Booking Form - please click HERE for a pop up window you can print off

The name IKEA is made from the initials of its founder, Ingva Kamprad, his home farm and his village. Thus an idea of local craftsmanship became associated with flat pack furniture sold in shopping malls and by global mail order. How and why did this happen?

 The day tells the fascinating history of how a Victorian avant-garde revival became the lynchpin for new design ideas for the next hundred years. There are three sessions, forming three chapters of one story:

William Morris' modernisation of craft demonstrated that the way things were made was of value in itself. But the price of the new artisan furniture was beyond the pocket of artisans, and we start to see various solutions to this problem.

Frank Lloyd Wright's work of the 1900s applied craft values to industrial materials, as did the pioneer designs of the Vienna Secession. This approach became mainstream between the wars, and designers experimented with versions of modernity from the architecture of Le Corbusier to the popular furnishings of Art Deco. 

Post war Scandinavian design re-introduced natural materials to contemporary taste, enabling craft values to be transferred to mass produced furniture. And with a little help from Swedish domesticity, IKEA was born.

Reference will be made to Morris’ Red House, Voysey’s The Orchard, Joseph Hoffman and Villa Stocklet; Alvar Aalto’s Villa Mariea as well as current IKEA design.

Stephen Taylor is an artist and art historian. He studied John Constable as a post-graduate at Essex and Yale, and has been Head of Painting at The Open College of the Arts and Course Director at the Inchbald School of Design in London. In 2000, Stephen turned to landscape painting and he now has pictures in private collections around the world. His book: Oak: One tree, three years, fifty paintings was featured in the Guardian and was an Oprah Winfrey Book of the Week.

The day includes morning tea or coffee and a two-course lunch with wine or soft drinks at a cost of £46.

You can print off a PDF version of this information by clicking HERE for a new pop up window

Timings:

10.00 Arrival

10:30 Session 1

11:30 Break

12:00 Session 2

13:00 Lunch

14:15 Session 3

Members' booking form and description of the programme can be downloaded here (new TAB opens that can be printed off)

From the 1880s Stanhope Forbes, Walter Langley, Frank Bramley and others working in Cornwall began to be recognised as a discrete school. Examining the process of that recognition, there will be a description of how the work of the Newlyn-based artists responded to international movements, and ultimately how they came into conflict with trends elsewhere in British art. Lecture 1, entitled The Pioneers of the Newlyn School, will look at artists working in Newlyn before the arrival of those attracted to the town, for example Walter Langley, and also the influence of the Hague School and French Realism.

Lecture 2 will explore the life and work Stanhope Forbes, the Father of Newlyn. Lecture 3, entitled The Queen of Newlyn, Masterpieces of The Newlyn School and The Second Generation of Newlyn Artists, will include artists such as Elizabeth Forbes, Frank Bramley and Frank Wright Bourdillon, and later artists such as Harold Harvey, Laura Knight, Dod Procter, Alethea Garstin and Lamorna Birch. Details Here

Our speaker, Rupert Dickens, will introduce us to The Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, one of the most vibrant periods of western art. It encompassed the talents of Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals among many much-loved artists. The series of three lectures will show how an economic miracle, religious toleration and scientific revolution formed the backdrop to an upsurge in creativity in the visual arts. Familiar masterpieces will be seen in a new light and lesser known works will be unveiled as we explore the themes of trade, tolerance and technology to reveal the foundations of the Dutch Golden Age.

There will be three presentations, starting at 10.30 am, and the day will include a two-course lunch with wine and soft drinks.

Rupert Dickens is an art historian based in south London with a special interest in Dutch and Flemish 16th and 17th century painting. He works at the Wallace Collection as a guide conducting public and private tours and lecturing on aspects of the collection, and has accompanied groups on art-themed tours around Europe. He studied art history at Birkbeck College before undertaking a Masters in Dutch Golden Age Studies at University College London. Before that Rupert had a 26-year career as a BBC journalist ending as an editor in radio news. 

