This talk focuses on the family and influences upon Charles Darwin and Captain Robert FitzRoy, the commander of HMS Beagle, and their participation in the celebrated voyage of 1831-36 which enabled Darwin to collect vital evidence for his ground-breaking publication On the Origin of Species. FitzRoy paid for two artists, Augustus Earle and Conrad Martens, to paint the people and places encountered, and these images underpin the series of sensational seafaring stories.

This lecture charts Tiffany & Co.’s history and that of its jewellery - from its foundation on New York’s Broadway in the 1830s to the global brand of the 1980s. Initially only a minor aspect of Tiffany’s stock, and entirely imported from Europe, jewellery in America took off with the country’s economic transformation. Charles Tiffany was a pivotal figure in this development: by the late 1870s his company was winning international awards for jewellery that was American designed and made. By 1900 it had overcome ‘Old World’ prejudices to be regarded as the equals of the greatest jewellers of Europe – an international status maintained to this day. My research draws extensively on Tiffany & Co.’s archives. Topics include America’s early jewellery industry, the extravagant patronage of America’s newly wealthy, the laying of the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable, George Kunz and the promotion of American gemstones, the designer Paulding Farnham, the sale of the French Crown Jewels, Louis Comfort Tiffany (whose workshops made jewellery as well as studio glass and lamps), the post-War designs of Jean Schlumberger, and the 1970s-‘80s glamour of Elsa Peretti and Paloma Picasso.

When D’Oyly Carte brought together the dramatist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan he transformed English comic opera. With an expertly crafted libretto and catchy tunes, the thirteen ‘Savoy’ operas were also of the moment, their humour resonating with the public. Gilbert targeted class inequality in H.M.S. Pinafore, pretension arty poets in Patience, the mania for Japan in the Mikado and women’s emancipation in Princess Ida. Yet despite being so topical, the operas have stayed the course and are still popular with the public today. Lampooning the British class system and social pretensions as well as political divisions and institutions, such as the House of Lords, has not lost its charm. Indeed, the tongue-twisting rhyming ‘patter song’, ‘I’ve Got a Little List from the Mikado, is traditionally brought up to date. The Savoy operas also nurtured theatrical stars; George Grossmith, who played Reginald Bunthorne in Patience and Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner in The Mikado, became the most popular British solo performer of the 1890s. Alice Barnett created Gilbert's "formidable middle-aged ladies", Lady Jane in Patience (1881) and the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe (1882).

Prague is one of the great treasure houses of Europe. Reduced to a near ruin under the communists, it has now been restored to its former glory, a unique blend of Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau architecture. The lecture looks at the rich fabric of Prague’s past, its legends and its history, as well as the artists, composers, statesmen and rogues that have illuminated this fairy tale city.

A discovery that brought about a revolution in Western Art.The reception given to the Japanese woodblock print in the second half of the 19 th century changed Western art more dramatically than any other event since the Renaissance. The prints proved a major contribution to the Japonism of the Aesthetic Movement and were crucial for the development of the graphic poster art of Toulouse-Lautrec and the commercial Art Nouveau works of Alphonse Mucha. Even the Impressionists were affected by this alien art style from the far side of the world. With its emphasis on sinuous lines, lack of perspective and minimalism, Japanese graphic art still has a resonance for design today and affects all of our lives. This lecture investigates the effect of these prints on European painting and graphic art with specific reference to the works of James Whistler, Degas, and van Gogh. This topic explains so much about the development of modern art and how centuries of tradition were swept aside in just a few decades as European painters found inspiration through the creations of artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige.

