Art Appreciation

1. This group meets on the 3rd Monday each month from 10.30 am – 12.00 pm.  We are currently meeting in Brinsley Parish Hall meeting room.  New members are welcome.

For more information contact Helen Baker tel.07535 785 061  or email helenbaker2@hotmail.com

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Future Meetings:

Art Appreciation – Programme for 2025

Visit our gallery

Past meetings and visits:

Our July meeting was one of our ‘Show and Tell’ sessions which always entertain and educate us. We’re just never sure what strange object might be brought in. Members bring an art related treasure from homeand tell us a bit about it: the family story connected to it or the reason it was bought or the artist who made it, for example. Sometimes not a lotis known about the artefact so there is much ‘Googling’ as we turn detective.
This time we were shown hand painted ceramics and a quaich which isa Scottish sharing cup or cup of friendship. There was a limited-editionprint of Brinsley showing important buildings such as the church and the pubs that existed till quite recently. One of the most unexpected items was a doormat! This was brought from Skye and was made of recycled rope that had been washed up on the beach and woven into a Celtic knot pattern.  We thought that it should perhaps be hung on a wall.

Then as a complete contrast we had a lovely original painting of The Lemon Princess. This was used by the illustrator, Jane Ray in The Orchard Book of Magical Tales by Margaret Mayo. More prints were shown of flowers by Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Then we saw the eye-catching sculpture happened across in Florence based on the tree of life by Andrea Roggi which was spectacular. Another print was by April White, a member of the first nation Haida people. Finally, we were introduced to Zentangle art, a relaxing and fun way to create abstractimages by using repetition of simple shapes, dots, lines – some might call it doodling!

For our May meeting we visited Hardwick Hall to look at the collection of paintings.  We were ably guided by our latest recruit, Lisa, who has recently volunteered as a guide there.  It was a very absorbing visit and as well as admiring the portraiture and the symbolism within the paintings we were given insights into other parts of the house and artefacts.  For example, it was interesting learning about the use and re-use of tapestries, and the difficulties of restoring them.
As if the house and contents were not enough for us, there was an exhibition called Material Power: Rewoven.  This was a collection of 16 contemporary textile pieces using tapestry, embroidery and appliqué.  These reflected and explored the themes of female power, experiencesand identity – very fitting in the home of Bess of Hardwick.  However, we were not terribly impressed, finding them off-putting being displayed in various rooms and detracting from the impact of the rooms themselves.  The pieces needed a lot of explanation.  Perhaps if they had been displayed in a separate building we would have given them more attention. The exhibition is on till October, so there’s time for you to go and make your own minds up!

In June, Marianne gave a presentation about Mark Wallinger, a living artist who we weren’t sure we knew anything about. He is a Turner Prize winner and he was the first artist to provide a sculpture for the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square, so perhaps we should have known him!  His sculpture was called ‘Ecco Homo’, a life-size figure of Christwith bound hands and a crown of barbed wire, symbolising the plight of prisoners of conscience. His prize-winning piece was his installation ‘State Britain’ in Tate Britain, which was a recreation of the protest display outside Parliament, comprising banners, traffic cones, toys, fencing …  We were shown examples of his other multi-media sculptures and paintings.

As it was 17th March and St Patrick’s Day, we had a look at Irish art.
We started around 3200BC with Neolithic stone carvings through to Celtic art in around 300BC. Being free from Roman subjugation Celtic designs became highly developed into intricate interlaced patterns of Celtic knot work.  Christianisation in 5th century AD saw the establishment of monasteries and led to the highly decorative illuminated manuscripts, such as the Book of Kells. From around 1200 to 1700, however, Irish art was relatively stagnant, and Irish culture was left comparatively untouched by the influence of the Renaissance.
From the late 17th century, artists in the general contemporary styles of European fine art began to emerge, particularly the painting of portraiture and landscapes. With a small pool of patrons and better opportunities to be found abroad , many Irish artists emigrated, especially London ( portraitists) or Paris (landscapists). By the start of the 20th century things began to improve. There was renewed interest in Celtic art and the MunicipalGallery of Modern Art was established. With increased patronage a new generation of homegrown talent and returning emigres gradually formed a solid basis for the re growth of art in Ireland.

