Very much looking forward to discussing

Samuel Palmer and The Ancients

on Saturday 5th September, 1-4pm in Enfield

for further details & tickets, please visit: https://eslifelonglearning.uk/services/

Samuel Palmer (1805-1881) “Coming Home from Evening Church” [1830; Tate]

Inspired by William Blake’s poetic and mystical images, Samuel Blake, leading a group of friends called themselves The Ancients, moved to the village of Shoreham in Kent. Intoxicated by the landscape, they created artworks of an idyllic pastoral infused with the rhythms of nature and sacred belief.

Exploring these “enchanted landscapes” today, we’ll review the broader social context and ask why the most intense of the Shoreham pictures remained hidden in Palmer’s “Curiosity” portfolio until the 20th century when, rediscovered, they enthused a new generation of artists.

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With plenty to see & lots to talk about, I look forward to seeing you there!

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Notes:

The best book out there on Samuel Palmer’s life is Rachel Campbell-Johnston’s “Mysterious Wisdom: The Life and Work of Samuel Palmer” [2016; Bloomsbury publishing].

Two very good catalogues of Palmer’s etchings and paintings are by Colin Harrison [2021; Ashmolean Museum] and William Vaughan [2015; Yale] and the British Museum (Print Room) has numerous drawings and etching by Palmer: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/search?agent=Samuel%20Palmer (nb. scroll down!)

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I hope you will be able to join us on

Saturday 29th August, 11.15am (for about an hour & a half)

at The Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea.

to explore the art, life & times of Pauline Boty (1938-1966),

one of the most brilliant artists of British Pop Art – a movement we’ll discuss in more detail at our September meeting.

“The Only Blonde in the World” [1963; Tate]

There’ll be plenty to see & discuss as always!

Tickets are £10 (cash) on the door and include coffee & a biscuit at The Jazz Centre afterwards.

Looking forward to seeing you!

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Notes:

An excellent website to explore is Pauline Boty – Pop Art Pioneer https://paulineboty.org/

On BBC i-player, “Pop Goes The Easel” (from 1962): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00drs8y/monitor-pop-goes-the-easel also “I Am the Sixties” https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0028nyw/pauline-boty-i-am-the-sixties

Books, below, and of course Boty is celebrated in Ali Smith’s novel “Autumn” (highly recommended!) [2016; Penguin Books]

Greetings!

I hope you will be able to join us

on Friday 21st August, 11.30am (for about an hour)

at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ

to continue our exploration of Francis Bacon’s art by way of his 1967 diptych “Study for Head of Isabel Rawsthorne and George Dyer” (c/o Christie’s, see: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-5916864)

Last month we discussed the friendship and artistic dialogue Bacon had with Isabel Rawsthorne (1912-1992), and it is worth noting Carol Jacobi’s biography:

Francis Bacon: Portrait of Isabel Rawsthorne Standing in a Street in Soho [1967; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin]; “Out of the Cage: The Art of Isabel Rawsthorne” by Carol Jacobi [2021; Thames & Hudson publishers].

This month, we’ll look at the second face of the diptych George Dyer (1934-1971), Bacon’s lover and muse through the late 1960s – and how he was “translated” into paint by the artist.

Photo’s from Gregoire Billault’s essay: “Dyer Crouching To Star in Sotheby’s Contemporary Evening Auction”, see Sotheby‘s.

There’ll be lots to look at and discuss as always – I hope you’ll be able to come along!

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The discussions are for everyone, whether residents or local community. Please note a £3 on-the-door request to cover the cost of coffee and biscuits. With all thanks to Barchester Health Care.

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Notes:

To explore the life & art of Francis Bacon further, a very good place to start is: https://www.francis-bacon.com/ .

There’s an old Arena interview with hin on i-player – but only for a month: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002k96s/arena-francis-bacon

And there’s a very good essay by Sebastian Smee about Bacon’s time in 1970s Paris c/o the Gagosian Quarterly: https://gagosian.com/quarterly/2026/04/10/essay-francis-bacon-reinventing-realism/

Among the many books about Francis Bacon, I’d recommend:

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