The Impressionist Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries produced some of the finest snow paintings in the history of art. Although the 17th century Dutch masters had painted snow, it was not a common subject amongst landscape painters until its rediscovery by the Impressionists. Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro and Alfred Sisley all painted snow, often standing for hours in the open air to capture the subtleties of light and colour produced by a recent snow fall. They were helped by a series of cold winters in Europe in 1879-1880 and 1890-1891, but they were by no means the only Impressionists who painted snow and ice. The Norwegian artist Frits Thaulow, a close friend of the French Impressionists, was a master of depicting snow, while it can be argued that the most impressive snow paintings were actually done by the American Impressionists. Vast in scale and concept, the snow scenes of artists such as Willard Metcalf, Childe Hassam and John Twachtman are a revelation to British audiences who often know little about the achievements of the American Impressionists. They capture the silence, beauty and grandeur of an American winter

Mexico has a vast range of festivals. Visually splendid, many feature lavish processions and masked dances with richly decorated costumes. Although some festivals commemorate national events, most are religious in inspiration. After the Spanish conquest of 1521, priests used theatrical representation as a method of instruction. Traditionally, people display elaborate nativity scenes in their homes. The Christmas story is acted out in towns and villages: adults and children perform as shepherds and shepherdesses, hermits and devils. Other important celebrations include Saints' Days, All Souls' Day, and Carnival.

2023 is the centenary of the opening of the tomb

Fifty years ago, many of us were captivated by the 1972 exhibition of Tutankhamun’s Treasures at the British Museum. 2022 is the centenary of the discovery of those treasures by Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon and 2023 will celebrate the anniversary of the opening of the tomb for the first time in 3,000 years. The darkness revealed vast riches from antiquity which amongst other influences, spear-headed the design iconography of the emerging art deco movement, lifting the depressed spirits of the inter-war years. Tut-mania affected everything from jewellery and fashion, to architecture and design.

In life, Tutankhamun ruled for just a few years during a chaotic period of upheaval and was so unimportant that he did not even make it onto the famous list of Kings created less than a century later. Yet, in death, his 5,000 precious objects crammed into the smallest royal tomb in the Valley of the Kings, have become some of the world’s most iconic works of art.

From the beginnings of the Renaissance in 13th century Italy to the birth of Abstraction in the 20th century, this lecture charts the main developments of Western European painting. Focusing on a selection of acclaimed masterpieces, this dynamic lecture charts both the stylistic and thematic development of European painting alongside the historical contexts in which they were created. (This lecture is available as a study day entitled: A History of Western Painting in 25 Masterpieces)

Wine has been part of our global society for over 7,000 years, and the story tells of its origin and appearance in all societies across the Mediterranean and through Europe. There is rich evidence of the role wine has played in these societies and how it became an important component of faith, well-being and festivity. From the kwevris of Georgia in 5,000 B.C., the symposia in ancient Greece, the thermopolia of Pompeii, the hospices of Europe, to the dining tables of fine society wine has been ever present. Drawings, paintings, engravings, buildings, pottery and wine labels themselves all contribute to the story.

MacDonald 'Max' Gill, younger brother of the sculptor and typographer Eric Gill, was an architect, graphic designer and letterer, best known for his pictorial maps, especially those for the London Underground. He also created painted maps for Arts & Crafts houses including Lindisfarne Castle, magnificent murals for Cunard liners, and eye-catching publicity posters for organisations such as the Empire Marketing Board. An enduring legacy is his alphabet for the Imperial War Graves Commission used on all British military headstones since the First World War. This illustrated talk by Max Gill’s great-niece presents a colourful overview of this versatile artist's personal life and artistic achievements.  NB. Max's work can be found in many localities around Britain. Caroline will include local connections wherever possible. 

At the end of the first decade of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing career came the dawn of the popular illustrated magazine. This lecture looks at the artists who helped shape his characters over more than 40 years. Not just Sidney Paget and his defining depictions of Sherlock Holmes, but also the painstaking military art of W B Wollen for the Brigadier Gerard stories, and Harry Rountree’s glorious visualisation of Conan Doyle’s imaginative fantasies in the adventures of Professor Challenger. These and other artists in both books and the popular magazines of the day such as the Strand, Windsor and Pearson’s, enhanced Doyle’s magnificent storytelling.  (Richard will bring various original magazines to the lecture.)

