‘A Journey through the Imperial Wardrobe’

Chinese Imperial Court Costume 

& Insignia of Rank

Qing Dynasty (1644-1911)

Speaker : David Rosier

PROGRAMME

10:00 – 11:00    1st Lecture

11:00 – 11:30    Coffee, biscuit & comfort break

11:30 – 12:45    2nd Lecture & questions

The cost of the day is £20.00 (non-refundable) includes morning coffee/tea & biscuits.

Payment by BACS (preferred) 

BACS  Acc.no. 0006 0271 sort code 40-52-40, with Ref: “SID14NOV” when paying please.

Or

Cheques made payable to: Sarisbury Green DFAS at a monthly meeting and given to:- Derek Oswald, SIDs (Assist) or  Cliff Bannister (Programme Sect/SIDs)

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 To reserve your place please give these details to Derek Oswald (SIDs Assist)

Name (please print)…………………………………………………………………

Email address: ……………………………………………………………………....

Theme:

This Special Interest Morning focusses on the origins and evolution of Chinese Court Costume, including dress accessories, in terms of design, function and the symbolic iconography that defined the rank and status of the wearer. Lectures will be lavishly illustrated with many images coming from The Rosier Collection of Chinese Textiles that was acquired by The Shanghai Museum in 2019.

Initially there will be  an exploration of the creation, then evolution, of regulated, and therefore mandatory, formal and semi-formal Court Costume, plus Dress Accessories that were worn by the Emperor and Empress plus the 12 ranks that constituted the Chinese Imperial Clan. Particular focus will be given to the development of the iconic Imperial Dragon – the personal emblem of the emperor.

The focus will be the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

In contrast, the second lecture considers the Costume, Insignia and Dress Accessories that were mandated for the 9 Ranks of Civil Officials (Mandarins) and the 9 Ranks of Military Officials who were based either at the Imperial Court or were deployed within the Central or Provincial Government. The qualifications required and subsequent career paths of Civil  and Military officials will also be explored.

Format:

1st Lecture 10:00-11.00 Imperial  Court Costume & Insignia of Rank 

‘Ruling from the Dragon Throne’

11:00-11:30 Break

2nd Lecture 11:30 – 12:30 Costumes of Government: Civil and Military Officials 

‘Ultimate Power Dressing’

12:30 Q&A

Recommended Reading:

• ‘Imperial Wardrobe’ Gary Dickinson & Linda Wrigglesworth. Oxford U. Press 1990
• ‘Ladder to the Clouds’-Intrigue and Tradition in Chinese Rank: Beverley Jackson and David Hugus. Ten Speed Press 1999

£20/person

10am-12.45pm

This study morning is an opportunity to explore the fabled city of Petra, hidden away in the mountains south of the Dead Sea and lost to the western world for over 600 years, from the time of the Crusades until the beginning of the 19C.  Our first lecture tells the story of how in 1812 the Swiss explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt rediscovered this extraordinary desert city. Other travellers and artists soon followed in Burckhardt’s footsteps, fascinated by the antiquities and spectacular scenery.  Petra was the capital of the enigmatic Nabateans, who created in their remote mountains and valleys a city unique in the ancient world.  In our second lecture we trace the history of the Nabateans, desert dwellers of Arabian origin, who grew fabulously rich on the trade in incense and aromatics and used their wealth to embellish Petra with palaces, villas, temples and elaborate tombs carved from the multi-coloured sandstone and create water courses, cisterns and reservoirs to irrigate their fields and gardens.

Lecture 1: The Rediscovery of Petra: Early Travellers

Lecture 2: Petra and the Nabateans 

Sue Rollin works as a tour guide and lecturer in India and the Middle East, and as a freelance interpreter for the European Union, United Nations and other international organisations. Formerly staff interpreter at the European Commission, Brussels, and tutor and lecturer in Assyriology and Ancient History at the Universities of London and Cambridge. Has worked as an archaeologist. 

Publications: Blue Guide: Jordan and Istanbul: A Traveller's Guide.

To book please see Cliff Bannister, e-mail: sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com 

ART WORLD MYSTERIES:

FROM MYTHOLOGY TO

MODERNITY

James Vaux – Accredited Arts Society Lecturer

Art, politics and power are rarely separable. James Vaux provides

extraordinary examples by exploring two art world mysteries.

Why is it that our museums are full of depictions of Greek and

Roman deities, but never Viking ones? And is it really true that the

CIA used abstract expressionist paintings as a Cold War secret

weapon again the Soviet Union?

In this study morning, you’ll learn how to interpret Norse

Mythology in 1,500 years of art, why abstract art was a perfect

secret agent and how hidden hands often determine the art we

see…or don’t.

 'Listening to a Century of Jazz' with Catherine Tackley

Friday February 23rd 2024 

10:30 - 12:O0 approx.