Booking form appears in a new pop-up window if you click HERE

For the booking form, please click HERE for a new window that has a page you can print off, and return to the organiser

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in America, Marie-Anne will explore 25 iconic works of American art, including Grant Wood’s American Gothic, Dorothea
Lange’s Migrant Mother, and Edward Hopper’s Nighthawks. She will trace the history of America through paintings, sculpture, land art and photography that exemplify vital moments in American history, such as the Gold Rush, the Civil War, the Civil Rights movement, and so forth. Marie-Anne will look at key styles/movements like the Hudson River School, Regionalism, Abstract  Expressionism and Pop Art, showcasing  ground-breaking artists from the indigenous
Native American peoples through to virtuoso portrait painter John Singleton Copley, Thomas Eakins, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Andy Warhol, Kara Walker and many more.

There will be three presentations during the day and a two-course lunch with wine.
10.00 Arrival and coffee
10.30 Session 1
11.30 Break
12.00 Session 2
1.00 Lunch
2.15 Session 3.

The day will end at approximately 3.30.

The cost is £44 to include morning tea/coffee and lunch with wine/soft drinks. Parking is
available at Gaze’s Auction Rooms, Roydon Road, Diss, IP22 4LN, for a donation. Please
see the following page for booking information, including details of the lunch.

Marie-Anne trained as an artist before gaining a PhD in Art and Critical Theory
from the University of Sussex. She has lectured in art history for the City Lit, Tate
Modern, the Course, Art in London, London Art Salon, Dulwich Picture Gallery
and HENI films. She also runs art history study tours abroad for ACE and is a
Director of InFems art collective for whom she curates exhibitions and writes.

Reminder that on the day, registration and serving of coffeee will begin at 10.00

The first lecture session will be at 10.30

Booking form and details of the event can be found here (new pop up window that can be printed off)

The booking form can be downloaded here

Note that the Special Interest Day will be held at the Corn Hall

The day will begin with an introduction to the techniques of watercolour and its early uses,
including the humorous images of Thomas Rowlandson. We will then, in the second session,
explore the ‘Golden Age’ of watercolour, and consider the atmospheric landscape paintings of
artists such as John Sell Cotman and J M W Turner.

The final session will focus on the Victorians and Moderns, moving from the 19th century
artist-travellers, to the Pre-Raphaelites, and on to artists such as John Singer Sargent.
Lastly, the experimental style of artists such as Paul Nash will be explored.

Booking form is available here

Friday 4 November 2022, at New Buckenham Village Hall, NR16 2BB

Though John Piper was an abstract painter in the 1930s, he was also a writer and critic.  During the Second World War he was one of the most renowned Official War Artists, producing powerful images of the destruction of Britain’s buildings.  He also designed sets and costumes for the opera and ballet, and, when in his fifties, he began to design stained glass.  Piper’s love of architecture and landscape shaped all his work, and this Special Interest Day will focus on the many ways in which his interests and enthusiasms led to such amazing creativity.

Booking form can be accessed by clicking here

Jo Walton

We are delighted to welcome Jo Walton back to Diss Arts Society.  Jo has combined teaching and lecturing with a career in art bookselling, and has been a volunteer guide at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern.  Now she is a freelance lecturer for The Arts Society, the Art Fund, Friends of Dulwich Picture Gallery and local art societies.

Figure Caption: John Piper, Coventry Cathedral, 15 November 1940, 1940.

More details and application forms available here

New Buckenham Village Hall

(Moat Lane NR16 2BB - off Church St.)

OUTLINE PROGRAMME

Arrival (doors open 10.15)

1: An introduction to China’s history, culture and civilisation

Coffee and Questions

2:China from the Yuan Dynasty to the Ming Dynasty (1271-1644)

Buffet Lunch

3:The Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) twilight days of empire, revolution and the triumph of modern Shanghai

Questions and close (approx 3.30)

We will explore the history, civilisation, art and culture of China. The lectures will follow a history from the beginning of the first millennium BC, when Chinese skills in bronze casting, jade cutting, silk weaving and tea-production flourished, through the time of the mighty First Emperor and then the golden ages of the Silk Road. The religions from Buddhism to the philosophy of Confucianism which underpinned Imperial rule will be considered. China historically valued literacy, writing and poetry-composition as supreme elements of its cultural identity. An elite class of educated literati emerged who were skilled in calligraphy and painting and developed a culture of gardens. The importance of tea, porcelain and silk in the China trade with Europe will be considered, before moving on to the end of Empire

 Special Interest Day - William de Morgan and his contribution.