Agatha Christie is undoubtedly the world’s greatest crime writer, her books sell over four million copies worldwide every year and there is a continual demand for new adaptations to be made of her work. She led a sheltered and privileged life in her native Torquay which was not dissimilar to the characters she invented. She was brought up in the comfort of upper middle class society and she too had mystery in her life. To find out more about this remarkable author who created Poirot and Miss Marple book this biographical talk. It will surprise and enlighten you about how she developed her talent for writing having never attended a proper school.

This lecture looks at the unique contribution made to British architecture by Robert Adam. Robert was born in Scotland in 1728, where his father, William Adam, was the best-established Scottish architect of his day. He, and his brother James, undertook the Grand Tour in the 1750’s  at a time when sensational discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum were being made, and  the great ‘Roman’cities of Palmyra and Baalbek were being recorded for the first time. Returning to England with notebooks crammed with drawings of Roman architecture and design, Robert became the leading architect of the neo-classical movement, turning his creative hand not only to buildings, but interior design, inspiring furniture designers such as Thomas Chippendale. Robert and his collaborators created some of the most spectacular interiors ever to have been built in Great Britain; much loved houses such as Kedleston, Syon, Osterley, Harewood and Nostell Priory. Furthermore The Adam style remains popular to this day.

To be held at 4:30 pm by kind permission of Bournemouth Arts University.  This is to be made available on Zoom for members.  Details to be sent nearer the date.

It probably comes as a surprise to tourists to find so much culture in the Los Angles area, with three world-class museums and one of the finest groups of Arts and Crafts Houses in the world.  All this art centres on Pasadena, a rather attractive Art Deco city that is the home of the Norton Simon Art Gallery and the nearby Huntington Library and Art Gallery, in San Marino.  Not only do these institutions house remarkable collections, including Gainsborough’s Blue Boy and Lawrence’s Pinkie at the Huntington and works by Degas, Renoir, Van Gogh, Moore and Hepworth at the Norton Simon, but also the museums themselves are works of art.  The Huntington boasts some of the finest gardens in the world, the Japanese garden resembling a living version of the ‘Willow Pattern’, complete with teahouse and hump-backed bridge. The Norton Simon’s sculpture garden is simply breathtaking in its beauty.  The Getty Centre, designed by Richard Meier, overlooking LA, is equally outstanding as a work of art in its own right. Here can be found Van Gogh’s Irises, although the collection of classical sculpture still resides at Getty Villa in Malibu.  Yet more riches can be found at the Los Angeles County Museum (LACM), where one encounters the American Arts and Crafts.  Back in Pasadena, in houses designed to reflect both the unique character of California and the teaching s of the Arts and Crafts movement, one can directly experience the impact of the House Beautiful on American culture, in the beautiful but austere interiors of the Green and Green brothers. 

Contrary to popular myth, the Victorians thoroughly amused themselves - and particularly at Christmas.

In the 1830s and 1840s, a rapidly changing Britain saw the rise of important new traditions. Prince Albert's Christmas tree at Windsor, Rowland Hill and the penny post, the world's first Christmas card in 1843, Charles Dickens' 'Christmas Carol' published that same year, circus at Astley"s amphitheatre, Joe Grimaldi the clown and pantomime, Tom Smith's Christmas crackers.....

These festivities and more combined to create the Victorian Christmas. We will revel in their celebrations.

The Portland Vase arrived in Britain by 1783. In 1810 it was placed on loan in the British Museum where it remains today as one of the most intriguing and popular examples of Ancient Roman cameo glass anywhere in the world. Its origins are surrounded in mystery but its ability to inspire subsequent generations of glass makers is obvious. This unique vase was the starting point for a whole range of British cameo glass in the later 19th century that exemplified technical virtuosity and creative artistry as techniques that had been lost for hundreds of years were rediscovered in the glasshouses of Stourbridge, in the heart of England’s industrial Midlands. Many of these creations were executed in the prevailing Classical-revival style of the times, but as the 19 th century drew to a close fashions changed as did the geographical focus of cameo glass production.

The glass factory of Emile Gallé in Nancy, in eastern France, became the new centre for cameo glass in the new style of Art Nouveau. It is these Art Nouveau pieces that make most of the headlines in the auction rooms of the world today, with high prices paid for unique pieces, but the best of the British examples do not lag far behind. This lavishly illustrated talk looks at the origins of cameo glass and considers the best of British and French pieces, their designers and techniques of production.

