Speaker:- Pamela Campbell-Johnston. She has a MA Hons in Art History from St Andrew's University. She has over 30 years of lecturing experience to undergraduates, adult groups, and to Friends and Patrons of the Royal Academy of Arts as part of its Adult Education Department. She also conducts numerous guided tours and focused gallery talks on individual works of art. Her specialities include British Domestic Architecture and Modern British Art. With over 12 years experience at the Royal Academy, her work experience also includes Bonhams, The Art Loss Register and The National Trust. She is now a freelance art consultant and lecturer.

Pamela's lecture to us in January 2025 “Celebrating the Royal Academy of Arts” was one of the highest rated lectures of this year.

Venue:- St Nicholas Methodist Church, Fore St, Topsham. 

Timings:-

10.00:-  Doors open

1030:-  First lecture:- "The Art of Art Deco"

11.30:- Coffee Break lecture,

12.00:- Second lecture :- "Paris 1925 expo"

1250:- Lunch.

14.00:- Final letcure:- "Around the World - Iconic Art Deco Buildings"

Finish:- approx 3pm.

Cost:-:- £37 to include lunch and refreshments.

Payment – by BACS to Bank 30-93-14, Account no: 02689599

Arts Society Topsham: Reference: April SID

A booking form can be found here:-

https://theartssocietytopsham.org.uk/DocumentStore/SID%20Art%20Deco%20Apr%2026%20booking%20form.pdf

Regretably, this SID has been cancelled because of the ill helath of the speaker.

ART DECO

Sadly, the speaker has had to cancel this date for good reasons whch must remain personal.

We have, however managed to rearrange this SID for a date in April 2026.  

Please see the new entry under this banner.

Thise who have already signed up have been informed and will be refunded for any payments they have made.

James Russell developed the three lectures that make up this SID while curating the three exhibitions for Hastings Contemporary - Seafaring (2022), Seaside Modern (2021) and Undersea (29thMarch - 14thSeptember 2025)

Lecture 1. Seafaring: Art and Life at Sea from Turner until Today

British artists have always been fascinated by the maritime world, but by the age of Turner, attention had shifted to the experience of sailors and travelers. At first the emphasis was on disaster, but soon we begin to see more nuanced depictions of ocean travel. With the 20th century came opportunities for artists to portray life aboard battleships, ocean liners, submarines and fishing trawlers. Stunning artworks by Turner, Gericault, Tissot, John Everett, Ravilious, Ronald Searle and many more, illustrate a fascinating story.

Lecture 2. Seaside Modern: Art and Life on the Beach

During the first half of the 20th century something amazing happened to the beaches of Britain: they became glamourous as 19th century prudery gave way to 20th century exhibitionism. The beach became a major source of inspiration for artists, not only those like the Newlyn painters whose focus was the human form, but also more experimental painters and sculptors. While Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth responded to the sculptural qualities of objects found on the beach, Paul Nash and Eileen Agar reveled in the strangeness of the seashore.

Lecture 3. Undersea: Art Beneath the Waves

For our final lecture we widen our scope to include artists from the 18th century to the present, and from Britain to Japan via the Torres Straits Islands of northern Australia. We will see how artists explore the mysteries of the deep, portraying creatures real and imaginary, telling stories and making designs based on marine motifs. We will examine the playful treatment of sea creatures by John Tenniel (Alice in Wonderland), Salvador Dali and the designers of Shell posters.

Speaker: James Russell has curated major exhibitions in other museums and art galleries around the country, including Dulwich Picture Gallery. He bases his lectures on wide-ranging original research into the subjects that fascinate him. Having studied History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, James Russell enjoyed a lengthy stint selling contemporary paintings and sculpture in Santa Fe, New Mexico; an experience that inspired him to begin writing and lecturing on 20th century art. Of his dozen or so books, one was a Sunday Times book of the year, while his writing has been described by critics as 'insightful', 'informative' and 'enjoyably readable'.

Venue:- St Nicholas Methodist Church, Fore St, Topsham.

Timings:-

Doors open 10.00.

First lecture 10.30; Coffee Break 11.30.

Second lecture 12.00.

Lunch.

Third lecture 14.00.

Finish approx 1500.

Cost:-- £37 to include lunch and refreshments.

Payment – by BACS to Bank 30-93-14 Account no: 02689599

Arts Society Topsham: Reference: April SID

In addition, Kate will take bookings at the desk at the rear of the Hall at the monthly lectures.

Please send an email confirming your payment to Kate:-katesisum@gmail.com

A booking form can be downloaded here:-

https://theartssocietytopsham.org.uk/DocumentStore/SID%20All%20at%20Seal%20booking%20form%20copy.pdf

Painted, illusionistic architecture has been used to enrich interiors since ancient Rome, and the Italian Renaissance invented decorative schemes that influenced the courts of Europe – with results that can be still be seen in today's public buildings and private homes.