£10 per household

1) Pay Sarisbury Green DFAS by BACS Bank account no. 00060271 sort code 40-52-40 or send cheque to B. B. Jones at 7 Cowdray Park, Hillhead, Hants PO14 3SA

2) Register with Barb Bromley Jones : vicechair.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com

!:

St. Alban’s Cathedral in Hertfordshire is the oldest site of continuous Christian worship in Britain. It stands over the place where Alban, the first martyr, was buried after giving his life for his faith over 1700 years ago. The story of St. Alban’s Cathedral is one of change and continuity spanning centuries from a small church to a great cathedral.

The Venerable Bede , an Anglo Saxon historian , said in 741

“ A beautiful church worthy of Alban’s martyrdom was built where sick folk are healed and frequent miracles take place to this day. “

A Tour of St. Alban’s Cathedral Friday January 12th 2024

10:30 – 12:00 approx.

£10 per household 

1) Pay Sarisbury Green DFAS by BACS Bank acc.no 00060271 sort code : 40-52-40
or send cheque to B P Jones at 7 Cowdray Park, Hillhead, Hants PO14 3SA

2)Register with Barb Bromley Jones: vicechair.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com

Colin Shindler is a BAFTA award winning writer, film, television and radio producer, and lecturer.

Sixty Years On: Life in Britain as seen in 1960s

Films

There are four elements to this lecture. The first is a look at the emergence of the 'North' in films such as Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, Room at the Top, A Taste of Honey, and This Sporting Life.

Then we will consider the concept of 'Swinging Britain' for example Julie Christie in Darling, Michael Caine in Alfie, the Beatles in A Hard Day's Night and the James Bond movies.

Next we will scrutinise films which examine the last days of Empire, as seen in Tony Richardson's Charge of the Light Brigade, Zulu and, comically, Carry On Up the Khyber.

Finally we shall study the drastic change in the depiction of sex from Dirk Bogarde in Victim (1961) to Alan Bates and Oliver Reed famously wrestling nude in Women in Love

Screening The Novel: Books into Films

How do you turn War and Peace into a 2 hour film?

Why do some novels make the transition so much better than others?

Is there any difference between one adaptation of Pride and Prejudice and any of the others?

From Dickens to Austen, 'classic' novels will constantly reappear as movies. We will unpick some of the ideas behind these questions and consider a case study, focusing on the successful Gone with the Wind compared to the disastrous Bonfire of the Vanities.

Programme Timings: - Friday 3th November 2023

9.50-10.00 Registration/welcome 

10.00 – 11.00:   Sixty Years On:  Life in Britain as seen in 1960s films.  

11.00 – 11.30: Drink and comfort break

11.30 – 1.00:  Screening the Novel:  Books

Cost:  £20 per person.  Friends and family are most welcome to join us

Payment by BACS; payable to Sarisbury Green Decorative and Fine Arts Society account number 00060271 Sort Code 40-52-40  Mention your name  and the event when accessing BACS.  (Cheques: see Treasurer) either pay at a meeting or post to Kay Kimmett, 230 Bridge Road, Southampton S031 7ED  (Indicate SID when paying.)  Tickets are non-refundable.

After booking please e-mail Kay at sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com to confirm you’ve paid and record your details.  In the unusual event of the lecturer cancelling, full refunds will be made.

​

CANCELLED

The Arts Society – Sarisbury Green

Fakes & Forgeries in Art
By
David Phillips Friday 12th May 2023

Lecture 1 – Fine Art Forgery – Craftsmanship or Conjuring Trick?

Fake ‘scientific’ and documentary evidence can play as big a role in forgery scandals as clever fabrication of the artwork itself. We explore in a ‘ripping yarns’ survey the familiar Tom Keating and Van Meegeren amongst a supporting case of exotic, colourful rogues. We discover that forgeries can be laughably bad, that they often work so well thanks to simple old fashioned con-manship. We will come right up to the present day with the Greenhalghs of Bolton.When a forgery becomes masterful, when the forger ‘succeeds’ is the forger as good as the artist he or she is imitating?

Lecture 2 – Who Says? Can we trust the ‘experts’ on good and bad in art?

Art critics and experts are often hilariously lampooned. We focus on the bafflingly mysterious Polish Rider in the Frick to evaluate a decades long project to settle just which paintings Rembrandt created. That has ended up as much a study of the trickiness of attribution as of Rembrandt.

World authority on Leonardo, Martin Kemp is utterly convinced he has discovered a new work by the master. However, many specialists beg to differ. We review several controversies and feel the fury of judges listening to connoisseurlial assertions when questions of quality come to court. However, the minefields facing the experts need not deter the rest of us from making our own artistic judgements just based on the life experience we all have.

