Wells

Art Appreciation

We were meeting in the Denning Room in Union Street, when we watched DVDs on art history, with a break for refreshment, when we had the opportunity to discuss the DVDs. We will be transferring to the room next door, the Seager Hall, once the Covid-19 situation is clearer. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to borrow DVDs from the u3a Resource Centre, as it has closed, so we will have to purchase some DVDs, or find resources on the internet in future.

While we have been unable to meet, we have been able to use the Internet for information, watch various videos online, and watch BBC art programmes. For example:

⦁ Museums and art galleries from around the world to visit online: see list on the side panel.

⦁ Google Arts & Cultures Collections
You can look at art galleries' and museums' collections here, with a zoom-in feature to get more detail.

⦁ Wikipedia has many articles on art and artists - just type in the box Search Wikipedia

⦁ YouTube. You can search for whichever artist interests you, in the Search box:
e.g. Monet's techniques

⦁ The Arts Society are offering a series of online lectures

⦁ Art in Isolation - the expert from Fake or Fortune? invites you into his house to see some of his paintings

We have been holding Zoom meetings in the afternoon of the first Monday in the month, when we watched one of the Cocktails with a Curator series produced by the Frick Collection, housed in the former residence of Henry Clay Frick on Fifth Avenue, NY. The basic format, introduced since lockdown prevented the museum from opening, features one of the curators mixing a cocktail, and then talking about it and the painting, for about 20 minutes.

So far 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'
In the New Year we will be watching:
⦁ Whistler's 'Mrs. Frances Leyland'

If you would be interested in joining the Zoom meetings, you can contact me by clicking on the pigeon icon on this page to send a message, and I will send you the Zoom link.

You can watch videos on your own at any time. There are many others in the Cocktails with a Curator series which are still available - the link to the series is:
https://www.frick.org/interact/miniseries/cocktails_curator

As well as videos, there are some Art programmes available on BBC iPlayer:

⦁ Nature and Us: A History through Art
In this ambitious series, art historian James Fox tells the story of our ever-changing relationship with nature through the lens of some of the world’s most extraordinary artwork.
⦁ Bridget Riley - Painting the Line
With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, seldom-seen footage from the archives and a rare interview with Kirsty Wark, this is the story of a true visionary of British art.
⦁ Art of Persia
Samira Ahmed goes on a remarkable journey to places rarely seen, as she travels through Iran, telling the story of a complex and fascinating people, culture and history.
⦁ The Story of Welsh Art
Broadcaster Huw Stephens discovers the many treasures of Welsh art, following the story from prehistoric times up to the present day.
⦁ Civilisations: Masterworks of beauty and ingenuity
Civilisations was a series (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.

⦁ There may be other programmes to be viewed on BBC iPlayer:
In the box Search BBC iPlayer, type in Art for a full list.

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In the past we have watched one of the Great Courses DVDs 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. Prior to that we looked at various examples of non-western art, and some of the images on this page reflect that.

Also featured are the paintings from a series of DVDs borrowed from the U3A Resources Centre called The Private Life of a Masterpiece: "This award-winning series reveals the full and fascinating stories behind famous works of art, not just how they came to be created, but also how they influenced others and came to have a life of their own in the modern world". We were halfway through this series, but since the U3A Resource Centre is now closed, we would have to purchase the series to continue watching; that is an option for the future.

We hope to be able to return to watching DVDs or internet videos in the Seager Hall in due course. Before the pandemic interrupted our meetings, the group was fairly full, but if you are interested in joining us there in the future, please contact me by clicking on the pigeon icon on this page to send a message.
Jenny