This is to replace the event in April on Monet. If you have any queries please contact Diane Varian.

First lecture starts at 10.30

Coffee 11.30 to 12.00

Second lecture 12.00 to 1.00

Lunch 1.00 to 2.15

Third lecture 2.15 to 3.15 followed by questions 

This event is now fully booked.

Unfortunately we have made the unhappy decision to cancel the day.  Please accept our apologies for the disappointment this causes, to those members who booked a place.  Please see the email sent to all members on 4th April for more details.

This has now been rebooked on 23rd July. 

Please note that this is now fully booked.

10.30 -11.30 Lecture 1

11.30 - 12.00 Coffee / Tea

12.30 - 13.00 Lecture 2

13.00 - 14.15 Lunch

14.15 - 15.30 Lecture 3

Cost £42. If you, are a member, and would like to book a place, please now conatct Diane Varian. 

Sunshine, Sunflowers and Gardens: Earth to Heaven through Pigments and Plants

Programme for the day:

10.30 - 11.30  Lecture 1

11.30 - 12.00  Tea / coffee 

12.00 - 13.00  Lecture 2

13.00 - 14.15  Lunch (with wine or soft drink)

14.15 - 15.30  Lecture 3, followed by questions

Please note that this Special Interst Day, that was origonally planed for November 2023, has been postponed to 20th February 2024. The day will start a little later than previous SIDs.

Manet was the master of the modern idiom, dominating and leading the avant garde in Paris through the 1860s and 70s. He died in 30th April 1883. His passion was for the Old Masters, and he studied by copying them in the Louvre, being influenced primarily by the Dutch and the Spanish masters.  His superb, confident, and strong brushwork was derided by the Parisian art cognoscenti as it did not have the perfect diction of the Ecole des Beaux Arts, yet it was the trigger that inspired the so-called “New Painters” and led to Impressionism. 

Please note that the day starts a little later than previous SIDs:

Lecture       11:15-12:15

Coffee        12:15-12:45

Lecture       12:45-13:45

Lunch          13:45-15:00

Lecture       15:00-16:00 with questions

The crowning of the sovereign is an ancient ceremony rich in religious significance, historical associations and pageantry.  During this Special Interest Day we will look at the evolution of the coronation ceremony from Saxon times up to the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2nd 1953.

10.30    Lecture 1 examines the stages of the coronation from the Proclamation through to the Homage and gives an account of the fascinating incidents, ill omens and memorable mishaps that have occurred at coronations over a thousand years.

11.30    Tea /coffee

12.00    Lecture 2 gives an account of the different items of Coronation Regalia, explaining their history, ceremonial significance and liturgical symbolism.

13.00    Lunch (please advise of any dietary restrictions)

14.15    Lecture 3 gives an entertaining insight into the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on June 2nd, 1953, and discusses how the coronation of King Charles III differed from that of his mother, the late Queen.

Please go to 'Documents' to download a copy of the booking form

 Includes a lecture on Blenheim Palace

Venue: Goring Village Hall

Joaquín Sorolla’s Valencia: Spain’s Master of Light

For many, the exhibition held in 2019 at the National Gallery will have been their first experience of ‘Spain’s John Singer Sargent’.  In his day Joaquín Sorolla y Bastida (1863-1923) was acclaimed for his dexterous representation of people and landscapes under the brilliant sunlight of his native land.

 Sorolla's work is often exhibited together with that of his contemporaries and friends, John Singer Sargent, Anders Zorn, and Peder Kroyer. The Spanish artist Velazquez influenced their painterly style, all four artists known for their bravura technique.

Born in Valencia, Sorolla and his sister were orphaned at an early age. His talent recognised, Sorolla was awarded a grant which enabled a four-year term studying in Rome. A long sojourn in Paris in 1885 provided his first exposure to modern painting. He created a high-chrome version of impressionism, with many paintings lit and composed like snapshots. His art looks fast; Sorolla was known to be quick, not least because he normally worked outdoors, even when painting on vast canvases. World famous in his day, Sorolla’s reputation was eclipsed by Cubism and Abstraction.  But like his contemporaries, Sorolla has been recuperated, his art seen to embody the modernity of the fin de siècle.

10:30    Lecture 1 – Sorolla’s Valencia: architecture and design

Sorolla’s Valencia had opened its eyes to modern life, aided and abetted by both prosperity and a desire to assert Catalan identity.  The city was transformed by the architects Demetrio Ribes Marco (1875-1921) and Francisco Mora Berenguer (1875-1961).  Mosaics, tiles and sculptures reflect nature’s abundance with masses of flowers and, of course, the region’s famous oranges.    