MR DAVID PHILLIPS

Studied History at Oxford, and from 1968-82 worked for Nottingham Castle Museum. From 1982-98, Lecturer in Museum Studies and Art History at University of Manchester. Published a book about museum practice with Manchester University Press, Exhibiting Authenticity (1997).

The Arts Society – Sarisbury Green

Fakes & Forgeries in Art

By

David Phillips Friday 12th May 2023

Cost: £20 This includes refreshments at the morning break

 9.50 - 10.00 Registra1on
10.00 – 11.00 Session 1
11.00 – 11.30 Refreshments

11.30 – 12.45 (approx) Session 2

1. Please e mail Kay at sid.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com so that your details can be recorded – or return this form at a meeting.

2. Partners and friends are most welcome to join us.

Payment by Bank Transfer (if possible)

Bank details: Sort Code 40-52-40

Name of Account: Sarisbury Green DFAS

Account Number: 00060271
To help identify your BACS payment please use your surname and name of event (Phillips) as reference Payment by Cheque: Sarisbury Green DFAS

• Booking will be on a first come first serve basis and will be acknowledged by e mail. Please note that reservations may be transferred but only to members and that no money can be refunded, unless the event is cancelled. In the event the lecturer cancels, The Arts Society, Sarisbury reserves the right to substitute an alternative lecturer and topic.

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Reservation form: David Phillips – Summer Study Day 12 May 2023
Name attendee:
E mail:

Phone No:

THE ARTS SOCIETY  -  Sarisbury Green

Special Interest Day

The Art of the Cartoonist 

Two amazing morning lectures 

Friday 4th November

Speaker :-    Harry Venning

Venue :- Sarisbury Green Community Centre    

PROGRAMME   FOR   THE   DAY    

10:00 – 11:00   The Art of the Cartoonist

11:00 – 11:30     Drink and comfort break

11:30 – 12:45 (approx.)  Release Your Inner Cartoonist

The cost of the day is £ 20.00 (non refundable) 

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Harry is an award-winning cartoonist, illustrator and comedy writer.

Cartoons are not just an essential part of every childhood but are also as old as drawing itself.  Harry will be tracing the importance of cartoons and caricature with examples from early practitioners of his profession like Hogarth and Cruickshank, to more contemporary artists such as Giles and Schulz.  Harry will then bring events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page that day! Yes Harry will be drawing live.  Prepare to hear some tricks of his trade, Harry will show you how to transform a flat piece of paper into a riot of laughs, an explosion of adventure, a cacophony of sound and a gobsmack of disbelief.   Harry will inspire the artistically reticent and show the power of the pen as a means of storytelling and self expression.  All shot through with the real emotion that comes from drawing a feature in just the right position. Discover the many uses of the humble asterisk, how to do a caricature, when to use a speech bubble.  No drawing skills required! 

Complete  this  slip  to  reserve  a place.   (Once completed and paid please give this slip to K.Kimmett (organizer), or register with K. Kimmett by email :- sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com and pay by  BACS at the same time.

  Please print your name 

Name :-…………………………………………

You may pay by BACS, at a monthly meeting ,or send a cheque to :- K. Kimmett 230 Bridge Road, Southampton SO317ED Cheques made payable to Sarisbury Green DFAS , BACS  Acc.no. 0006 0271 sort code 40-52-40 please indicate SID HV when paying.

Please circle which method of payment you will use.:-

BACS                               cheque

THE ARTS SOCIETY  -  Sarisbury Green

Special Interest Day

Two amazing morning lectures

  Friday, May 6th 2022

Speaker :-    Sue Jackson 

Venue :- Sarisbury Green Community Centre    

PROGRAMME   FOR   THE   DAY    

10:00 – 11:00    First Lecture : the Huguenot silk weavers of London  -   from riches to rags.

11:00 – 11:30     Drink and comfort break

11:30 – 12:45 (approx.)   Second Lecture and questions: The Huguenots’ legacies.

The cost of the day is £ 20 .00 (non refundable)  whether attending or viewing at home, as they will be hybrid lectures

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Complete  this  slip  to  reserve  a place.   (Once completed and paid please give this slip to Kay Kimmett organizer), or register with Kay Kimmett by email :- sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com and pay by  BACS at the same time.

  Please print your name 

Name :-…………………………………………

You may pay by BACS, or cheque :- Cheques made payable to Sarisbury Green DFAS , BACS  Acc.no. 0006 0271 sort code 40-52-40 please indicate SID SJ when paying.

Please circle which method of payment you will use.:-

BACS                        cheque

A New Virtual Tour especially for us.

Nick Jackson in Berlin

Friday, February 4th 2022 10:30 until 12 -12:15

Nicholas Jackson is designing a tour

especially for TAS Sarisbury Green 

as a one off, so I do hope that you will

support us .  HE and WE are very excited!