We then looked at individual artists starting with Jack Butler Yeats 1871-1957. His father was the painter John Butler Yeats and his brother was the poet W B Yeats. Jack began as an illustrator and his early works were landscapes and portraits before he adopted Impressionism. Another notable artist was Sir John Lavery  who was best known for his portraits and war depictions. Frances Bacon(28 October 1909-28 April 1992) was an Irish born British figurative painter known for his raw, unsettling  imagery. Focusing on the human form his subjects included crucifixions, popes, self portraits and portraits of close friends, with abstract figures. Rita Duffy , born 1959, is a Northern Irish artist described in 2005 as the provinces ‘foremost artist’. Her installations and projects often highlight socio-political issues. Then we discovered more talented members of the Butler Yeats family, Anne Butler Yeats (26 February 1919- 4 July 2001) was an Irish painter, costume and stage designer. She was the daughter of the poet, William Butler Yeats and niece of the painter Jack B Yeats. Elizabeth Corbet Yeats (11 March 1868- 16 January 1940) was an Irish educator and publisher. She worked as an art teacher and published several books on art. Her brother was W B Yeats. Lily Yeats was an accomplished embroiderer.   Helen Baker.

We had a great meeting, in February, introducing some of our favourite artists:
Islay artist Heather Dewar was discovered during a scroll through TV channels.  She has programmes on BBC Alba showing how she produces her lovely portraits, and interviews her subjects, whilst travelling around the Scottish Isles.  The programmes are in Gaelic but there are subtitles!

Bridget Reilly is more well known.  We were shown her illusional paintings which started mostly in black and white but later were influenced by the bright colours she saw when visiting Egypt.

We are all familiar with the surrealist paintings of Salvador Dali but not so much with his more realistic works.  We were shown his Christ of Saint John of the Cross,  an awe-inspiring piece held in the Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow.

Avril Paton, another Scottish artist, paints detailed pictures depicting street life in Scottish cities.  They are fascinating and make you want to look into all the windows and wonder about the lives of the people depicted.

We were introduced to Rene Lalique’s jewellery of which not many us were aware. These are intricate bejewelled pieces of the Art Nouveau style, many using the natural world for inspiration. There are flowers, dragonflies, peacocks in finely worked precious stones and metals.

One of our old favourites, Joseph Wright of Derby, was discovered in The Louvre.  His View of Lake Nemi hangs in the British Gallery and was a more exciting sight for our member than the Mona Lisa!  The National Gallery is holding an exhibition of his works starting towards the end of this year and is called From the Shadows.  It is to be dedicated to his ‘candlelight’ paintings.

An aspect of Degas that we were not so familiar with was his sculpture.  We were shown the little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer which is a wax sculpture with real cloth, tulle and ribbon.

Mark Gordon was (he died two days after our meeting) a local artist.  Born in Ireland he spent most of his life in Notts and Derbys.  He painted in a variety of styles but we were shown his Elvaston Gothic – a moody, atmospheric scene from inside Elvaston Castle.

Mike Tomlinson is another local artist much admired.  And we finished with Monet’s flowers.

October 2024

Our topic this month was Pottery.  It was a ‘show and tell’ session which we always enjoy as members’ stories behind their reasons for choosing to bring their items are always interesting and sometimes the most unexpected items turn up.  There’s always a lively discussion.

‘Pottery’ was no less entertaining and just as wide ranging as previous similar meetings.  We talked about why we collected items, whether we used them or if they were just displayed,and our emotional attachment to some pieces.

We looked at Royal Copenhagen and studio pottery from Lincoln and Wales with interesting glazes. There was a pot made by a member’s daughter, which was obviously dearly loved, and a Chinese cloisonné bowl. Two members bought items of Langley pottery which I think is the first time we’ve had a clash! Finally, we had a Hummel figure from an inherited collection.

We also welcomed three new members.

Helen
Group contact

June/July 2024

At our June meeting, Suzanne shared a selection of her vast collection of posters, prints and postcards of David Hockney works.  She is a great fan!  To keep it manageable, she concentrated mainly on his landscapes – you’ll no doubt be familiar with his recent depictions of trees through he seasons.  She also recommended a visit to Salts Mill at Saltaire, near Bradford, which houses one of the largest collections of Hockney’s works.