 11:30    Coffee

 12:00    Lecture 2 – Sorolla: painting quickly out of doors

Sorolla’s reputation rests on his adaptation of en plein air painting, working on large-scale canvases out of doors.  He was known to be quick, not least because he normally worked outdoors, even when painting on vast canvases.  His most famous works feature sun-drenched Valencian beaches.

 13:00    Lunch

 14:15    Lecture 3 – Sorolla: Visions of Spain

Thanks to Archer Milton Huntington, Sorolla was invited to exhibit at The Hispanic Society of America, Manhattan, in 1909.  In 1911, Sorolla and Huntington met in Paris, where Sorolla signed a contract to paint the monumental series The Provinces of Spain.  Huntington had envisioned a history of Spain, but the painter preferred the less specific Visions of Spain.

 15:30    Approximate finish

Please go to 'Documents' for information on how to book a place

This event will be held via Zoom and consist of 2 lectures. The lectures will start at   10am with a 30 minute interval between lectures. A Zoom invitation will be sent to members nearer the time.

10.00 to 11.00: Lecture 1

Unravelling The Silk Road: A Textile Journey.  A talk explaining how wool, cotton and silk played a crucial role in the fortunes of Central Asia

 11.00 to 11.30: Interval

 11.30 to 12.30: Lecture 2

Banned: Savitsky and the Secret Hoard of Avant Garde Art. A rare chance to see this art banned by Stalin and the second largest collection of Russian Avant Garde Art in the world.

This event will be given by a Zoom Webinar and consist of 2 lectures. The lectures will start at 10.30 with a 15 minute interval between lectures. Lecture 1: 10.30 - 11.15 and lecture 2: 11.30 - 12.15. A Zoom link will be sent to members about a week before. 

These lectures cover the founding of this wonderful Victorian building and World class arts venue including the resident companies. Also the co-operation between invisible back stage teams working with on-stage performers to meet the high level demands of modern productions. Nigel examines some artistic heights, performers approach to their work and how sometimes things do not always go to plan.   It should be a stimulating day.

Nigel Bates: Was Music Administrator for the Royal Ballet and worked as a performer for nearly 40 years in and out of the Royal Opera House

Booking in January and February 2020

Born in Florence in 1856 to American parents, multilingual but without any formal school education, Sargent soon became a celebrity artist with an international reputation. 

Whether you know his work well or not at all, this Special Interest Day will provide insights to his work across a range of subjects and media. We will explore Sargent's inventiveness, modernity and technical brilliance; also his sense of human empathy and fun. There will be many intriguing surprises. Caricatures, letters and diaries will be used to bring the characters to life and to shed light on the life and interests of this charismatic and complex individual. A visual Sargent feast!

10.30 Lecture 1 – “At Home Everywhere and Nowhere” – an itinerant childhood and student years in Paris

11.30 Coffee

12.00 Lecture 2 – “The Edwardians knew they were rich, but they did not know how rich until Sargent painted them” – the portrait years

13.00 Lunch

14.15 Lecture 3 – “To make the most of an emergency” – a true radical

15.30 Approximate finish

Cost: £38 : to include a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee

CHEQUES : payable to THE ARTS SOCIETY, GORING.

Jenny Boler
Jessamine Cottage, Limetree Road, Goring, Reading RG8 9EY
01491 873481
jennyaboler@btinternet.com

Suggested Further Reading by Mary Alexander
Historical biography

• The Hon Evan Charteris, John Sargent, Heinemann, 1927

Catalogue raisonné

• Richard Ormond & Elaine Kilmurray, John Singer Sargent:The Complete Paintings/watercolours, multiple volumes, Yale University Press (the best available source for text and superb photographs) 2004 - ongoing
• Stanley Olson, John Singer Sargent: His Portrait, Macmillan, 1986
• Devon Cox, The Street of Wonderful Possibilities: Whistler, Wilde and Sargent, Francis Lincoln, 2015 (about Tite Street Chelsea)
• Trevor Fairbrother, Sargent the Sensualist, (Seattle Art Museum exhibition catalogue) Yale University Press, 2000
• Carter Ratcliff, John Singer Sargent, Abbeville Press, 1982
• Sargent and the Sea, Royal Academy exhibition, 2010
• Sargent at Broadway: the Impressionist Years, essays by S Olson, W Adelson & R Ormond, John Murray,1986
• Sargent and Italy, Princeton University Press, 2003
• Gabriel Badeau-Paun, The Society Portrait: Painting, Prestige and the Pursuit of Elegance, Thames & Hudson, 2007

Historical/social/cultural background

• Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan, The Glitter and the Gold, (written 1953) Stodder & Houghton, 2011
• David Cannadine, The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy, Macmillan, 1996
• Joe Mordaunt Crook, The Rise of the Nouveaux Riches, John Murray, 1999

It’s amazing what an influence the taking of tea has had on power, politics, art, culture and design since Catherine of Braganza first introduced it to Europe in 1660s.