We will be shown how recent activity in architectural design has put the UK at the forefront of architectural innovation.

Many of the buildings to be considered are those which have either won or been shortlisted for the annual RIBA Stirling Prize since it was inaugurated in 1996. Among the projects which have caught the public’s attention recently are the Bishop Edward King Chapel at Cuddeson, Oxfordshire, shortlisted in 2013, and Haworth Tomkins’s Everyman Theatre at Liverpool, winner in 2014.

Our lecturer will address such terms as Neo-Modernism, Deconstruction and Biomorphic architecture, the latter shown off to striking effect in Thomas Heatherwick’s unusual design for The Hive building in Singapore. At the other end of the scale we look at the new but little-known classical country houses being produced by Quinlan Terry and other leaders in classical design.

Application forms may be obtained from Duncan Livingstone 01359 221174

Expect a visual feast of widely ranging historical paintings, portraits, male and female dress, photographs and advertisements accompanied by extracts from letters, journals and  literature to explore their meanings and historical context.

Mary Alexander's MA is in History of Art from UCL.  She lectures in museums and tutors for the OU.  She is a visiting lecturer at Christie's  Education in London (which offers degree-level courses in Modern and Contemporary Art, among others) and is musem curator at the Costume Gallery at Platt Hall in Manchester.

This whole day course costs £29 which includes coffee, lunch and drinks.

For further details and an application form click on 'Our Society' from the title bar above and choose 'Documents', or contact Duncan Livingstone by phone on 01379 221174 or emailing duncanlivingstone1@gmail.com

The day will provide a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage of three distinctive Baltic capitals: Vilnius, a baroque city with magnificent churches, Riga, the 'Little Paris of the North' with its boulevards and Tallinn, perhaps the prettiest of the three.

Lunch will be provided.

These lectures trace the development of sculpture during the twentieth century.

Explanations, with many illustrations, will be given for the  development of Primitivism, Cubism, Surrealism and Pop Art.

Linda Smith is an experienced guide to this subject; she is a lecturer at Tate Britain, Tate Modern and Dulwich Picture Gallery, and addresses audiences around the country.

1930s costume designer Elsa Schiaparelli was described by Time magazine as 'A genius  and arbiter of ultra-modern haute couture'.  Her life and times are the subject of the next Area Special Interest Day at CULFORD SCHOOL, Bury St. Eds.

To download full details of this event, and an application form, click on 'About Us' on the green banner above, then click 'Documents'.  Select the required document in the right-hand column of the grid; when it has opened you will be able to print it.

*** PLEASE NOTE: ALL TICKETS NOW SOLD ***

Bosch was born about 1450 and lived all his life in and near 's-Hertogenbosch (commonly known as Den Bosch, from which he took his name), at the time a flourishing city in the south of the present-day Netherlands.

Bosch's father, Anthonius van Aken (of Aachen) acted as artistic adviser to the Brotherhood of Our Lady. It is generally assumed that either Bosch's father or one of his uncles taught the artist to paint.

Bosch produced several triptychs. Among his most famous is The Garden of Earthly Delights. This painting depicts paradise with Adam and Eve and many wondrous animals on the left panel, the earthly delights with numerous nude figures and tremendous fruit and birds on the middle panel, and hell with depictions of fantastic punishments of the various types of sinners on the right panel.

The accompanying illustration is of this work.

Clare Ford-Wille is an independent art historian. She has led study tours to Europe and lectured on European art, architecture and sculpture for more than thirty years, primarily for the  University of London, the National Gallery, the V&A and NADFAS. She  has also contributed to several academic guides.