July was our annual ‘Show and Tell’ where we bring anything art related. A souvenir of a gallery visit, a picture we have at home, a pot we picked up in a charity shop – anything goes. It’s amazing where the conversation takes us!

This time we looked at the photography of Julia Margaret Cameron, a highly acclaimed British photographer of the 19^th century.  A book of maps convinced us that cartography was a form of art. There were accounts of visits to the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Quai D’Orsay, Paris. We were very pleased to be able to identify, after some googling, a vintage Japanese biscuit barrel, circa 1930’s, but a mystery object foxed us. It was an unusual looking statue, possibly east Asian and possibly stone or bronze!

We were shown pieces of art that had a very special meaning for one of our members.  Lastly, a porcelain plate was brought which connected us with our look at Renoir earlier as he had begun his painting career at the factory in Limoges.

As you can see our interests are varied.  In September, we’re off to Southwell to see ’The Longest Yarn’, the depiction in knitting and crocheting of the events of D Day.

Please join our group if you have an interest in any form of art and would like to learn alongside us.

April 2024

At our April meeting we had a presentation on Pierre Auguste Renoir, a leading member of the Impressionist movement.  We heard how he progressed from starting work in Limoges painting on fine china to Paris where he became friends with other Impressionists such as Monet.

 He was a painter of portraits and still-life, but he was also famed for his paintings of social scenes.
(Image of ‘Luncheon of the Boating Party. 1881)

He was particularly interested in depicting the reflections of light and colour on water and colours in shadows. He painted ‘en plein air’, out in the open, and often sat alongside Monet.  Several pairs of paintings exist where they painted the same scene.

 In 1881 Renoir began ‘The Umbrellas’. Whilst painting it, he travelled to Italy and there studied the grand masters.  He began to question whether he was taking the right path and returned to complete ‘The Umbrellas’ in a more severe classical style.  This change can easily be seen when looking at the painting and the mystery of why it took 5 years to complete is explained. (Image  ‘The Umbrellas’ 1881-6)

It may not reproduce here but we were very lucky to see it for ourselves when for our June meeting we visited Leicester’s Museum and Art Gallery.  As part of the National Gallery’s 200th Anniversary, 12 museums around the country are displaying 12 iconic artworks from the national collection during this summer, under the title ‘National Treasures’.  Leicester is displaying Pierre Auguste Renoir’s masterpiece “The Umbrellas” (c 1886), one of the most famous artworks in the world.

Visit – November 2022 

A group of us went to Patchings Art Centre near Calverton to see two exhibitions.

The first called ‘The Artist Collection 2022’ was a collection of works from 8 winners of ‘The Artist’ Exhibition awards 2021.  There was a great variety of styles to look at and we had fun picking out our favourites. Unfortunately, my favourite of Whitby Beach had been sold – it was only £1400!

Whitby Beach – Michael Salt

The Diagnosis – Mark Fennell       

A stitch in time – Michelle Ashby

The second exhibition was ‘Transcribing the Landscape’ by Susan Isaac, a local artist.

We were initially struck by the rather imposing images in this exhibition.  There was a lot of dark outlining of buildings and features. However, as we acclimatised and began to study the paintings inclose up we were able to appreciate them more.  The artist has worked as an archaeologist and is trained in fine art and sculpture.  We could see the influence of her interest in architecture in the strong shapes of the buildings she painted and saw her bold use of colour. She has been a wild card winner on ‘Landscape Painter of the Year’.

Helen Baker

Art Appreciation Archive 2021

Art Appreciation Archive 2020

Art Appreciation Archive 2017-19

Here are some links to follow.  They allow you to ‘visit’ some great museums worldwide:

Guggenheim Museum, New York – 3D tour

Musee d’Orsay, Paris

Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam – 3D tour

Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles

Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam

Uffizi Gallery, Florence – install Google Arts & Culture app to explore virtual reality tour

MASP, Sao Paulo – install Google Arts & Culture app to explore virtual reality tour

National Gallery of Art, Washington – install Google Arts & Culture app to explore virtual reality tour

Paris Museums – 100,000 images online for free viewing

Googles Art site – explore in 3D many places of interest

Most detailed ever photograph of The Night Watch goes online – Rijksmuseum

https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/most-detailed-ever-photograph-of-the-night-watch-goes-online