Nicholas Jackson is from London, and he graduated with a degree in Archaeology at University College London in 1989. He excavated widely in the Near East for a decade, and after a research post at Cambridge University, he moved to Berlin twenty years ago.

He works in Berlin primarily as a guide, He has divided his time between book research, Berlin touring, Nazi bunkers, travel journalism, lecturing on WWII Europe, television documentaries, in additional to the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean. His other area of expertise is touring the collections of the Pergamon Museum. 

Only by zoom.  £6 per household, please pay by BACS to :- DFAS sarisbury green. Acc. No. 00060271 sort code 40 52 40   (please indicate NJB when paying.) or by cheque to Sarisbury Green DFAS, and send to B Bromley Jones 7,Cowdray Park ,Hillhead, Fareham, PO14 3SA . Then make sure you register with Barb Bromley Jones. (sidstassarisburygreen@gmail.com )

 Date:- Friday January 7th 2022 You will be able to join the session from 10.15 a.m., and I would ask that you join no later than 10.25 a.m. The Tour will commence at 10:30 ( lasting for approximately one and a half hours )

STUART HARVEY   An Englishman in Rome, Stuart has been enjoying life in the Eternal City since 2001, when he left his native London. Having already qualified as a licensed "Blue Badge" Tourist Guide in London in 1998, he is now a licensed tour guide in Rome where he has lived since 2001.
His idea is that a Tour Guide should be both informative and fun - not a dusty, dry professor, but a friend who can share the local traditions and amusing anecdotes as well as the history, art and architecture of the city and its monuments.

An unforgettable journey to explore the highlights of the vast Vatican Museums collection, with a deep focus on the spectacular frescoes of Michelangelo Buonarroti and others in the Sistine Chapel. Professional Rome tourist guide Stuart Harvey takes you on a virtual stroll through the corridors and rooms to see ancient classical statues that influenced renaissance and later artists, and also intricate roman mosaics, magnificent tapestries, and the beautiful frescoes by Raphael that decorate the private rooms of the 16th century Popes. We will end our journey in the Sistine Chapel, where Popes are elected in secret at Conclave. Here we can examine in depth Michelangelo's famous Creation frescoes on the ceiling and the magnificent Last Judgement and its deep symbolism.

We will be running this tour on Zoom, and as this tour is extra to our monthly lectures there will be a £6 fee per household towards our costs. You must register your name with Barbara Bromley Jones (sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com ) when you have paid .
You can pay by BACS payee :- Sarisbury Green DFAS , Acc. No.:- 00060271 sort code :- 40-52-40 . please indicate “VMSH” when paying.  
Or by cheque made payable to Sarisbury Green DFAS and sent to B. Bromley at 7, Cowdray Park, Hillhead ,Fareham, Hants PO143SA. 

Once registered you will be sent the link on January 5th. If you do not receive the link please only contact James Fox (sarisburygreen@theartssociety.org) on January 6th, not Barbara Bromley Jones.
 
Please note :- Last date for registering January 4th 2022, if you don’t register you will not get the link.

This Special Interest morning will  be two lectures with a comfort break for coffee , (if you are attending in person please bring your own drink.).  The cost will be £20 whether you attend in person or join us from home by hybrid viewing.  It is John Ericson and he will be giving 2 lectures on " Visual Illusions, are you visually literate ? " This extended morning is to replace the Special Interest Day which had been booked for 2020, and  had to be cancelled because of Covid. We would very much appreciate your support as lecturers and Societies alike have had a difficult time during the lock-downs.

John Ericson is a very well known lecturer and other Arts Societies have raved about his lectures.

THE ARTS SOCIETY    SARISBURY GREEN

ADVANCED NOTIFICATION OF A VISIT/STUDY DAY

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF SHAKESPEARE’S LONDON 

Date :- Friday, January 29th 2021 at 10:45 for 11a.m. 

 It will last for approximately 1 hour.

This is a virtual walking tour of Shakespeare’s London.  Lance Pierson regularly leads guided walks around London. As a result of Covid 19 he has turned his walk into a virtual tour so that we can go on a visit combined with a study day from the comfort of our own homes. You can follow in the Bard’s footsteps, and see the places where he lived, worked and acted.

Although everyone knows that Shakespeare came from Stratford upon Avon, all his famous working life was spent in London.  Join us on this walk to see the original site of the Globe theatre and its sister the Blackfriars Theatre, two houses where he lived, and the very spot where we believe Othello, King Lear and Macbeth were written.  We will also visit some of the monuments which modern London has erected in the Bard’s honour.