By the way, the photograph on this page is of a flat wall!  Intriguing?

Session 1 Roman interior murals and the four Pompeiian styles, followed by Medieval textile trompe'loeil in domestic and church architecture.

Session 2 The Renaissance and the effect of new perspective systems and new realism. Veronese, Palladio and the diversification of Mannerist ideas. Fresco techniques. Architectural Trompe L'oeil in the theatre.

Session 3 Oil paintings within classical architectural interiors. The Eighteenth Century - a European language, with British examples, expensive and cut price! Modern examples worldwide.

Our Speaker is Stephen Taylor

Stephen is an art historian, a practising artist and most recently an author. He did post graduate studies on John Constable at Universities of Essex and Yale; taught at Felsted School. He became Head of Painting at the Open College of the Arts and course director at the Inchbald School of Design. He has been a tour guide in both Florence and Venice. In 2000 Stephen turned to landscape painting with early shows in Cambridge, New York and London. His book “Oak: one tree....” published in 2011, is illustrated by the 50 paintings he did over three years of one oak tree in Essex.

You can learn more about the speaker here.

There will be two lectures in the morning and a third after the buffet lunch.

Cost: £37 pp which includes the lunch.

Payment by BACS to ExeDFAS Sort code: 30-93-14, Account number 02689599 Reference: Trompe L'Oeil

In addition, Kate Sisum will take bookings at the back of the Hall at our monthly lectures.

A personal ‘virtual’ tour in which we cherry-pick the artistic highlights and icons of New York. We will consider the influence of ‘new money’ on art patronage and track the move of fashionable society from Washington Square, so beloved by Henry James and Edith Wharton, in its relentless move uptown. Digital photography will re- create the atmosphere of the brownstones and high society clubs of the Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, the grand hotels, and the Speakeasy; the building of the great art collections including the Metropolitan Museum and the Guggenheim. Whether you know and love New York or maybe have never visited, discover more about the personalities of the artists, designers, patrons and social climbers who shaped this extraordinary and ever-changing city.

Our Speaker is Mary Alexander

Mary has been an Arts Society lecturer for thirty years and has an MA with distinction in History of Art from University College London. Her experience includes public lectures in museums, tutoring for the Open University, visiting lecturer at Christie's Education in London, museum curator at Platt Hall, the Gallery of Costume, Manchester. She also worked in Pentagram design consultancy in London and New York, organising conferences and special events. She is the author of various articles on design and visual awareness issues, her background combines an unusual blend of academic and visual communications skills.

There will be two lectures in the morning and a third after the buffet lunch. Cost: £40 pp

Kate Sisum will take bookings at the back of the Hall at our monthly lectures.

Click here for the booking form.

SPECIAL INTEREST DAY

Wednesday 20th March 2024 - 10.00am - 3.00pm

in St Nicholas Methodist Church, Topsham

Sicily has long been the crossroads between Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. This Special Interest Day looks at the rich and varied cultural influences brought to the island by Greeks, Phoenicians, Romans, Byzantines, Visigoths and Islamic tribes from North Africa. It goes on to explore how these were woven together by the Normans during their remarkably enlightened rule, which saw Palermo become one of the most important cities in Europe.

Our Speaker is Richard Whincop.

Based in Chichester, Richard is a professional artist whose combination of knowledge and practical experience gives him a unique perspective on Art History. Graduating in English and Art History from York University in 1986, he lectured, from 1989-1995, in the adult education departments of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities. In 1997 he became a full-time figurative artist exhibiting in galleries and art fairs throughout the UK. His interest in Sicily was sparked by a large-scale commission in Calabria to paint the story of the Norman conquest of Southern Italy.

An absolute must, surely, for those going on the tour to Western Sicily in Sept 2024.

There will be two lectures in the morning and a third after the buffet lunch. Cost: £40 pp

The SIDS Secretary, Kate Sisum, will take bookings at the back of the Hall at our monthly lectures.

A booking form can be found here.

GHASTLY GOOD TASTE: ‘From Plush Velvet to Psychedelia’

The highs and lows of British interiors 1880-1980.

The three lectures look at the enormous changes in our homes over a century, encompassing aspects of household taste from Victorian clutter to the psychedelic ‘throw away’ furnishings of the 1970s. Although in many ways light-hearted, the lectures examines how social upheaval, war and technological advances transformed our homes. From the 1880s, we look at the coming of electricity, central heating and other major developments.

These altered both appearance and comfort. Many of the changes will be hilariously familiar to those who recall shagpile carpets and avocado bathroom suites

Our Speaker is Matthew Williams. Matthew holds degrees from the universities of Nottingham and Manchester and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries. A recognised expert on the work of the Victorian designer William Burges, Matthew was Curator of Cardiff Castle for nearly 30 years. His most recent publication is a major book Cardiff Castle and the Marquess of Bute, published in 2019. A long standing member of The Arts Society, Matthew has been a Programme Secretary and Chairman before becoming an accredited lecturer in 2001.  You can learn more at his website here.