At our November Special Interest Day, with much humour, Dr Anne Anderson gave us an insight into the ritual of taking tea and the paraphernalia developed as a result. Her lectures were accompanied by some lovely slides.

After a delicious buffet lunch and tea tasting Anne discussed a wide range of tea artefacts brought in by participants. It was an informative and enjoyable day.

What a lot of history can be found in a cup of tea!

Charting the story of tea drinking from the 18th Century to the present day, this day of special interest will end with tea tasting and a discussion of pieces of tea-related paraphernalia brought in by members. We will take tea with Hogarth and Tissot in the style of the day.

This day combines the development of British tea wares with social history and fashion. We will even touch on antiques collecting and values. A wonderful selection of images will demonstrate the elegance of taking tea from the 18th century to the 1950s.

10.30    Lecture 1 – Taking Tea with Hogarth – the 18th century. It was during the 18th century that the rituals and “equipage” of tea drinking were established. Hogarth, famous for recording middle class life, shows us exactly how tea was drunk at the time. The passion for china took off with the advent of tea drinking but during the 18th century both tea and china were expensive. When Spode invented bone china, at the end of the 1790s, good quality porcelains became more affordable.

11.30    Coffee

12.00    Lecture 2 – Taking Tea with Tissot – the 19th century and beyond. During the Victorian era the paraphernalia associated with tea drinking mushroomed, from infusers to strainers and drip-catchers. Manufacturers had to cater for a mass market. The café boom of the late 19th century produced Miss Cranston's Teashops in Glasgow, designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and the Lyons Corner houses. At the seaside one enjoyed the tea-dance while, at sea, the great transatlantic passenger liners, Mauritania and Aquitania and later the Queen Mary were floating palaces where everything stopped for tea at 4pm.

13.00    Lunch – to include tea tasting

14.15    Session 3 – A discussion of pieces of tea related paraphernalia brought in by participants (at your own risk).

15.30    Approximate finish

Cost: £33 to include a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee.

CHEQUES should be made payable to THE ARTS SOCIETY, GORING.

Bookings are non-transferable (a refund may be possible if you advise me in good time).

Jenny Boler

Jessamine Cottage, Limetree Road, Goring, Reading RG8 9EY

01491 873481

jennyaboler@btinternet.com

Booking: September, October 2019

Click here for the flyer

Please note there is an incorrect date on the membership card for this day of special interest – the correct date is Wednesday 6th November 2019.

Extracts from traditional Persian poetry and music will be played.

10.30 Lecture 1 – introduces the geographical, political and religious background,
and explains how the Shi'a form of Islam originated and became the ruling
creed in the late 20th century Iran of Ayatollah Khomeini. It especially looks at
how visible aspects of traditional Persian culture have been changing over the
past half century.

11.30 Coffee

12.00 Lecture 2 – illustrates the rich and mighty Persian Empire founded by Cyrus
the Great which was contemporary with Classical Greece and ruled by Great
Kings such as Darius and Xerxes. Their royal palace at Persepolis has
monumental architectural remains and a wealth of relief sculpture which reveals
the ethos of the Persian Empire and the symbolism of kingship. There is a
mention of Zoroastrianism, which was the official religion of the Iranians before
the Islamic conquest.

13.00 Lunch

14.15 Lecture 3 – The third part traces the development of architecture in the
mosques and palaces of Iran, with an emphasis on their brilliant tilework and
painting, through the Islamic period until the end of the 19th century. There is a
section, for example, on the splendid buildings of Shah Abbas' early 17th
century Isfahan. There are mentions of some of Persia's classic gardens, and
the art of book illustration is also included, with beautiful examples from the
classic period of Persian miniature painting and literature.
15.30 Approximate finish

At Goring Village Hall. Doors open at 10am.
Cost is £35 to include a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee

CHEQUES should be made payable to THE ARTS SOCIETY, GORING.
Bookings are non-transferable (a refund may be possible if you advise me in good time).