We will be running this tour on Zoom as an extra to our usual monthly lectures so there will be a £5 charge per head towards our costs.  You can view the trailer for this virtual tour on you-tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcQJ3BEhC0g

Some of the committee have watched this tour and are very happy to do so again, it was excellent and different.  Do make a date in your diary, and contact Barbara Bromley Jones sids.tassarisburygreen@gmail.com if you want to find out more.

Mr John Ericson

Formerly a lecturer at the University of Bath where he was Director of Studies in the School of Education with responsibility for the professional development of teachers. He has worked extensively overseas as an educational consultant and this has given him the opportunity to give lectures and presentations at conferences all over the world. In 2008 and again in 2011 he undertook extensive lecture tours of Australia and he has been a popular speaker on The Arts Society's circuit for a number of years. In his professional life he has developed a particular interest in presentation skills including the role of pictures in learning and the appropriate use of PowerPoint. This coupled with his ability to relate well to people of all ages and backgrounds makes him an impressive and confident public speaker. As well as the talks he has developed from his professional background, he offers presentations on an eclectic range of topics that are derived from his diverse interests and enthusiasms such as, pub signs, children’s book illustrations and the Shakers of North America.

Do you remember his lectures about the Shakers of North America  in 2011?         It was excellent and entertaining.

SPECIAL INTEREST DAY are you visually literate, want to know more about illusions and colour ?

If you would like to know more about VISUAL LITERACY  :- ( the ability to see,  understand and communicate visually.)

VISUAL  ILLUSIONS  :-  What they are and how and why they mislead us.  Some of the images will amuse, some will confound, and yet others will challenge your self belief.

and an EXPLORATION OF COLOUR :- What is colour? Do we all experience colour similarly ? What is a colour scheme and why do some colours go well together and some not ?

‘Christopher Chanter was our lecturer for the Special Interest Day on Oct. 25th 2019.  He began by talking to us about furniture restoration and care. He did a power point presentation of some of the furniture he has restored, quite a lot of which was at Forde Abbey in Dorset where he has restored over 100 pieces.  It looked to be a very interesting place to visit.

After a break for coffee Christopher proceeded to demonstrate some restoration on a tea box with four compartments which he had bought at auction for £20.   He talked all the while about what to use and how, meanwhile working on the box.  It was transformed in quite a short time, although he said it would need more work over a period of days.  He then looked at all the items which we had brought with us, giving advice and help to all of us.  We set to and members, who had brought very interesting and often unusual pieces for some TLC. were soon polishing and cleaning.

We had a break for lunch, but were soon back with our pieces for further work.  Christopher talked to us about value and approximate ages for our items, and this completed a very interesting, enjoyable and rewarding day.

See photographs >here<

This Special Interest Day celebrates the 200th Anniversary of the births of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert who were first cousins and born just three months apart  in 1819.  Their shared enthusiasm for art and music endured throughout the twenty-two years of their marriage.  Theirs was a partnership of patronage by a monarch and her consort which is unique in the history of the British monarchy. After Prince Albert's untimely death in 1861, Victoria devoted herself to perpetuating Albert's memory  in  commissioning  and unveiling memorials  and monuments  throughout Britain. We round off the day with a dip into that quintessentially Victorian entertainment, the operas of Gilbert and Sullivan.

Part One                 Click  for coloured flyer

"Victoria and Albert, Art and Love" - Barbara Askew

Victoria and Albert demonstrated their love through the works of art and jewellery  they  gave  each other for birthdays, Christmases and anniversaries. They understood and appreciated paintings and sculpture more than any of their predecessors since Charles  I.  Together  they  furnished  and extended Buckingham Palace, made significant changes to Windsor Castle and commissioned two other royal residences, Balmoral Castle and Osborne House.

Part Two                   Click for coloured flyer

"The Widow of Windsor" -  Barbara Askew

It is as 'The Widow of Windsor' in the second half of her reign that Victoria lives on in the public imagination. For the rest of her days she commemorated her beloved husband in architecture, paintings, busts and statuary. The Frogmore Mausoleum, the Albert Chapel and the Albert Memorial bear eloquent testimony to her eternal grief.

Part Three                    Click for coloured flyer

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Comic_Opera_at_the_Savoy.png"The Very Model of a Victorian Entertainment" The Operas of Gilbert and Sullivan - Roger Askew

W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan came together under the guiding hand of the impresario, Richard D'Oyly Carte, to create one of the most individual and enduring forms of theatrical entertainment, enjoyed by all sections of British society, including Queen Victoria herself. The Savoy operas, with their gentle satire, celebrate the quirks and foibles of the British nation, and are as alive today as in the 1880's and 90's. 

The presentation is illustrated with musical examples and offers the opportunity for audience participation. 

