Lectures All society lectures start at 11.00am at the Victoria Hall. Members may apply to the Membership Secretary for PRIOR PERMISSION to bring one guest to two meetings per year. Restrictions will apply to numbers using the hall. Guests must be booked in by the Monday prior to the lecture. A fee of £5 is charged for each guest. Programme 2024/25 membership year 27 February 2025 JAMES WRIGHT Historic Building Mythbusting In his book ‘Historic Building Mythbusting’ the archaeologist James Wright, a resident of Nottinghamshire, has used many case studies from the county to articulate some of the tales which are told about ancient architecture. These include stories of secret passages underneath Wollaton, ship timbers in Worksop, strange sculptures at Laxton parish church, stones used by archers to sharpen arrows in Wilford, and yarns about Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem being the oldest inn in England… but are any of these stories true? 27 March 2025 JUSTIN REAY Can Computers Cry? Art touches human emotions which machines cannot feel. Art of all kinds can touch us and make us respond, often beyond the expectation of the artist. Happiness, sadness, pity, compassion, a spiritual uplifting, curiosity, all human emotions which even the most sophisticated digital programming will never match. Justin demonstrates how art arises from human imagination to feed our emotions, and discusses the difference between mere imitation of the physical world – which even robots can be taught to do – and the creation of truly human art which enhances our lives. 24 April 2025 IAN COCKBURN Moorish Architecture – the Legacy of a Vanished kingdom The Alhambra of Granada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are the three most impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain, but there are many other examples worthy of mention too. The classical origins that influenced the Moorish style are less well-known, but fascinating to explore, as too is the unique interior decorative style developed by the Moors, which gives their architecture its beauty and exotic appeal – an appeal so strong that the Christians sometimes copied it, even as they slowly reconquered the territory from its Islamic rulers. This lecture provides a comprehensive introduction to the peninsula’s Moorish architecture. Moorish Architecture - An building in the city of Massawa, Eritrea. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 22 May 2025 HILARY WILLIAMS The Frick and Wallace Collections and Their Link with Knole Details nearer the date. 26 June 2025 SALLY HOBAN The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Midlands Many people are familiar with the national designers of the 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement such as William Morris and Charles Ashbee. But the Midlands made a huge contribution to the movement as well. Designers at The Bromsgrove Guild of Handicrafts for example produced the exquisite wrought iron gates for Buckingham Palace. This lecture sets the work of these Midlands designers in the context of the national Arts and Crafts Movement using examples of jewellery made by Arthur and Georgina Gaskin, stained glass by Florence Camm, ceramics from the Ruskin Pottery and more. Plaquette portrait of Georgie Gaskin (1913), by her husband Arthur Gaskin, now in the collection of Birmingham Museums Trust There is no meeting in July 28 August 2025 LUCY HUGHES-HALLET George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham – the Handsomest Man in Europe and Patron of the Arts A king's favourite who amassed a great art collection. George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was the favourite of King James I - who addressed him as ‘my sweet child and wife’ - and subsequently chief minister to King Charles I. Buckingham was a beauty, and he surrounded himself with beautiful things. He enjoyed exquisite clothes, like the fabulous white silk suit encrusted with diamonds that he wore to visit the Queen of France. He was a superb dancer. When he cut capers during a court masque King James startled visiting ambassadors by shouting out ‘By God, George, I love you!’ George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Public domain Followed by the summer lunch Venue to be confirmed. 25 September 2025 RUPERT DICKENS Rembrandt’s hand: a question of attribution What makes a genuine Rembrandt? This question has dogged museums and art historians since the great Dutch master’s reputation soared to prominence at the end of the 19th century. The Rembrandt Research Project tried for nearly five decades to pare down the painter’s oeuvre, using the latest technology and a barrage of experts. But a backlash in the 1990s cause many disavowed Rembrandts to be put back on the list. This lecture charts the ebb and flow of Rembrandt attribution and tries to answer the question: who decides? Science or the subjective eye of the connoisseur. Philosopher in Meditation (or Interior with Tobit and Anna) by Rembrandt Louvre, Paris Preceded by the AGM 23 October 2025 ANNALIE TALENT Becoming Jane Austen: The Birth of a Literary Superstar I write only for fame… Jane Austen Detail of a portrait of Jane Austen. From a watercolour by James Andrews of Maidenhead based on an unfinished work by Cassandra Austen. Public domain The start of the new membership year 2025/26 27 November 2025 MARIE-ANNE MANCIO The History of American Art in 25 iconic works To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in America, explore 25 iconic works including Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic,’ Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother,’ Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks,’ of American art. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942, Edward Hopper. Public domain
Web site designed, created and maintained by Janet Groome, Handshake Computer Training.