Jenny Boler
Jessamine Cottage, Limetree Road, Goring, Reading RG8 9EY
01491 873481
jennyaboler@btinternet.com

We are all familiar with the Impressionists and their paintings but what do we know of their struggles for recognition and acceptance? This day of special interest traces Monet’s career from his childhood on the Seine Estuary, through the hard times to his final years at Giverny. It looks at the origins of Impressionism, the development of Monet’s technique and his legacy to the world.

Booking: September, October 2018

Jacob Isaacksz.  The Mill near Wijk bij Duurstede.  Rijksmuseum

This special interest day in 3 one hour parts explores17th Century Dutch painting, a time often known as the Golden Age. We look at the influences and outstanding artists who emerged during this time.

Lecture one explores the background and beginnings of this period in Utrecht and Harlem. Rembrandt and Frans Hals push portraiture to new heights of characterisation and emotional intensity.

Lecture two traces the development of Dutch Landscape Painting at this time. Artists like Jacob Van Ruisdael and Albert Cuyp dramatise skies and the effects of wind and weather in their work.

Lecture three looks at Still Life, including the exuberant flower pieces of the period by Bosschaert and Genre as portrayed in the calm domestic scenes of everyday life by Vermeer.

10.30 Lecture 1

11.30 Coffee

12.00 Lecture 2

13.00 Lunch

14.15 Lecture 3

15.30 Approximate finish

This Special Interest Day will take place on Friday 16 March at Goring Village Hall. The doors open at 10.00.

Cost is £35 to include a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee.

CHEQUES should be made payable to THE ARTS SOCIETY, GORING.

Bookings are non-transferable (a refund may be possible if you advise in good time).

This study day in three one hour parts aims to introduce participants to the Buddhist faith and the art and culture it has inspired in the Himalayas and Tibet.

Lecture one looks at Siddartha (revered today as Buddha Sakyamuni) and the Buddhist faith with its emphasis on personal discipline and spiritual growth. We explore how and why Buddhism spread to the Himalayan region from its birth place in 6th century India. We examine the resulting diversity of artistic expression on this journey.

The second lecture looks at the Tibetan tradition of sacred art, the most common forms being paintings (murals and thankas) and sculpture. Although these objects can be appreciated for their beauty, the significance for Tibetans is how they work as spiritual tools on the path to enlightenment. We will look at how these objects are created, their characteristics and how they are used.

The third lecture introduces us to the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, known by its inhabitants as Druk Yul or Land of the Thunder Dragon. We will look at the art and culture of this extraordinary country and how it has preserved its traditional Buddhist values over centuries. Will Bhutan withstand the recent decades of change? Zara, as a tour guide and lecturer has visited the region numerous times will be able to give us an insight.

10.30   Lecture 1

11.30   Coffee

12.00   Lecture 2

13.00   Lunch

14.15   Lecture 3

15.30   Approximate finish

This Study Day will take place on Tuesday 14th November at Goring Village Hall. The cost is £35 and will include a buffet lunch, wine, soft drinks and tea/coffee.

 Cheques should be made payable to THE ARTS SOCIETY, GORING

Bookings will be taken at the January and February 2017 lectures.

Irish gardening has undergone a remarkable transformation in recent years. What has been for centuries the preserve of a landed elite has now become a wealth of welcome creativity for everyone in Ireland. This study day will trace the evolution of both landscape and domestic gardening in Ireland from the late seventeenth century up to today.

Bookings will be taken at the September and October lectures.

BATH STUDY DAY

Ever since the Romans built their famous baths around the only hot spring in the British Isles, Bath has been a mecca for visitors over the last two thousand years.  This Study Day will be divided into three parts looking first at Bath as a World Heritage City.  The second lecture will look at the Bath theatre which was known as the nusery stage for London, being the first theatre outside the Capital to get the Royal patent.  Our third lecture will look at the birth of the dinng room in the Georgian house and the fascinating dining habits of the period.

Jane Tapley regularly lectures to National Trust and history and fine arts groups as well as theatre going societies.  She is currently Special Events Organiser at the Theatre Royal Bath and is also a West Country Blue Badge guide and Lecturer.  Jane is also a consultant to various TV productions of Jane Austen adaptations on food in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Bookings for this study day will be taken at the January and February lectures.

Following the study day in March a visit to Bath has been arranged for Thursday 9 June and bookings for this trip will be taken at the April and May lectures.

Michelangelo Study Day a sell-out!

