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| Saturday, 23 April 2016 |
| The fusion of art, design and pleasure on the Côte d'Azur in the 1920s and 30s |
| Mary Alexander |
Since the C19 English high society had regularly 'wintered over' on the Côte d'Azur, promenading by the sea and leaving by April. In the early 1920's, however, an intoxicating mix of artists, writers, musicians and international visitors, inspired by a mythological seascape of luminous colours, create a new summer season. Sun tans and sportswear soon became 'de rigueur' in the chic new coastal resorts, villas and hotels. In the words of Matisse writing in 1918 ... "It seems like a paradise which one does not have the right to analyse". In this experimental Riviera playground of ideas, a vibrant synergy pulsated across the visual design arts. Traditional boundaries were torn down. Matisse, Picasso, Dufy, Cocteau, and Chanel merged the worlds of fashion, theatre and interiors. The impresarios Serge Diaghilev and Paul Poiret generate an exciting fusion in the creative arts. Cole Porter, Scott Fitzgerald, and the intriguing Gerald and Sara Murphy who become lifestyle icons, introduce an American perspective and attract an influential new set of discerning patrons and collectors. Click here for an Application Form. |
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| Saturday, 25 April 2015 |
| Looking and cooking, painting and eating: the pleasures of the table and the palette |
| Ghislaine Howard |
**** Interested? Please complete the application form in the Documents section under "About Us" **** Trinity Centre Gosforth The day will combine the delights and wonders of the culinary and visual arts, serving up a feast for the eyes that will entertain, delight, tantalise and inspire!
* Lecture 1 Early Art This lecture begins at the beginning - with cave paintings that are over 25,000 years old. Our earliest art celebrates the necessity of hunting: the centrality of both food and art to our survival. From there we will move into the Garden of Eden and the fruit of the forbidden tree: we will explore how food, knowledge, curiosity and sexuality are intertwined. Banished from Paradise, we had to dig and delve and become farmers and our struggle for survival was paramount. Until Elizabethan times, if you didn’t manage your food to see you and your family through the winter – you starved. Hence food and the abundance of food became a sign of power and celebration and, perhaps, wish fulfillment. And yet at the same time it was understood that we do not live by bread alone. The medieval mind saw everything as symbolic and part of God’s creation, so food was a sign for the brevity of life in the face of the eternal life to come, sensuality versus spirituality. We will also look at the importance of still life painting and its fall from grace, to be given fresh life by the Impressionists who form the core of lecture two after the coffee break. * Lecture 2 Impressionism A packed house: Monet, (kitchen dining room, garden and paintings) Renoir, (Mediterranean cuisine), Caillebotte (extraordinary images), Lautrec (an extraordinary and bizarre cook of the first order) Cézanne, (his Provencal potatoes) – a perfect feast for the eyes and the palette The lecture will explore the role of food in the lives and art of these extraordinary artists. Anecdotes and recipes abound. Lunch * Lecture 3 Food in modern art: Van Gogh, Picasso, Soutine, Hockney ~ from Delacroix the idea that at visual pleasure is like a sumptuous repast, sensually alluring and then spiritually nourishing a shared gift, a coming together, painting as a visual feast – Matisse, Bonnard, Paula Möderson-Becker, Francis Bacon, Howard Hodgkin, Hockney and many more. This will be threaded with the art of the cookbook, the beautiful illustrations of John Minton and the wonderful kitschy photographs of the popular cookery books from the 1930s onward. Ghislaine will forward some simple (or more complex recipes) and those who wish could interact with the day by bringing food – or making cakes for afternoon tea. |
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| Saturday, 10 May 2014 |
| Visions of Light and Colour: The Life and Work of Claude Monet |
| Lizzie Darbyshire |
10.00-11.15 Session 1: Reviled to Revered: Monet in Paris and London The name Claude Monet is famous throughout the world but do you really know his work? For example, which were his first views of Paris? How many canvases of the Gare Saint-Lazare did he paint? Why was London so important to him, when did he first paint the city and what eventually drew him back? Through his paintings of Paris and London, some of them little known, we will chart Monet’s artistic growth from reviled Impressionist to revered Master. 11.15-11.45 Coffee/Tea 11.45-13.00 Session 2 : A Brush with Modernity In the 1860s and 1870s, as Paris was physically transformed from a medieval to a modern city, the young Monet felt drawn to mirror that modernity, not only in his choice of subject matter but also through his painterly techniques. In our second session, we will look more closely at the effect of Paris's physical and social transformation on the artist and explore his working methods and his use of the latest technology. 13.00-14.00 Light Buffet Lunch 14.00-15.00 Session 3: Over to you..... Our final session will be an open forum. By comparing and contrasting works by Monet with the paintings of others such as Ingres, Courbet and Turner, members will be able to discuss his work within a wider context of 19th century art.