In November Professor Marie-Therese Barrett will lead 3 presentations looking at

The Arts of Japan and Europe

Japan boasts the earliest ceramic culture in the world which, when coupled with the adoption of Buddhism in the mid-6th century, led to the creation of masterpieces in sculpture, architecture and painting. This study day with examine the panorama of Japanese art from the 6th to the 19th centuries, contrasting these founding origins with later simplified styles, influenced by the samurai class and Zen aesthetics, and subsequent periods of political & cultural flamboyance and isolation. Where 16th century Japanese art was influenced by cross-cultural exchanges with the Western world, Japan’s isolation in 1639 saw an extraordinary flourishing of the arts and the birth of new uniquely Japanese styles, such as woodblock prints, which we will learn were later to change the face of Western art.

Members are invited to bring relevant treasures for consideration and discussion.

Full Details and applications for this exciting Special Interest Day will be available on the Website and directly to members later this year.

This is a repeat performance following the sell out success of the recent Study Day.

Culford School, near Bury St. Edmonds, IP28 6TX 

Murders, Magicians, Madmen and Monarchs

Shakespeare through Artists’ Eyes

A Study Day with talks by Vivien Heffernan, and excerpts performed by an RSC actor

Tickets £30.00 each contact Anne Day  on 01394 387894 or annedee100@hotmail.com

Over the past three centuries or so, Shakespeare’s plays have provided artists with wonderfully rich source material. Painters have been inspired by extremes of passion, by sprites, ghosts and monsters, by the humanity of everyday characters and by the playwright’s evocative language. The day’s three lectures will explore six of Shakespeare’s plays covering tragedy, fantasy, comedy and history and, from the wide variety of artists who have illustrated these plays, will include works by Fuseli, Blake, Landseer and Millais. In order to bring the language to life, images will be accompanied by readings from the plays by a Royal Shakespeare Company actor. A feast for both the eyes and the ears! Please go to "About Us" then "Documents" to find the booking forms. Numbers limited to 100.

Further information or questions:  Anne Day 01394 387894  or annedee100@hotmail.com

Special Interest Day

Friday, 17th April at 11.00

New Buckenham Village Hall

Coffee served at 10.30

Tickets at £26.00 each - including coffee, lunch and drinks - are available by sending a cheque, stating number required at £26.00 each, and including your name, address, telephone number and email address to:

Duncan Livingstone, Ivy House,

North Lopham, Diss.  IP22 2LR

or down load copy of A5 brochure for this event

in documents on "about us" page

To avoid disappointment, please apply promptly. The number of places is limited to 70 and it is on a first come basis. We will maintain a reserve list to ensure any last minute spaces can be taken up.

Leaflets with all the details will be available at the February and March lecturesand details will be within the pre-lecture announcement display.

This excellent Special Interest day was a wonderful experience and delivered by one of the finest expert available.

Firstly the heroine, Carmen was ananti-heroine.  Secondly she was a gypsy, hence an outsider.  Thirdly, the chorus members were furious thatthey should be expected to sing, act and dance at the same time… even to smokeon stage. In 1875, Paris was not ready for such an unconventional opera. It wasa flop.

Nevertheless, a year later Carmen was takento Vienna and from here, it became an instant hit. Sadly, Bizet died suddenlyand was unable to revel in his success.

Jonathan Hinden spoke eloquently about this intriguingopera, its clash of cultures, characters and effervescing emotions.  He also entertained us with extracts that hesang and played on the piano, demonstrating the strong rhythmic qualities inthe music and dance.  He skillfullyhighlighted the essence of the opera from the expectant silence in the overtureto the final violent knifing outside the bullring.

Transported to Carmen’s exotic world, we willall be eager to see this splendid opera performed live, on stage. "

JonathanHinden is a conductor with Glyndebourne as Head of the Music Staff. A positionhe has held with distinction since 1993.  He joined the Music Staff in 1966 and became chief coach in 1978.

Heis also a Professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and the RoyalAcademy of Music as well as a Tutor at the National Opera Studio.