Meetings take place at the Raven in Corby, 63 Rockingham Road, NN17 1AG at 11am please be seated before then. Coffee will be available from 10.15 with Hugh the Membership Secretary ready at the desk to welcome you as you come in and register. Members wishing to bring a guest, at a fee of £10, should contact Hugh Henderson 0797 1643 177 or hugh.h23.@icloud.com **************** 18 April Sophie Matthews Music in Art So many of our historical references for musical instruments can be found in works of art. Not only can these windows into the past show us what the instruments looked like but also the social context in which they would have been played. Music and different instruments also play a strong role within symbolism in art. Sophie explores the instruments in selected works and then gives live demonstrations on replicas of the instruments depicted. Sophie Matthews 16 May David Winpenny Coronation : Majesty, Myth and Music. The Development of a National Ritual From King Edgar in 973 to Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the coronation ceremonies of successive monarchs have been both bastions of tradition and prime examples of adaptation to new needs and circumstances. This talk looks at the development of the ceremonies, their purpose, and the myths that surround the public recognition and crowning of a monarch. The associated regalia – crowns, sceptres and orbs, and also the more obscure items such as armills and buskins – developed as part of the coronation ceremonies over the years, and their use (and misuse) is considered. One of the most important aspects of a coronation has always been music, from plainchant, through the compositions of composers like Byrd, Purcell, Handel, Stanford and Parry to the works written for the current Queen’s crowning. The talk will examine what makes a good ceremonial piece, the texts that were set and will include audio examples. There will also be answers to some interesting questions, including: What did Elgar say about the speed of the National Anthem? How did the youngest chorister obey a call of nature in 1953 – and where did peers keep their sandwiches during the ceremony? How did the Archbishop injure Queen Victoria? And who occupied the 'Loose Box' in the Abbey in 1902? Portrait of Queen Victoria in her coronation robes by George Hayter. Wikidata 20 June Christopher Garibaldi George Stubbs (1724 - 1806) 'The English Leonardo' Many art historians and critics have compared the work of Stubbs to that of Leonardo da Vinci, one even christening him the ‘Leonardo of Liverpool’ to reflect his humble origins as the son of a Liverpool leather worker. The comparison can seem hubristic until one considers the intense scientific method and investigation that lay behind the production by Stubbs of his world-famous Anatomy of the Horse published in 1766 – a work which revolutionised the understanding and depiction of equine subjects. This lecture looks at the life and work of this country’s greatest animal painter, putting Stubbs in the context of British sporting artists of the eighteenth century more generally. It focusses on his depiction of equestrian subjects such as the National Gallery’s Whistlejacket but also looks at the broader themes he addressed. Whistlejacket, George Stubbs (1724–1806) 1762 wikidata:Q381728 There are no lectures in July or August 19 September Sian Walters Behind the Scenes at the National Gallery In 2024 the National Gallery celebrates its 200th birthday. In the run up to this special anniversary, join me as I explore some of the nation’s best-loved paintings in a new light, revealing details which cannot be seen with the naked eye and discussing what goes on behind the scenes in the conservation, framing and scientific departments. The lecture will result in a greater understanding of not only the art itself, but also of the work the National Gallery does to care for it, present it and interpret it. Few of the gallery’s works retain their original frames but an expert team will often source and adapt examples which complement the paintings historically, or indeed hand-carve new ones from scratch. We will also look at the technical challenges involved in hanging, displaying, moving and framing the collection and the various solutions devised by the Art Handling Team. Many of the paintings in the gallery were designed for a very specific function, an altarpiece such as Piero’s Baptism of Christ for example, so how do the curators allow us to interpret and view these within a museum context? Finally, we’ll talk about restoration and conservation, exploring extraordinary details from works such as the Wilton Diptych, which have only been discovered recently thanks to scientific analysis. Join me on a journey of discovery as we explore the hidden secrets of masterpieces by Bellini, Leonardo, van Eyck and many more. I have been a lecturer at the National Gallery for nearly 20 years. National Gallery, London at night. Photo; MrsEllacott. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 17 October Rosamund Bartlett The Culture of Ukraine This lecture tells Ukraine's story through the shared culture which binds its proud people together. We will explore the sacred art and architecture of Kyiv and its links to Byzantium, as well as the distinctive characters and ethnicities of Odesa and Lviv. Tracing Ukraine's complicated multi-ethnic history also means looking at its rich folk culture traditions. These range from native song and the secret codes embedded in ancient embroidery, which have exerted a surprising impact on modern painting and contemporary haute couture, to Cossack dancing and borshch. 21 November 2024 Marissa Beekenkamp-Wladimiroff Van Gogh’s 444 days in Provence To celebrate the bicentenary of the establishment of the National Gallery in London a huge Van Gogh exhibition is planned for 2024! The show will focus on the artist’s period in Provence where he painted some of his most recognisable paintings. Known as his brightest and most expressive paintings, this is also the period in which he became ill and cut off his ear. We will look at his own personal struggles and ambitions, the art that influenced him and the art he wanted to make. Despite his time in Provence only lasting about a year and Vincent not finding the support or recognition he was craving, the paintings he created in the South of France would turn out to become some of the most influential, recognisable and loved paintings ever made by an artist. Vincent van Gogh - Self-portrait with bandaged ear (1889, Courtauld Institute) Wikimedia There is no meeting in December The new membership starts 1st January 2025