Lizzie Darbyshire is a graduate of the Courtauld Institute of Art and has wide experience as a freelance lecturer in the History of Art, working with Fine Arts Societies and art galleries throughout Britain, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. |
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| Friday, 01 November 2013 |
| The Chinese Influence on the Country House in Late 17th century: Inspiration and Conservation |
| Melissa Gallimore |
| Report on the November Study Day by Jeanne Haggart
“Chinoiserie" is an evocative notion, conjuring up images of the Far East, imperial colours and exotic designs. The topic tempted 29 TYDFAS members to join together on 3 November for a Study Day on “The Chinese Influence on the Country House in Late 17th century: Inspiration and Conservation”. We were richly rewarded with a day that challenged our preconceptions about “chinoiserie”, sharpened our understanding of its historical context and whetted our appetites for learning more about this significant style.
The Study Day was led by Melissa Gallimore, formerly the Senior Curator of Decorative Arts at Harewood House in North Yorkshire. Melissa was an authoritative and lively speaker with a fascinating story to tell, having overseen the recent conservation and re-hanging of the authentic 18th century hand-painted Chinese wallpaper at Harewood House.
"Chinoiserie", we learned, is a style inspired by art and design from China and Japan. Melissa explained how the fascination with Chinese and Japanese design was linked to the opening of trade routes to the Far East by the East India Company. By the mid-18th century the style had swept through Europe, as artefacts such as wallpaper, porcelain, fabrics and carvings caught the imagination of European consumers. We learned, though, that the portrayal of the East through these artefacts shouldn’t always be taken at face value. Chinese artists and traders, it appears, were careful to protect their traditional designs and skills by developing special “westernised” styles aimed at their new European markets.
We learned how the demand for Chinese artefacts was particularly strong amongst wealthy and aspiring families building and furnishing their country houses. Melissa introduced us to one such family, the Lascelles of North Yorkshire. Their family connection to the East India Company meant they had access to Chinese traders, and the artefacts they acquired helped to furnish Harewood House, built between 1752 and 1772.
We shared Melissa’s sense of excitement at the discovery, when she was curator at Harewood House, of authentic hand-painted Chinese wallpaper dating from the middle of the 18th century. The wallpaper was originally hung in 1769, then taken down in the mid-19th century and stored in an outbuilding, where it survived in good condition for over 150 years. Rumours of its existence had circulated amongst the staff, but it wasn’t until a few years ago that it was found and brought out of storage.
In 2008, the year of the Beijing Olympics, Melissa secured funding to conserve the wallpaper and hang it once again so the public could appreciate it. The conservation of the wallpaper, portraying stylised scenes from working life in China, involved washing it, repairing minor damage, and painting additional blue sky at the top. The wallpaper was hung in the East Bedroom, where furniture, fabrics and lighting were chosen to create an Eastern-themed room.
Our session on Chinese porcelain and its influence on European ceramics was “hands-on”. Working in small groups, we selected a ceramic piece from among the items Melissa had brought. We examined its colour, shape and decoration, looking for clues of its date, production and function. We enjoyed applying our new insights from Melissa’s earlier sessions as we detected the influence of Chinese methods and materials. Sugar bowls, tea cups, rice bowls, vases -- whether functional or decorative, these familiar pieces of western china all bore the influence of “chinoiserie”.
We agreed that the warm and friendly ambience of Trinity Centre Gosforth contributed much to the enjoyment of our Study Day. Over an excellent buffet lunch, there was time to share insights from the morning sessions and to catch up with friends. We thanked Melissa for sharing her knowledge and experience, and thanked, too, the TYDFAS Committee for organising such an inspiring Study Day. Perhaps a TYDFAS visit to Harewood House sometime in the future would be the next step in our exploration of “chinoiserie”. For myself, the next time I’m served a toasted teacake on a plate bearing the familiar “willow pattern”, I’ll remember this excellent Study Day.
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