16 January
The Century of Deception; The Birth of the Hoax in the C18th
The 1700’s were a period when the people were especially gullible. They believed a woman could give birth to rabbits; a man could climb inside a two pint bottle. These hoaxes were written about in newspapers and amusingly depicted by satirical artists such as Hogarth. Come and enjoy this entertaining talk.
Ian Keable
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Visit to Chichester Cathedral – behind the scenes tour on Wednesday 8th February
20 February
The Art of the Cartoonist
As a professional cartoonist Harry will trace the history of his profession, bringing events right up to date with cartoons produced fresh on the page that day! Harry will be drawing live and share some of the tricks of the trade
Harry Venning
Followed by WELCOME PARTY FOR NEW MEMBERS
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Visit to Champs Hill on Monday 24 April
* Day of Special Interest on Wednesday 10th May
19 March
Grace Darling and the Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea
Darling’s daring rescue of steamship passengers off the Northumberland coast in 1838 brought her international fame. Grace became the ‘poster girl’ of the RNLI which is celebrating it’s 200th anniversary in 2004. Discover more about Grace’s bravery and the artistic contribution that kept her in the public eye
James Taylor
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Visit to Champs Hill on Monday 24 April
* Day of Special Interest on Wednesday 10th May
18 April
The Artist’s Village; the Legacy of GF Watts and Mary Seton Watts at Compton
Leaving the London smog behind for the Surrey hills Watts settled at Limnerslease, a studio house built by Arts and Crafts architect George Henry in 1891. Watts was a painter and sculptor , Mary transformed their house into a work of art. Compton Chapel, also a work of art decorated with elaborate pictorial plasterwork , Watts gallery and the Compton Memorial Chapel are regarded as the finest expression of Art Nouveau in England
Anne Anderson
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Visit to Champs Hill on Monday 24 April
* Day of Special Interest on Wednesday 10th May
* Visit to Parham House & Gardens on Thursday 25th May
* St Mary’s, Bramber on Wednesday 7th June
10 May
DAY OF SPECIAL INTEREST
THE SEINE – RIVER OF LIGHT AND ARTIST’S DELIGHT
Home to Impressionism
See Events page for details.
Carole Pettifer
21 May
A History of Arts Criticism, from Aristotle to Facebook
In this lively lecture Mark will introduce the principles of arts criticism and show how to put them into practice. From past to present, asking about the place of the artist and the role of the critic, he will explore ways for us to discuss art that we enjoy
Mark Fisher
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* St Mary’s, Bramber on Wednesday 7th June
* Chichester – guided walk on Wednesday 12th July
18 June
Medieval Animals, Loved and Feared
Dogs and horses gambol through manuscripts and tapestries, but a far wider range of animals inhabit thought and art. In stone, paint and wood, apparently with no distinction between animals we know and those like Unicorns, we read moral lessons, presented with wit and mischief to mock man and his pretensions
Nicole Mezey
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Chichester – guided walk on Wednesday 12th July
* Buckingham Palace & Royal Gardens on Thursday 7th September
16 July
Castles: The Unquenchable Thirst of William Randolph Hearst
Hearst had an obsession for collecting a quantity of ‘’Objets d’art’’. When he died the New York Times stated that during the 1920’s and 30’s he alone accounted for 25% of the world’s art market activity. Mark will tell us where these art works were hidden and about the many castles he owned. He lived an extraordinary life who Orson Welles satirized as Citizen Kane
Mark Meredith
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Buckingham Palace & Royal Gardens on Thursday 7th September
* Houses of Parliament – Friday 20 October
17 September
The Royal Art Collection in the court of King Henry V111
Henry V111 can be considered the founder of the Royal Collection. Sparked by his rivalry with Francois 1st of France, all his palaces were furnished lavishly with paintings and tapestries. He used the splendour of the arts to enhance his own image. How were they produced and how was the King viewed in his own time?
Linda Collins
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Houses of Parliament – Friday 20 October
17 October
AGM; followed by
The Brilliance of Brunel – The Man who Built the Modern World
We are still living amongst the infrastructure created by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the C19th. He changed the face of the English landscape with his groundbreaking projects including railways, bridges, tunnels, ships and grand buildings such as Paddington station. He merged art with engineering and science and was a pioneer and a revolutionary. He was brilliant. We’ll look at the man, his background, his work and his legacy
Ian Swankie
AND – Tickets on sale for;
* Festive Drinks & Mince Pies on Tuesday 21st November
19 November
The Twelve Plants of Christmas. The Natural History, Botany and Folklore of the Plants that Surround us at Christmas.
Apart from the pear tree in which sat the partridge, there are no plants in the 12 days of Christmas according to the folk song. And yet at Christmas we are surrounded by plants. This talk puts the record straight and rewrites the zoocentric song replacing partridges with poinsettias and maids with mistletoe
Timothy Walker
Followed by FESTIVE DRINKS AND MINCE PIES