The decades around 1900 witnessed a fascinating variety of styles and produced some of the most elegant pieces of jewellery ever made.  Diamonds and pearls - the mainstay of European court jewellery - were arranged in garlands and ribbon bows of incredible delicacy.  At the same time symmetry was challenged by the sinuous lines of Art Nouveau, and the ‘one colour theory’ long practised in European jewellery was undermined by a fascination with unusual gemstones and a more luxuriant sense of colour.   

The lecture will explore the distinctive styles of great jewellers such as Cartier, Fabergé, Tiffany and Lalique, and examine also the contrasting aesthetic of Britain’s Arts and Crafts Movement with its celebration of traditional craftsmanship, unfaceted stones and hand-beaten metals.

It is hard to know whether to be impressed or disgusted by Peter the Great. His personality was a confusing collection of contradictions. On one hand he was the enlightened sovereign who dragged the sprawling, medieval country he ruled into the modern age.

Born with immense energy and drive, he taught himself the rudiments of ship design and founded the Russian navy, defeated the Swedes and seized the land on which to build the city of St Petersburg, which would grow into one of the most beautiful and ornate capitals in the world. On the other he was a violent and brutal tyrant, fascinated by freaks and cruel practical jokes, a coarse, foul speaking drunkard who personally tortured hundreds of his subjects and ordered the murder of his own son

The beauty of Kenneth Grahame’s prose is widely acknowledged but the story is so full of wonderful imagery that it almost demands to be illustrated. First published in 1908 without illustration, the classic tale of Ratty, Mole, and the incorrigible Mr Toad has been in print ever since. What is less well known is that it has been illustrated by more than ninety artists – making it the most widely illustrated book in the English language. However, ‘Willows’ is a far more interesting book than its popular and often young audience might appreciate. It deserves recognition as a novel in which adult readers will find not just humour and entertainment but wisdom and meaning. We will also explore how the story came to be written for Grahame’s son Alastair and the interesting but ultimately tragic life of Kenneth Grahame

Our apologies, this meeting will not be relayed on Zoom.

Art Deco architecture from the 1920s and 30s has a style and appeal that is immediately recognisable and distinctive. Popular features include streamlining, sunbursts, ziggurats, eyebrows, frozen fountains, Egyptian themes and nautical designs, all highlighted in wonderful pastel shades. Rapid redevelopment between the world wars saw this modernistic movement spread to all our towns and cities. Meanwhile the expanding film industry used art deco design as the perfect way to attract cinema-goers into the surreal surroundings of the picture palaces, many of which are disappearing today. This unique architecture and art history is revealed by using the most impressive examples from around the world

We, your committee apologise.  Due to serious illness in Paul Chapman's family, he has been forced to cancel our planned lecture.  It is hoped that we will be able to engage him at a later date.  However we have been very lucky that Jon Channon has agreed to come and give us a fascinating lecture regarding religious buildings around the world.  To quote a chairman of another Wessex Society “this is the best lecturer I have heard in a long time!” 

Therefore our lecture this month:

The Secret Language of Sacred Spaces: Religious Architecture of the World

By Jon Channon

This lecture explains the architecture of each of the major faith traditions, revealing how it is shaped by their rituals and beliefs. It briefly covers the sacred architecture of such early societies as Mesopotamia, Egypt and the Americas before focusing on the living faiths: the great continuities embodied in the sacred architecture of Buddhism and Hinduism, and the revolutionary changes brought about in monotheistic Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It thus brings fresh insights into some of the most remarkable buildings on the planet.  To be held at St Mark's Church Hall.

A note to you all : Firstly I am delighted to say that Teresa, has kindly agreed to be with us again and serving us tea. So time to relax and chat with other members. Unfortunately Mason is unable to act as our projectionist, because of work commitments, but my granddaughter Imogen has agreed to step in (she is a 2nd year art Student at AUB). Now she and I are a bit “vertically challenged “ (short!) so if there are any members particularly any tall men who feel they could come early to the lecture, (13.00-13.30pm), in order to help us put up the screen, we would be delighted.