          >WHO WE MET ?<   <CLICK LINKS   

From Troy to Mycenae: In Search of Homer’s Heroes

A Special Interest Day by Louise Schofield

One of the greatest stories ever told was that of the Trojan War.  Immortalized  in Homer’s great epic poems, the Iliad and Odyssey, it is the story of a seduction, a betrayal , a ten year long siege, a devastating sack of a city and then the fates of those who survive the final battle.

This day of Special Interest comprised three sessions.

1. The Trojan War in Art

In this first session Louise looked at how the story of the Trojan War emerged out of the mists of the Dark Ages and was first written down in the 8th century BC. She  then told the story, illustrating it with wonderful works of ancient art - vase-paintings, sculptures, terracottas and bronzes.

2) From Troy to Mycenae in the Footsteps of Heinrich Schliemann

Although the Classical Greeks and the Romans believed the Trojan War to be history, by the 19th century is was widely held to be purely legendary.  In the latter half of the 19th century Heinrich Schliemann decided to prove them wrong. He undertook excavations first at Troy and then at Mycenae, discovering great treasures at both sites and beginning to reveal truths behind the story of the Trojan War.

3) Mycenaeans,  Trojans and the Trojan War

In the many decades since Schliemann’s original digs in the 1870s great excavations across Greece and Turkey have given us a  Bronze Age palace culture in regions as a historical backdrop to conflict between the Greeks and Trojans. In this final session Louise brought these great cultures to life and went back to Troy and Mycenae to ask the question ‘The Trojan War : Myth or History?’

Louise is one of  our most  popular lecturers. She was curator of the Greek Bronze Age and Geometric Antiques at the British Museum for 13 years and has published several books on Ancient Greece. In 2004 she took part in a film for Horizon on  The Truth behind the Story of Troy. She now works on International Arciological projects –Turkey, Albania and Etheopia.

Over 60 The Arts Society Sarisbury Green members enjoyed this Special Interest Day.

For our Interest Day Peter  revisited 300 years of Naval History and through a superb range of images bring to life the fascinating story of the rise of British Naval Supremacy.

The period 1750-1815 witnessed the rise of Britain’s global naval supremacy, laying the foundations of the British Empire in the nineteenth century. The story of the Royal Navy is a vital part of the story of  Britain. Our greatest heroes are sailors; our most memorable victories were won at sea. It is a long and distinguished story, going back to the Tudors and continuing right up to the present day.
But one period stands out as a true ‘golden age’ – the years between 1750 and 1815. During those years, the great sailing battleships reached their peak of perfection in famous vessels such as HMS Victory.
A uniquely gifted generation of seamen – of whom Horatio Nelson was but one shining example – sailed those great ships to an almost unbroken series of decisive victories. It is a record of success unparalleled in any other period, which no other navy in the world can match.

Peter Warwick is an author, historian and major event organiser, and a recognised authority on Nelson. He has lectured at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich Foundation, Royal Naval Museum, Royal Institution and at colleges and Universities. Peter is chairman of the 1805 Club.

  >Map given out at lecture<

The day started with the first of two morning talks, together with a digital presentation, concentrating on China and the East and the second on Central Asia. The afternoon talk the subject of which was The Levant and Near East.>Flyer with booking form<

Christopher Bradley has worked as a documentary producer and cameraman for the BBC, National Geographic TV and Channel 4.  He is also a lecturer, author and tour guide who is an expert on the history and culture of the Middle East.

The Silk Road is the greatest trade route the world has ever known. It extended over 8,000 kms from China through Central Asia to the Mediterranean. With the Greek invasion of Alexander the Great, early Persian routes spread East towards India until stability finally allowed the Chinese to trade silk, jade and ceramics in exchange for horses, pearls and gold. Silk was just one of the many products traded for 1,400 years, but the route also acted as a highway for beliefs, ideas, inventions and art. 

Buddhism spread throughout Western China and there are wonderful paintings from the Magao caves at Dunhuang and the 'Caves of the Thousand Buddhas' at Bezeklik in the Flaming Mountains. Central Asia was the main link with the West where many trading cities became wealthy and important centres for the arts. Samarkand and Bukhara are the beginning of the great Islamic buildings that continue through Persia and Syria. The Roman Empire was the destination of silk and all the other commodities which eventually arrived at the Mediterranean coast. Along the way of this great journey we will see traditional murals, ceramics, statues, carpets, architecture, mosaics, tile-work, rock-carvings and of course, silk itself.

On the 20th June, Sarisbury Green Church Recorders invited members of their Society to visit St Andrew’s Priory Church, Hamble-le-Rice, to view the work that they had carried out to complete the Church Record, which had been recently presented to the Parish.

The Recorders displayed and discussed the history and artistic merits of the many items which had received their attention during the four years spent compiling the Record, including some 17th century silver, memorials of the family of a President of the USA, many intricate vestments and textiles, 15th century woodwork and Romanesque stonework.  The members were without exception impressed with the detail and depth of the research which the Recorders had gone to, thus contributing to the fifth Record that the Society had successfully undertaken.

