How was it that one of Britain’s august art institutions went from having two female artists among its founders to excluding women artists for centuries? Our expert, Dr Amy Lim, reveals the details of one of the most important chapters in the history of British women artists
BECOME AN INSTANT EXPERT WITH OUR WINTER STUDY DAYS
BECOME AN INSTANT EXPERT WITH OUR WINTER STUDY DAYS
Plan ahead and discover new things on our Arts Society Study Days and courses.
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LONDON
New York, New York: an architectural and social discovery
5 FEB, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Andrew Davies
A look at the architecture of New York, from the Rockefeller Centre and the Empire State Building to Grand Central and the Chrysler Building.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (refreshments)
E: Tricia Savours psavours@gmail.com
Gemstones, crystals and a ‘bushel of pearls’: bejewelling ‘this sceptred isle’
11 FEB, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Anne Haworth
Discover how precious stones have been used in royal portraits to express and enhance the monarch’s power, with a look at their areas of origin.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (refreshments)
E: Jennifer Viles jenniferviles@talktalk.net
Artists and Architects in depth: Jan van Eyck artist and diplomat
28 FEB, 10.30AM-3.30PM
Tutor: Clare Ford-Wille
One of the great Flemish painters of the 15th century, Jan van Eyck pushed the boundaries of portraiture. This day uncovers his life and works.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (coffee only)
E: Susan Branfield susanbranfield@waitrose.com
The English cathedral: an architectural and social history
2 MAR, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Andrew Davies
Uncover the stories of England’s much-loved and lesser-known cathedrals, from Canterbury and York Minster to Southwell and Rochester.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (refreshments)
E: Tricia Savours psavours@gmail.com
The art and scandalous lives of the Bloomsbury group
11 MAR, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Frank Woodgate
Discover the scandals and secrets of the Bloomsbury group, the circle of artists, writers and intellectuals that included Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, Roger Fry and Virginia Woolf.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (refreshments)
E: Tricia Savours psavours@gmail.com
Symbolist painting: the age of decadence 1880–1910
24 MAR, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Julian Halsby
Vampires and femme fatales are just some of the themes explored in symbolist painting. This day examines the origin of the movement, looking at artists from Edvard Munch to Aubrey Beardsley.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (coffee only)
E: Susan Branfield susanbranfield@waitrose.com
Cultural legacy of the Huguenots
1 APR, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Sue Jackson
Whether as weavers and scientists or horticulturalists and clockmakers, the Huguenots left an indelible mark on England’s cultural landscape.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (coffee only)
E: Rosemary Baldwin rosemary@baldwins24.co.uk
The Carracci family: Ludovico and his cousins, Agostino and Annibale
15 APR, 10.30AM–3.30PM
Tutor: Clare Ford-Wille
Uncovering works by the Carracci family, who transformed Italian painting.
The Art Workers’ Guild, 6 Queen Square, Bloomsbury
£36 (coffee only)
E: Susan Branfield susanbranfield@waitrose.com
SUSSEX
A short history of the art and colours of garden design
10 FEB, 10AM–3PM
Tutor: Timothy Walker
Spanning 30,000 years, explore the history of horticultural design, looking at wall paintings and landscaped gardens.
The Ark, Mount Lane, Turners Hill, West Sussex
£28 (coffee and lunch) or £18 (without lunch)
E: Richard Beale sussexstudydays@gmail.com
Edwardian elegance: art, high society and fashion
9 MAR, 10AM–3PM
Tutor: Mary Alexander
Discover the art and fashion of the Edwardian era, through the works of creatives including Philip de Lázsló, John Singer Sargent and Giovanni Boldini.
The Ark, Mount Lane, Turners Hill, West Sussex
£28 (coffee and lunch) or £18 (without lunch)
E: Richard Beale sussexstudydays@gmail.com
The sublime to the ridiculous: Hogarth, Reynolds and Gillray
20 APR, 10AM–3PM
Tutor: Linda Smith
Discover the lives and works of these three 18th-century artists.
The Ark, Mount Lane, Turners Hill, West Sussex
£28 (coffee and lunch) or £18 (without lunch)
E: Richard Beale sussexstudydays@gmail.com
SOUTH WEST
Am I Missing Something? Plymouth History of Arts Course
20 JAN, 3, 17 FEB AND 2, 6 MAR, 10AM–3.30PM
Tutors: Geri Parlby and Jeni Fraser
Examine cave art and carving, the art of Mesopotamia and Egypt, and discover Australian art from a European perspective. Trace, too, the development of sculpture, from prehistory to the 19th century, and the art of ancient Greece. For more details, visit theartssocietysw.org.uk
The Athenaeum, Derrys Cross, Plymouth
£130 (full course)
E: Lorette Logie lorettelogie@btinternet.com
Am I Missing Something? Sidmouth History of Arts Course
15, 22, 29 APR AND 13, 20 May, 10AM–3.30PM
Tutors: Geri Parlby and Jeni Fraser
Learn about saints, sinners and the history of stained-glass windows, and explore the work of women artists. The course also looks at Cornwall’s artistic heritage. For more details, visit theartssocietysw.org.uk
Sidmouth Rugby Club, Heydons Lane
£130 (full course)
E: Sonia Lapwood lapwoodsonia@gmail.com
HAMPSHIRE AND THE ISLE OF WIGHT
The history of the Royal Academy
24 FEB, 10.30AM–3PM
Tutor: Rosalind Whyte
The history and legacy of the Royal Academy of Arts, from 1768 to now.
The Guildhall, High Street, Winchester
£40 (lunch and refreshments)
E: Marilyn Wright marilyn.studydays@gmail.com
London’s cathedrals – overground and underground
20 MAR, 10.30AM–3PM
Tutor: Ian Swankie
Explore cathedrals, underground stations and skyscrapers in this celebration of the capital’s architectural wonders.
The Guildhall, High Street, Winchester
£40 (lunch and refreshments)
E: Marilyn Wright marilyn.studydays@gmail.com
The cultural heritage of the Huguenots
6 APR, 10.30AM–3PM
Tutor: Sue Jackson
The legacy of the Huguenots, who, after arriving in Britain in the 17th century, transformed the cultural landscape of areas such as London, East Anglia and Macclesfield.
The Guildhall, High Street, Winchester
£40 (lunch and refreshments)
E: Marilyn Wright marilyn.studydays@gmail.com
WEST SURREY
When art met science: the beauty and utility of gardens
8 FEB, 10.30AM–1PM
Tutor: Timothy Walker
The role of colour in garden design and the medicinal properties of plants.
Clockhouse, Milford, Surrey
£18 (refreshments)
E: Liz Coult liz@coults.co.uk
WYVERN
Truth and beauty in art– an exploration of how the concept of truth and beauty in art has changed over time and between cultures
Tutor: 22 JAN David Rosier; 26 FEB Suzanne Perrin; 24 MAR Chantal Brotherton–Ratcliffe, 10AM-3.30PM
How the concepts of value, truth and beauty in art have varied between cultures throughout history.
Headley Lecture Theatre, Ashmolean Museum, Beaumont Street, Oxford
£114 (full course); £38 (individual sessions)
E: Hilary Reid Evans wyvernsd@gmail.com
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ESSEX
Beethoven at 250
20 APR, 10AM–2.30PM
Tutor: Sandy Burnett
Exploring the composer’s great works, to celebrate the 250th anniversary of his birth.
Little Baddow Memorial Hall, Little Baddow, Chelmsford
£35 (coffee and lunch)
E: Megan Bashir meganbashir@btinternet.com
About the Author
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