculous. This revealing lecture deals with the dream and the artifice, the means to the end, which quite literally was often the fatal consequence of the unreasonable efforts to improve Nature. From the 18th century “Macaronis” with hair piled high, waists nipped in and plenty of rouge on whitened faces, both men and women 'fashionistas' have fallen victim to the poisons with which they have plastered themselves. The techniques of this decorative art have become even more sophisticated nowadays but surely no less dangerous, when considering Botox, implants and so forth.
Lecturer: Amanda Herries, M.A. ( Cantab)

November 8th 2010
The Lloyd Rowcroft Oriental Carpet and Textile Specialist Lecture
Glass with Royal Connections
Silica is a major world mineral, often fashioned by earth's forces and in present times by human hand into decorative and useful glass objects. This lecture covers a fascinating array of glass artefacts either commissioned or used by royalty through the ages, the Egyptian Pharaohs, Roman Caesars, European crowned heads, British Kings and Queens. The period of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rebellion gave rise to a national style of 18th century British glassware used by all social classes. Great examples of such glass connections were the Crystal Palace and the Palm House at Kew, in which cast iron played such an important supporting role. Admiration must be reserved for the craftsmanship, inventions, patents and techniques that flourished with the support of Royal patronage and thus promoting glass making as true Art.
Lecturer: Charles Hajdamach, B.A., F.S.G.T

October 11th 2010
The Blevins Franks International Lecture
" Guernica", Picasso and the Spanish Civil War
One of the 20th century's most powerful icons, the “Guernica” painting was inspired by the first experience of saturation bombing on European soil and shown for the first time in Paris in 1937, a symbolic protest against violence. Although reviled by Franco, hated by the FBI and scorned by the British artistic establishment, it has continued to shock and shame those intent on using brutal force rather than negotiation. Imposing its moral weight on subsequent generations, in the 21st century it has now however, subtly changed its significance and has come to represent in Spain the image of reconciliation. The enduring political and emotional overtones allied to Picasso's own personal obsessions with the bullfight and the Minotaur make this a masterpiece worthy of closer study to unveil its art historical significance.
Lecturer:
Gijs van Hensbergen B.A. ( Hons.)

Illustrated Talks

January 10th 2012
Stanhope Forbes and the Newlyn School
The Newlyn School of West Cornwall was established in the 1880’s, when artists such as Walter Langley, Stanhope Forbes and Frank Bramley moved to this area where the fantastic light, cheaper living and inexpensive models, encouraged the promotion of paintings depicting every day life by the sea of fisherman, harbours and local communities. The Newlyn-based artists became recognized in the international movement but ultimately their work came into conflict with British artistic trends elsewhere.
Lecturer: Alan Read, B.A.,M.I.T.G.

November 15th 2011
Omai the Exotic and Reynolds - the Cult of Celebrity
Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of Omai became an emblematic and iconic image representing Britain at the very height of its imperial powers. This talk explores Omai’s story, his origins in Tahiti, his background and motivation to come to England. Joshua Reynold’s portrait tells us about 18th century English society, its perception or preconception of the ‘Other’ or non-white European and how prevalent pseudo-scientific ideas in this period affected the way Omai was perceived, when the two worlds collided.
Lecturer: Leslie Primo, B.A., M.A.

April 12th 2011
Bhutan - Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon
A general introduction to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan where Vajrayana Buddhism permeates every aspect of life. The talk explores the history, art and culture of this land-locked country which has preserved its traditional values for centuries, but which has recently experienced many changes, such as the introduction of roads, television and tourism. Will Bhutan be able to maintain the fine balance between tradition and modernity, without diminishing its unique culture?Lecturer: Zara Fleming

February 15th 2011
What is Art?

Why is Modern Art so different from anything since the Renaissance? Why are there so many 'isms'? We shall discover why challenging times have given us exciting, perplexing and challenging Art!
Lecturer: Lynne Gibson, M.A., B.Ed.

January 11th 2011
Francis Bacon(1909 - 1992)
This talk offers an introduction to his life and works. These have often been described as nihilistic and ugly but he claimed that he was only pushing the figurative tradition to extremes so as to deal directly with the nature of the human condition as he saw it. He has been acclaimed as one of the most important 20th century painters and his influences, both artistic and personal will be examined, along with his techniques and source material.
Lecturer: Linda Smith, B.A. ( Hons), M.A.

November 9th 2010
Emile Galle and Rene Lalique
The speaker will discuss the work of two of the greatest French masters of Art Nouveau and Art Deco Glass; Galle's cameo masterpieces, an epitome of the Symbolist movement and Lalique's work as a jeweller and his success at the 1925 Paris Exhibition.
Lecturer: Charles Hajdamach, B.A., F.S.G.T