Peter Medhurst, acclaimed singer, pianist and lecturer-recitalist has performed all over the world. We were delighted to welcome him back to Sarisbury Green to present his new Study Day ‘Vivaldi in Venice.’

Our Special Interest Day was fully booked to welcome back the popular speaker Peter Medhurst to talk about Vivaldi in Venice. Beautifully illustrated with images and videos from Peter’s own extensive experience of Venice, he explained how the city itself had shaped the composer by its history, myths, beauty and architecture. Using comparisons with the art of Canaletto and with the music of other Baroque composers, he showed us the elegance, charm, lightness of touch and timelessness of Vivaldi’s music which is so popular to this day. As always, Peter played us plenty of music, not only recorded but by himself on the piano. We came away happy, entertained, well  informed and wishing we were in Venice!

Antonio Vivaldi – the last of the great Venetian music writers – is arguably the one Baroque composer whose music is a direct reflection of the city in which it was composed.

Listen to a Vivaldi concerto and you are transported to 18th century Venice. The reasons for this are many – Vivaldi’s passion for colour, display and spectacle in his music; the uniqueness of Venice and the unusual way the city solved its problems with the poor and homeless; Vivaldi’s health problems and his eccentricities as a man and priest.

Peter Medhurst studied singing and early keyboard instruments at the Royal College of Music and at the Mozarteum in Saltzburg.

Vivaldi is arguably the one Baroque composer whose music is a direct reflection of the city in which it was composed.  Listen to a Vivaldi concerto and hey presto you are transported directly to the heart of 18th century Venice.   Against the luxurious backdrop of 18th century Venice, and with live musical performances, this lecture explores the amazing world of Vivaldi’s music - music that is as intrinsically Venetian as the canvasses of Canaletto.

A very interesting Special Interest Day was enjoyed by over 30  of our members  who said they had a fantastic day with an outstanding lecture in the morning.  The Lecture outlined how Jewellery complemented all other personal dress styles and designers get inspiration from various art forms.  In the afternoon, Susan passed trays of her Jewellery  around for all to see and handle as she went  and examined and commented on many of our member's personal items that they had brought in.

Susan Rumfitt has an established career as a lecturer in the history of jewellery design and is a registered lecturer for the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS). Susan shared her wealth of knowledge through this Special Interest Day. This course was designed to be educational but also fun.  Members brought a  limited number of Jewellery items for Susan to comment on.

Details 

YouTube video of Susan Rumfitt in action click here

Susan Rumfitt's website 

Full details of this Special Interest Day 

Click Here

 Mary is one of  Nadfas’s sought after lecturers and a member of  her local group.

During the day we  travelled back to the 20s and 30s. We  joined the glitterati, the artists, designers, writers and musicians who headed to the  Cote d’Azure. We  recreated the romance of travel on the iconic Train Bleu or Ocean Liner, visited an art exhibition, shopped for the latest fashions in Nice, had cocktails in the newly opened Palais de la Mediterranee  while checking out the fashionable interiors, and later took a spin up to Monte Carlo to see Picasso’s Designs for the new Ballets Russe production.

We discovered how Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau and Chanel merged and changed the worlds of fashion, theatre and interiors and how stars such as Cole Porter and authors like Scott Fitzgerald  introduced an American perspective that bought a new set of patrons and collectors to the Riviera.

Mary Alexander trained as an art historian and graduated with a B.A. Hons in History and History of Art, and an M.A. in History of Art with Distinction from University College London. Her background combines an unusual blend of academic and communications skills and experiences, including lecturing to various arts organisations, working with design professionals on special events and publications, and writing on various aspects of the history of art and design.

Mary has provided us with a list of Locations/Readings to follow on from her talk:-

Riviera Paradise: Art Design and Pleasure in the 1920s and early 30s

This list is not comprehensive but it includes publications about some of the main artists, designers and galleries mentioned.

Memoirs/autobiographical text mentioned:

F. Scott Fitzgerald, Echoes of the Jazz Age (1931) 'autobiographical pieces' in Penguin's  The Crack-Up with other Pieces and short stories, check other editions

F Scott Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night (1934) Penguin Classics 2000, 2010

Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast, Arrow Books 2011 (the restored edition)

Edith Wharton, A Backward Glance, (first published in USA in 1933). Ensure that you find the full version, not abbreviated, Constable London 1972 hardback is a good one

Paul Poiret, My First Fifty Years (memoirs) 

Calvin Tomkins, Living Well is the Best Revenge; Viking Press NYC, 1962 (based on interviews with Gerald and Sara Murphy)

Lydia Sokolova, Dancing for Diaghilev (edited by Richard Buckle), John Murray, 1960

