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The Group Co-ordinator is Elizabeth Pearson 01373 469739 - ianandlizpearson20@gmail.com
The group meets at 2.30pm on the SECOND TUESDAY. Our aim is literally to 'discover art'.
So we share the particular interests of current members; and we cover new ground by responding
to opportunities as they arise.
We meet in St Mary's Church Hall (Innox Hill BA11 2LN) - a short walk from the town centre with free parking, and refreshment
and IT facilities - we share these costs. The IT equipment available to us certainly adds an extra dimension to our meetings.
Recent meetings have covered a wide variety of subjects including..........
- one of our members took us to the Renaissance in 15th century Urbino where we learned of patronage, politics and humanism,
focussing particularly on Duke Federico da Montefeltro and his second wife, Battista, and their fine Ducal Palace. They were
the patrons of Piero della Francesca and Giovanni Santi (the father of the more famous Raphael).
- during the Paris Olympics we 'visited' that city to look at the most famous painting in the world "The Mona Lisa" (in the Louvre)
with the help of a short DVD in the 'Art Mysteries' series, and an article by Charles Saatchi in his 'Great Masterpieces' series.
Saatchi included comments about Leonardo's "The Last Supper" a copy of which as it happens hangs on the wall of our meeting room
so we were able to look more closely at the comments he was making.
- we also enjoyed a BYO session when each of us brought a treasure from home - a picture/souvenir/ornament/jewellery..........
with a story of a special holiday/person/event..... We were taken to the studio of potter and art teacher Bernard Leach; to Musée
Rodin in Paris, and to a garden in Melbourne..........We enjoyed the feel of a beautiful Florentine leather box, and an early
gold-leaf edition of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", and were all captivated by the sight and feel of the sculpture of a
small baby. We learnt about church vestments, and Palestinian tapestry, and about the lost-wax method of creating bronze sculpture.
- another member took us on a journey to Crete via, Athens, Florence and the Musée de Cluny in Paris with vivid memories of her
time spent in Crete in the 1960s, before the advent of commercial holidays.
- we enjoyed a 'visit' to The National Portrait Gallery thanks to Sky Arts series "Stories from the National Portrait Gallery"
focussing on the Plantagenets and Tudors. The first portrait we were shown is also the earliest in the collection: that of
Henry VII with an exact date inscribed - 29 October 1505........ and a painting of William Shakespeare - thought to be the
only portrait made of him during his lifetime - was affectionately described as their Mona Lisa, and it wasn't hard to see why!
- The 'Art Mysteries' series also enabled us to unpack some of the enigmas in Cézanne's "The Card Players", and to experience
the sense of quiet intensity that permeates the scene, and sheds light on the daily lives and customs of early 20th century
life in Provence.
If you are interested in 'discovering art' with us, please contact Elizabeth Pearson on 01373 469739.
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