Lectures Members may apply to the Membership Secretary for PRIOR PERMISSION to bring one guest to two meetings per year. Restrictions will apply to numbers using the hall. Guests must be booked in by the Monday prior to the lecture. A fee of £5 is charged for each guest. All society lectures start at 11.00am at the Victoria Hall. Programme 2024/25 membership year 27 February 2025 JAMES WRIGHT Historic Building Mythbusting In his book ‘Historic Building Mythbusting’ the archaeologist James Wright, a resident of Nottinghamshire, has used many case studies from the county to articulate some of the tales which are told about ancient architecture. These include stories of secret passages underneath Wollaton, ship timbers in Worksop, strange sculptures at Laxton parish church, stones used by archers to sharpen arrows in Wilford, and yarns about Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem being the oldest inn in England… but are any of these stories true? 27 March 2025 JUSTIN REAY Can Computers Cry? Art touches human emotions which machines cannot feel. Art of all kinds can touch us and make us respond, often beyond the expectation of the artist. Happiness, sadness, pity, compassion, a spiritual uplifting, curiosity, all human emotions which even the most sophisticated digital programming will never match. Justin demonstrates how art arises from human imagination to feed our emotions, and discusses the difference between mere imitation of the physical world – which even robots can be taught to do – and the creation of truly human art which enhances our lives. 24 April 2025 IAN COCKBURN Moorish Architecture – the Legacy of a Vanished kingdom The Alhambra of Granada, the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alcazar of Seville are the three most impressive monuments to the architectural creativity of the Moors in Spain, but there are many other examples worthy of mention too. The classical origins that influenced the Moorish style are less well-known, but fascinating to explore, as too is the unique interior decorative style developed by the Moors, which gives their architecture its beauty and exotic appeal – an appeal so strong that the Christians sometimes copied it, even as they slowly reconquered the territory from its Islamic rulers. This lecture provides a comprehensive introduction to the peninsula’s Moorish architecture. Moorish Architecture - An building in the city of Massawa, Eritrea. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 22 May 2025 HILARY WILLIAMS The Frick and Wallace Collections and Their Link with Knole Details nearer the date. 26 June 2025 SALLY HOBAN The Arts and Crafts Movement in the Midlands Many people are familiar with the national designers of the 19th century Arts and Crafts Movement such as William Morris and Charles Ashbee. But the Midlands made a huge contribution to the movement as well. Designers at The Bromsgrove Guild of Handicrafts for example produced the exquisite wrought iron gates for Buckingham Palace. This lecture sets the work of these Midlands designers in the context of the national Arts and Crafts Movement using examples of jewellery made by Arthur and Georgina Gaskin, stained glass by Florence Camm, ceramics from the Ruskin Pottery and more. Plaquette portrait of Georgie Gaskin (1913), by her husband Arthur Gaskin, now in the collection of Birmingham Museums Trust There is no meeting in July 28 August 2025 LUCY HUGHES-HALLET George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham – the Handsomest Man in Europe and Patron of the Arts A king's favourite who amassed a great art collection. George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham, was the favourite of King James I - who addressed him as ‘my sweet child and wife’ - and subsequently chief minister to King Charles I. Buckingham was a beauty, and he surrounded himself with beautiful things. He enjoyed exquisite clothes, like the fabulous white silk suit encrusted with diamonds that he wore to visit the Queen of France. He was a superb dancer. When he cut capers during a court masque King James startled visiting ambassadors by shouting out ‘By God, George, I love you!’ George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. Public domain Followed by the summer lunch Venue to be confirmed. 25 September 2025 RUPERT DICKENS Rembrandt’s hand: a question of attribution What makes a genuine Rembrandt? This question has dogged museums and art historians since the great Dutch master’s reputation soared to prominence at the end of the 19th century. The Rembrandt Research Project tried for nearly five decades to pare down the painter’s oeuvre, using the latest technology and a barrage of experts. But a backlash in the 1990s cause many disavowed Rembrandts to be put back on the list. This lecture charts the ebb and flow of Rembrandt attribution and tries to answer the question: who decides? Science or the subjective eye of the connoisseur. Philosopher in Meditation (or Interior with Tobit and Anna) by Rembrandt Louvre, Paris Preceded by the AGM 23 October 2025 ANNALIE TALENT Becoming Jane Austen: The Birth of a Literary Superstar I write only for fame… Jane Austen Detail of a portrait of Jane Austen. From a watercolour by James Andrews of Maidenhead based on an unfinished work by Cassandra Austen. Public domain The start of the new membership year 2025/26 27 November 2025 MARIE-ANNE MANCIO The History of American Art in 25 iconic works To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in America, explore 25 iconic works including Grant Wood’s ‘American Gothic,’ Dorothea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother,’ Hopper’s ‘Nighthawks,’ of American art. Nighthawks by Edward Hopper, 1942, Edward Hopper. Public domain
Web site designed, created and maintained by Janet Groome, Handshake Computer Training.