Bibliography

Amanda Vaill, Everybody was so Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy A lost generation love story; 1998

Mary E Davis, Classic Chic: Music, Fashion, and Modernism; Univ of California Press, 2008

Mary Blume, Côte d'Azur: Inventing the French Riviera; Thames & Hudson, 1992

Kenneth E Silver, Making Paradise: Art, Modernity, and the Myth of the French Riviera, MIT Press, 2001

Hilary Spurling, Matisse The Master , Vol Two 1909-54: Penguin, 2005 (earlier volume One is The Unknown Matisse, Man of the North 1869-1908)

Richard Buckle, In the Wake of Diaghilev, Harper Collins, 1982

Charles Spencer, Leon Bakst, Academy Editions, 1973

Dora Perez-Tibi, Dufy, Thames & Hudson, 1989

Werner Schmalenbach, Leger, Thames & Hudson,

Fashion Sourcebook 1920s, edited by Charlotte Fiell & Emmanuelle Dirix, Fiell Publishing 2011

Poiret, exhibition catalogue, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2007 (large folio edition)

Thierry Coudert, Café Society: Socialites, Patrons and artists 1920 - 1960, Flammarion, 2010 (section on the new resorts Cap d'Antibes)

Enjoyable summer fiction read based on Hemingway's wives - well researched - Mrs Hemingway, Naomi Wood, Picador, 2014

Galleries mentioned located on the Côte d'Azur

Matisse Museum, Nice

Musée de Beaux Arts, Nice (Jules Cheret, Raoul Dufy paintings and ceramics)

Musée Picasso at Antibes (includes his ceramics)

Musée National Fernand Léger at Biot

The Fondation Maeght, St Paul de Vence - a must. Stunning sculpture and painting collection (including Braque, Chagall, Miro, Picasso etc)

Chapelle du Rosaire, Vence (Matisse)

Musée Jean Cocteau (collection Séverin Wunderman) Menton, and small bastion, and Salle de Mariage murals

Other locations not discussed (owing to time constraints) but definitely worth a visit - 

Musée Marc Chagall, Nice

Musée d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporain, Nice 

Musée Renoir, Cagnes-sur-Mer

Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild, Gilded Age villa with stunning views and gardens near Cap Ferrat

And so much else   .......!

Ruth is one of our members. She was a City and Guilds embroidery tutor for twenty years, she worked with Hampshire Museum and is a life member of the Embroiders' Guild. In recent years she has travelled in China researching the embroidery of the Miao and Dong minority people. We have all seen the wonderful intriguing paper books made by Ruth inspired by a little known Chinese folk art tradition.     See more pictures.

To see how folding paper books unfold Click Here

Ruth showed 15 SGDFAS members how to make these folded paper books containing fifteen three dimensional compartments. At the workshop we  constructed and started to decorate our books and tried to add a cover. A requirements list and cutting layout were provided before the workshop so that we came prepared with the paper cut ready for folding.

We were given step by step instructions and  lots of ideas for decoration from finished examples and also from original Chinese"zhen xian bao" with their colourful woodblock prints, geometric patterns, dragon, butterfly and stylised floral motifs. These books are ideal for keeping special mementoes.

Sarah Cove is one of Britain's foremost Technical Art Historians and Paintings  Conservator who has made ground breaking studies into materials and techniques used by painters such as William Larkin and John Constable.

She is a consultant to  international museums, salesrooms and collectors. She qualified at the Courtauld Institute followed by internships at the V&A and the National Portrait  Gallery. She has had several appearances on TV most recently  " Fake or Fortune."

During the Roadshow  she talked about and illustrated the techniques and science of restoration and conservation. She  discussed some of the paintings she has worked on and in the afternoon gave advice on  oil paintings members brought in and answered  queries on care or restoration that arose.

Dr Anne Anderson, a popular Sarisbury lecturer,  encouraged us to consider the life, work and legacy of Morris. Through his instigation of a revolt against mass-produced, poorly designed and badly made objects, craft skills and traditions were reintroduced during the Victorian age. His impact was profound upon American culture, where craft communities were started and machines were employed to take art to the masses. The beauty and craftsmanship of Frank Lloyd Wright’s houses designed in the House Beautiful tradition were discussed in the afternoon session.

Brian MacDonald is a lecturer, dealer and consultant, specializing in antique Eastern rugs and carpets. He took us on a journey through Iran , Afghanistan and Turkey, focusing on the skills of the women who produced these exquisite works of woven art, whilst coping with primitive conditions and hostile landscapes. The demands of commercialism, making the early weavings so highly desirable and collectable, were discussed. Members had the opportunity to bring some of their own weavings for Brian to discuss.  Over 15 carpets and rugs were shown and each one was discussed in detail.