Goring Village Hall was packed for the GADFAS Study Day on 30 October 2015.  Leslie Primo, an art historian who has worked and lectured at the National Gallery, gave three lectures on the life and work of Michelangelo Buonarroti.  Starting with his early life, Leslie Primo took us through all of Michelangelo's major works, both as a sculptor (for example the triumphant David and the stunning Pieta) and as a painter (again for example, his Last Judgement and the Sistine Chapel ceiling).  Leslie illustrated his lectures with slides which brought out the key features in each work of art.  It was fascinating that Michelangelo lived for eighty-nine years, especially in an era where lives were generally much shorter than today.  He lived and worked through the flowering of the Italian Renaissance, and after him the pace of innovation in art appeared to slow.

Everyone present agreed that it had been an outstanding study day, with Leslie Primo being one of the best lecturers we had listened to. So much so that several expressed a wish to have him back for a future study day.

The whole day was enhanced by an excellent buffet lunch and in keeping with the Italian theme accompanied by Italian wine!

FROM CAN CAN TO SOUP CAN - THE HISTORY OF MODERN ART FROM PARIS TO NEW YORK - 27 MARCH 2015

LECTURER:  LINDA COLLINS, BA (Hons), MA, Dip Francais

STUDY DAY REVIEW - Jenny Plumb, GADFAS Member

Under the most able and knowledgeable guidance by Linda Collins, we were treated to a superb introduction to Modern Art by Linda, who was employed by the Historic Royal Palaces before becoming an independent lecturer.  She completed her MA in Paris and this led to her special interest in French Art.

Linda's first session of the day covered Paris from 1850 to 1900; then the most decadent city in the World and this period gave way to the birth of Modern Art.  Debate rages as to who was the first modern artist.  Delacroix using the modern techniques of unexpected touches of colour in his brushstrokes, contrary to the teaching of the Academies, Courbet with his political messages painted in his pictures or Manet, where the content of his pictures covered the people of Paris such as prostitutes, beggars and those in reduced circumstances?  Linda deftly introduced us to the social scene.  There were numerous cafes and cabarets frequented by artists, poets, philosophers and bohemians.  We looked at the famous Moulin Rouge and the life of the Can-Can girls during this period.

The second session of the morning covered hedonistic Paris:  Life, Art and Culture in Paris during the Jazz age.  Paris was getting back on its feet after the First World War and the Parisians were determined to enjoy every minute of life after occupation.  Many of the Black American servicemen stayed on in Paris instead of going back to segregation in America. They brought jazz to the City and a good US Dollar/Franc exchange rate.  There were brasseries and American Bars on almost every street corner.  Many are still in place today such as La Coupole, Le Dome and La Rotande, beautifully decorated in their original style.  The Artists moved from Montmartre to Montparnasse and they were able to sell their paintings so they too had money.  The art of Purism opened this era quickly followed by Dadaism and then Surrealism.  Ladies no longer wore gloves and nail polish became fashionable.  As 1940 arrived, Paris was occupied again and many Artists left for New York to get away from the Second World War in Europe.

Lunch break:  A delicious light lunch was served and we were seated at tables decorated in a French bistro style accompanied by cheese and wine and jazz music to help us imagine the atmosphere.

For our third session, Linda swept us along to New York and took us from 1913 all the way through to the modern era to the year 2000.  America had no Art history, only folk art.  We looked at the period of the roaring 20's with the Dolly Sisters and Mr Selfridge.  The Cotton Club with Jack Johnson and the practice of white musicians 'blacking up' and 1927 brought us the Jazz Singer, Al Johnson.

Many of the artists from Paris who moved to New York and were out of work, sought out their friend Peggy Guggenheim, whom they had met when she lived in Paris for three months in 1926.  Peggy loved the three 'M's', Money, Men and Modern Art.  In 1935 President Roosevelt introduced the Federal Arts Program to employ out of work artists for $35 a week.  Peggy mentored the Artists from Europe and set up a modern Art Gallery.  We then saw the emergence of artists such as Jackson Pollock, Jack the Dripper, Mark Rothko and William de Kooning and in 1957 the arrival of pop art Jasper Johns.  We finally finished the day hearing about Andy Warhol and his famous Campbell's Soup Cans.

Linda kindly issued us with a list of all the paintings used in her talks and where they could be found so that, if we wished, we could relive her vibrant and enthusiastic study day at a more leisurely pace.

Being British - Going Modern A few places left

Being British - Going Modern SOLD OUT

Being British - Going Modern SOLD OUT