Saturday 31st January, 11.15am (for about an hour & a half)
at The Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea.
With a focus predominantly on the Art of Ruskin Spear (1911-1990), today we’ll enter the ‘long decade’ of 1950s Britain, from the end of World War II to Pop Art – a period of radical cultural transition for art and society. There’ll be plenty to see & discuss as always!
on Friday 16th January, 11.30am (for about an hour)
at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ
to explore the life, times & art of Ruskin Spear (1911-1990) with particular reference to his focus on the everyday world of mid-20th century Hammersmith.
There’ll be lots to look at and discuss – 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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Note:
There’s a fabulous short film / HENI Talk with Dr Tanya Harrod (author of “Humankind: Ruskin Spear Class, culture and art in 20th-century Britain” published by Thames & Hudson, 2022) on the ArtUK site here.
on Friday 12th December, 11.30am (for about an hour)
at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ
to explore the art of legendary Ukrainian artist Maria Prymchachenko.
Ukrainian Milkmaids Work Hard Like Miners [1970; c/o WikiArt]
There’ll be lots to look at and discuss – I hope you’ll be able to come along!
*
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.
Saturday 13th December, 11.15am (for about an hour & a half)
at The Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea
to explore The Art & Artists of Ukraine.
With a focus on the life and times of Ukraine’s legendary artist Maria Prymchenko, we will explore a century of Art & Artists in Ukraine – and resources to find out more. Lots to see & discuss as always!
Ukrainian Milkmaids Work Hard Like Miners by Maria Primachenko [1970; c/o WikiArt]
Tickets are £10 (cash) on the door and include coffee & a biscuit at The Jazz Centre afterwards.
Saturday 29th November, 11.15am (for about an hour & a half)
at The Beecroft Art Gallery, Southend-on-Sea
to discuss The Art of Ilya Repin (1844-1930).
Born in Ukraine, Ilya Repin was one of the most famous artists of the late 19th-century Russian Empire, especially due to his depictions of everyday life. He travelled to Paris to study in the early 1870s, crossing over with the early Impressionists and, towards the end of his life, moved to Finland. It is these travels and cross-cultural influences that will be our focus today as we explore Repin’s often monumental paintings in the context of their time and as they have variously been seen since (Stalin viewed Repin’s work as a precursor of and influence on Socialist Realism; and there is a vast exhibition of Repin “as a Russian artist” currently on show in Beijing). Lots to see & discuss as always!
Greetings! What a fabulous meeting yesterday at The Beecroft about The Skagen Painters, artists who are barely known in this country yet renowned in Denmark. As promised, I’ve put together a few resources for further independent research…
One of the best books I’ve found, that offers a broad history of 19th-century Danish Art, is “In Another Light” by Patricia Berman (published by Thames & Hudson, 2013).
Thames & Hudson have also just published (October 20205): “Art of the Nordic Nations: Art of the Nordic Nations: Modernism, Freedom and Identity, 1870–1950” by Serge Fauchereau. I’ve not seen it yet, but the copy for it says that it covers Modern art from the Nordic countries – Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland, offering a new history of Nordic art, from the emergence of Impressionism in the 1870s, through the avant-garde experiments of the early decades of the 20th century and onward to the Second World War and beyond so it should be very interesting.
Ancher was an influential figure of the Scandinavian ‘Modern Breakthrough’ movement that sought to capture real life, demonstrated in her intimate, observational works, which documented everyday experiences in the fishing town of Skagen. Influenced by her travels to Paris, as well as French Impressionism, the artist produced vivid interiors and evocative landscape scenes in which light becomes the central figure. The [catalogue] will demonstrate Ancher’s bold approach to colour and radical interpretation of everyday scenes as a truly pioneering modern painter.
There’s also a review / article in The Times by Chloë Ashby, click here.
We definitely need to organise a coach trip to the exhibition!!!
There is also a film based on the Skagen artists, “Hip Hip Hurra” by Kjell Grede (1987). I haven’t yet found a copy, but there’s a trailer on YouTube here (atmospheric even without understanding the dialogue!)
So let’s raise a glass and look forward to exploring The Art, Life & Times of Ilya Repin at our next Art, Books & Culture Research Group meeting at The Beecroft on Saturday 29th November, 11.15am.
on Friday 21st November, 11.30am (for about an hour)
at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ
to explore The Art of Prunella Clough.
Renowned for her post-war paintings of industrial life, from fishermen to factories workers, Prunella Clough (1919-1999) turned her fascination with colour and pattern, shape and texture into increasingly abstract works, as we shall see today.
There’ll be lots to look at and discuss – I hope you’ll be able to come along!
*
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.
on Friday 17th October, 11.30am (for about an hour)
at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ
to explore The Art of Doris and Anna Zinkeisen.
Renowned for their glamorous portraits of the 1930s as well as their war paintings, the Zinkeisen sisters reflect quite a picture of mid-20th-century Britain.
Doris Clare Zinkeisen (1898–1991): Self-Portrait [1919; National Portrait Gallery; c/o artuk.org]; Anna Katrina Zinkeisen (1901–1976): Self-Portrait [1944; National Portrait Gallery; c/o artuk.org]
There’ll be lots to look at and discuss – I hope you’ll be able to come along!
And if you’re unable to make it, there’s a great essay by Alicia Foster on Art UK, just click here.
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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.
on Friday 19th September, 11.30am (for about an hour)
at The Beaumont, Barchester Care, 15 Cannon Hill, Old Southgate, N14 7DJ
to explore the art of Tamara de Lempicka (1894-1980).
Renowned for her glamorous images of women in the 1920s and 30 especially, we’ll explore the Jazz, Art Deco and the inspirations of artist Tamara de Lempicka.
Self-Portrait (Tamara in the Green Bugatti) [1928 c/o Sotheby’s]
There’ll be lots to look at and discuss – I hope you’ll be able to come along!
And if you are unable to make is there are a couple of very interesting essays c/o Christies [here] and Sothebys [here] – enjoy!
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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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