There will be two lectures in the morning and a third after the buffet lunch. Cost: £40 pp

Kate Sisum will take bookings at the back of the Hall at our October and November lectures.   A booking form can be found at this link

10.00 – 3.00pm in St Nicholas Methodist Church, Topsham

How well do you know your Surrealism or Cubism? Abstract Expressionism or Pop Art?  This is a simple and user-friendly reminder of some of the key movements of modern art and the intriguing historical, social and artistic triggers that brought them into being. These art worlds were populated by some larger-than-life personalities whom this talk will examine, illustrated throughout with many iconic works of the 20th and 21st century in Europe and America.

There will be two lectures in the morning and a third after the buffet lunch.

Cost: £40 pp

Kate Sisum takes bookings at the back of the Hall on lecture days.

Alternatively you can download a booking form here.

New venue: St Nicholas Methodist Church, Topsham (next door to the Topsham Pharmacy).

This is a smaller venue and my survey at the November lecture indicated that this will be popular. Therefore please book NOW to secure your place.

Topic:        MOORISH ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN

This SID should be of interest to all members and will certainly set you up if you are going on our tour to Andalucia in October 2023.

Speaker:     lan Cockburn

lan is an accredited Arts Society lecturer: an art historian with BA (Birkbeck College) in art history and an MA (Courtauld lnstitute of Art) in medieval Spanish art history. Specialist in the nearly 800 years of Moorish occupation and Christian reconquest of medieval lberia.

Timetable

10.00            Registration and coffee

10.30            Lecture: "Moorish Architecture: the Legacy of a Vanished Kingdom”

Comfort break

11.45 ish        Lecture "Understanding the Great Mosque of Cordoba”

BUFFET LUNCH

14.00 ish        Lecture "Walls That Speak: the Alhambra Palace-Fortress,

15.00               Finish.

The cost will be £40.  Our bank deatils are:-

Sort code: 30-93-14, Account number 02689599

Please note that this event is now full.  A waiting list has been established.

For more information, please email the Society (dfasexe@gmail.com or use the contact link on the home page).

Formerly International Director of Jewellery at Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers, John Benjamin established his own independent valuation and advisory service in 1999.  A Freeman of the Goldsmiths’ Company and a Freeman of the City of London, John is a Founder Liveryman and Court Assistant of The Worshipful Company of Arts Scholars.  A lecturer, valuer and historian, he has been a member of the team of experts on BBC Television’s Antiques Roadshow since 199

The SID will contrast the work of two very different craftsmen.  First, Peter Carl Faberge: the life and work of the world’s greatest goldsmith will discuss the career of this extraordinary craftsman and examine his early years, his rise in fortune following the patronage of Tsar Alexander III and his son Nicholas II.  The lecture will touch on many elements of his work – the hardstone animals, the flower studies, the jewels and, of course, the inimitable eggs with their fabulous ‘surprise

Then Henry George Murphy: the life and work of a great neglected English goldsmith will examine the career of a man who died just before the outbreak of the Second World War and, until John rediscovered him (and wrote a book about him) was largely forgotten.  Murphy’s output ranged from Arts and Crafts naturalism to Art Deco architectural forms and, in many ways, his life story is just as amazing as Faberge’s.

After lunch John will hold a valuation surgery.  Members will have an opportunity to have their own jewellery examined, identified and valued.  Please tick the box on the booking form if you would like your jewellery (maximum two pieces) to be valued – the first 65 applications will be allocated places for this service

Some of the greatest artists in history – Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio, Vermeer, Gainsborough – have invoked the world of music into the heart of many of their paintings resulting in a harmonious combination of two much loved disciplines of the arts. However, the viewer of these scenes should always be a little on his guard, since references to music are invariably laced with powerful allusion and complex symbolism. With a musicologist’s eye, Peter Medhurst views, discusses and analyses a range of magnificent paintings that stem from the Late Medieval to the Baroque eras.

Session 1: Medieval and Renaissance  (c1480-1600)

Paintings include works by Geertgen Tot Sint Jans, Lorenzo Costa, Francesco Raibolini, Titian and Anon.

Session 2: The Baroque (1600-1750)

Paintings include works by Gregorio Lazzarini, Vermeer, Hendrick Cornelisz van Vliet, Jacques-Francois Courtin and Anon

Peter Medhurst’s work as singer, pianist and lecturer-recitalist has taken him all over the world, and in the last few years he has toured New Zealand, Australia (twice) and South Africa (four times), and made frequent tours in Europe, giving performances in Berlin, Hamburg, Vienna, Salzburg, Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam, Paris and Spain.