Wells

Art Appreciation

We meet in the Denning Room in Union Street, where we watch videos on art history. We have a break for refreshments when we informally discuss what we have been watching. If you are interested in joining us in the Denning Room, please contact me by clicking on the pigeon icon on this page to send a message, as there may be a waiting list.

We are just starting to watch the Great Courses DVD on Post-Impressionism: The Beginnings of Modern Art. There are 24 lectures:

1: Where Post-Impressionism Began
2: The Founder, Paul Cézanne
3: Paul Cézanne’s New Way of Seeing
4: How Science and Industry Are Changing Art
5: Camille Pissarro’s Experiments in Style
6: Georges Seurat’s Vision of the People
7: Politics and Religion on the Canvas
8: Divisionism: Using the Science of Color
9: Japanese Influence and Les Nabis
10: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec’s Paris by Night
11: How Photography Is Transforming Art
12: The Singular Talent, Vincent van Gogh
13: Van Gogh’s Genius and Tragedy
14: Cloisonnism: Bold Colors and Dark Contours
15: Paul Gauguin’s Complicated Legacy
16: Suzanne Valadon’s Rebellious Vision
17: How Philosophy and Culture Are Shaping Art
18: Symbolism: Dreams and Metaphors
19: Odilon Redon’s Fantastic Worlds
20: Henri Rousseau’s Jungles of the Mind
21: Post-Impressionism beyond France
22: Edvard Munch’s Emotional Palette
23: Gustav Klimt’s Journey to Art Nouveau
24: Why Post-Impressionism Matters

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We were previously watching Simon Schama's The Power of Art: covering the artists Caravaggio; Bernini; Rembrandt; David; Turner; Van Gogh; Picasso; Rothko. This BBC series "recounts the story of eight moments of high drama in the making of eight artistic masterpieces".
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We have also been looking at a series we began watching when we were holding Zoom meetings during lockdown: the Cocktails with a Curator, produced by the Frick Collection in New York. The basic format featured one of the curators mixing a cocktail, and then talking about it and the painting, for about 20 minutes.

We have watched:
⦁ Jean-Siméon Chardin's 'Still Life with Plums'
⦁ Vermeer's 'Officer and Laughing Girl'
⦁ Monet's 'Vetheuil in Winter'
⦁ Turner's 'Harbor of Dieppe'
⦁ Constable's 'The White Horse'
⦁ Rembrandt's 'Polish Rider'and 'Self-portrait'
⦁ Holbein's 'Sir Thomas More'
⦁ Guardi's 'Regatta in Venice' and 'View of Cannaregio Canal in Venice'
⦁ Bruegel the Elder's 'Three Soldiers'
⦁ Van Dyck's 'Sir John Suckling'
⦁ Velázquez's 'King Philip'
⦁ Whistler's 'Mrs. Frances Leyland'
⦁ Titian's 'Aretino'
⦁ Ingres's 'Comtesse d'Haussonville'
⦁ Piero della Francesca's 'St. John the Evangelist'
⦁ Lawrence's 'Lady Peel'
⦁ Vermeer's 'Mistress and Maid'
⦁ Reynolds’s 'Selina, Lady Skipwith'
⦁ Stubbs's 'Portrait of Warren Hastings'
⦁ Gainsborough's 'Grace Dalrymple Elliott'
⦁ Romney's 'Lady Hamilton as 'Nature'
⦁ David’s 'Comtesse Daru'
⦁ Beechey's 'Elizabeth Sophia Baillie'
⦁ Whistler’s 'Lady Meux'
⦁ Whistler’s 'Comte Robert de Montesquiou-Fezensac'
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We have also watched some of the BBC series Civilisations: Masterworks of beauty and ingenuity. Civilisations was a series (made in 2018) "spanning 31 countries on six continents, and covering more than 500 works of art. Presenters Simon Schama, Mary Beard and David Olusoga explored humanity's desire to create."

1. Second Moment of Creation (03-10-22)
A look at the formative role art and imagination have played in the forging of humanity.
2. How Do We Look? (07-11-22)
Professor Mary Beard explored images of the human body in ancient art.
3. Picturing Paradise (12-12-22)
Simon Schama explored one of our deepest artistic urges - the depiction of nature.
4. The Eye of Faith (09-01-23)
Professor Mary Beard broached the controversial topic of religion and art.
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In the past we have watched the Great Courses DVD called "How to Look at and Understand Great Art". A synopsis of the "tools" the lecturer suggested for looking at works of art is available here on the website, and was circulated to members.