To be held at St Mark's Church Hall

You may have all been wondering about getting a zoom lecture, on a Wednesday!! at 4.30pm — Not usual for Bournemouth and East Dorset!

The reason for this is that this is the lecture our Society together with Wimborne & Blandford have organised for 6th form Art students at our local secondary schools. As a result of covid our numbers are very restricted (60 instead of a potential 140) so the Arts University have very kindly agreed to put it on zoom for us. So I am afraid rather belatedly we thought why not a bonus lecture for our members  it would be absolutely wonderful if any members can join us. The lecture chosen by the teachers is by one of our Lecturers, Simon Whitehouse, he was very involved in the series of talks arranged by head office called “Around the World in 80 days” this one  is about artists marginalised by Society, such as Women, Coloured, Transgender etc rather topical and designed to fit in with their studies st school

to be held at St Mark's Church Hall

To be held at St Nark's Church Hall

to be held at St Mark's Church Hall

This was a zoom lecture only

Virtual Lecture:

"The Art of the Steal" Nazi Looting during WW11".

Virtual Lecture at 2.30pm

"In these strange times, when comfort and camaraderie are in short supply, Sandy is on hand to share his selection of much-loved Christmas tunes.   His playlist includes a mix of carols, some of the finest classical Christmas music, and a special focus on great American holiday tunes.   Selections include sparkling moments from Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker and heartwarming music from Mel Tormé alongside heavenly music from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Leipzig - and something more cynical from Eartha Kitt"

An American-born art historian; member of College Arts Association. Residing in Paris since 1990, she has worked at the Ecole du Louvre, the Sorbonne, the Catholic Institute and the British Council.

Her Doctorate thesis proved non-western influences in Georgia O’Keeffe’s art.

Tim Redmond spent his earlier career as a detective in the Metropolitan Police, working on murder, kidnap and anti-corruption investigations as well as in covert criminal intelligence. He finally retired as a Detective Superintendent. On retirement Tim decided on a complete change of direction, becoming a City of London tour guide and working for a London tour operator, specialising in tours around the UK. He then used the knowledge gained to become a guide within the Palace of Westminster, specialising in tours of Big Ben. 

The High Renaissance saw the seamless integration of art and architecture, the pinnacle of a tradition extending back thousands of years. So how was it that by the mid-20th century, mainstream Modernist architects saw painting and sculpture as anathema to their designs?

This lecture tells the fascinating story of how painting and architecture went their separate ways, exploring the complex reasons behind their dramatic divorce, including:

• The “special status” of painting as the heralded product of artistic genius
• A change in the form and function of the picture frame
• The emergence of the commercial art market
• The rise of the public “Art Exhibition”

Brian Stater's chief interests lie in photography, architecture and history and he combines all three in his lecturing career. He is a member of the Association for Historical and Fine Art Photography and an exhibition of his own photographs has been staged at UCL.

Jo Banham is a freelance curator, lecturer and writer. From 2006-2016 she was Head of Adult Learning at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and before that Head of Learning and Access at the National Portrait Gallery, and Head of Public Programmes at Tate Britain. She is currently curating an exhibition on William Morris and the Arts and Crafts Movement for the Juan March Fundacion in Madrid and the Museu Nacional d’Art Catalunya in Barcelona.

James Butterwick was born in 1962 in Maidenhead. His grandfather Cyril Butterwick was Head of Silver at Sotheby’s, and his godfather Peregrine Pollen President of Sotheby’s Parke Burnet in New York. After taking A-levels in History, French and History of Art at Eton, James studied Fine Art at the University of East Anglia. In 1985 he made his first trip to Russia: the start of a love affair initially inspired by the ‘romantic lyricism of Turgenev.’ In 1985/6 he studied Russian Language & Literature in Minsk and Pyatigorsk before graduating in Russian & Fine Art from Bristol University in 1987 and embarking on his art world career.