As well as lecturing for The Arts Society, I have given illustrated talks and run study days for museums, arts organisations and festivals including the V&A, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Pallant House, Towner, Royal Watercolour Society, Leeds Art Gallery, National Maritime Museum, Nottingham Contemporary, RWA Bristol, Hatchards, Blenheim Literature Festival, The Art Fund, Salisbury Museum, Ways with Words & Canterbury Festival.
SEASIDE MODERN: ART AND LIFE ON THE BEACH
In the first half of the 20th century something extraordinary happened to the British seaside: it became glamourous, exciting... modern. The young and sophisticated stripped off layers of Victorian prudery and cavorted on the sand in the latest daring swimwear. Artists hit the beach in search of new inspiration. And as governments introduced compulsory holidays for workers, people flocked to the seaside in ever-increasing numbers. Drawing on archive photos and advertising materials, as well as work by artists as diverse as LS Lowry, Paul Nash and Barbara Hepworth, this exuberant lecture explores a remarkable period in British culture. It is based on an exhibition I have curated for Hastings Contemporary, which is due to open in May 2021.
DAME LAURA & DOD: HOW TWO WOMEN ARTISTS REACHED THE TOP
Within ten years Laura Knight (1936) and Dod Procter (1942) were both elected to the Royal Academy - the first female RAs in a century. Amazingly, they didn't just know each other but had lived and worked side by side in Newlyn, Cornwall. Both had lost their father early in life, both married talented (and supportive) artists, and both challenged convention by painting the female nude. Both of course were hard-working and determined, but otherwise they were very different. While Laura was popular and outgoing, relishing her public role as a Dame of the British Empire, Dod (christened Doris) was clever and caustic. At her peak she was the best there was, but it was Laura who became a national treasure. This lecture tells their stories.
THE SHOCK OF THE NEW: A SCANDALOUS HISTORY OF MODERN ART
When Matisse, Cezanne and co. were first shown in London in 1910, critics and public reacted with horror, setting the trend for the next hundred years. In an entertaining survey this lecture returns to the scene of some memorable scandals, from Salvador Dali's appearance in a diving suit in 1936 to Alfred Munnings' infamous attack on Picasso and, of course, the furore surrounding Tate's purchase of Tracy Emin's Bed. Enlivened with archive photos and satirical newspaper cartoons, this lecture explores a history of resistance to modern art - while at the same time introducing the work of modern artists in an unusual and approachable way.
A GARDEN LIKE NO OTHER: EDWARD JAMES AND LAS POZAS
In the depths of the Mexican jungle lies an enchanted valley in which strange ruins tower over waterfalls and pools. It seems like the remains of a lost civilisation, but the arches and stairways were built only in the last century by Edward James, a rich English eccentric and Surrealist. Ranging around the world and across the 20th century, this colourful lecture tells the story of Edward James and Las Pozas, introducing along the way an array of intriguing characters, and exploring the wider theme of the modern artist-gardener.
A FORGOTTEN GOLDEN AGE? PAINTING IN BRITAIN, 1900-1945
For a long time, British art of the early 20th century has been perceived as provincial and insufficiently modern. Not any more. Drawing on my extensive experience as curator and author, this lecture explores a fascinating period, from the wanderers Gwen and Augustus John, through the Bloomsbury Group and on to that little-known period between the wars. We visit Stanley Spencer's memorial chapel at Burghclere, follow Eric Ravilious into the Downs and meet forgotten stars like Frances Hodgkins. A colourful, eye-opening tour through a golden age of painting.
EDWARD BAWDEN: ARTIST & ADVENTURER
In a long and illustrious career Edward Bawden (1903-89) achieved renown as a painter, designer, illustrator and teacher, yet he remains an elusive figure. Today he is remembered for his spectacular linocuts and humorous illustrations, yet he was once feted as an innovative modern painter. During the 1930s he barely left his home in Great Bardfield, Essex, but in 1940 embarked on a remarkable career as a war artist, travelling solo around the Middle East. Post-war he made prints on an epic scale while illustrating numerous books with his habitual skill and humour, and today he is seen as a key 20th century figure by artists like Mark Hearld and Emily Sutton. As curator of a forthcoming Bawden exhibition (summer 2018), I draw on in-depth research, archive material and more.
ERIC RAVILIOUS: A LIFE IN PICTURES
Eric Ravilious was only 39 when he died on active service as
a war artist in 1942, yet he had already achieved amazing things. A brilliant
wood engraver and designer, he is best known today for his haunting
watercolours in which lighthouses, white horses, empty rooms and downland paths
become marvels. In my popular series Ravilious
in Pictures, I have explored many of these paintings in
depth, teasing out stories and characters hidden in the wings. This
entertaining illustrated talk illuminates the life and work of a playful,
enigmatic artist, in watercolour & other media.
PAUL NASH: A LIFE IN PICTURES
Based on my book Paul Nash in Pictures: Landscape and
Dream, this lecture tells the story of Paul
Nash's life through a selection of his finest paintings, supported by
photographs and other material. From his own writing we learn
that Nash was witty, playful and passionate. Investigating paintings like
'Event on the Downs' we discover a world of love
and struggle and realise that he was both clever and emotionally driven. A war artist in both World Wars, Nash
defied chronic illness to paint until the last day of his life.
PAUL AND JOHN NASH: BROTHERS IN ART
EDWARD SEAGO: FROM THE CIRCUS TO SANDRINGHAM
GEORGIA O'KEEFFE IN NEW MEXICO
ART AND LIFE IN SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO
LAUGHTER AND LOSS: BRITISH WAR ARTISTS OF WORLD WAR TWO
When Kenneth Clark set up the War Artists scheme in 1939 he hoped to employ British artists and keep them safe. In this wide-ranging lecture we follow the fortunes of those chosen, from Eric Ravilious and Edward Ardizzone to Laura Knight and Paul Nash. We will see how the experience of war inspired different artists, examine some of the striking artworks created during the conflict, and commemorate the lives of those who did not come home. This lecture can be amended, or expanded as a study day, to compare the experience of artists in World War One and Two - just let me know!
'Thank you so much for coming to talk to us at Sidmouth last week. Several people have remarked on how interesting they found your lecture about a painter they hadn't known about before, and felt that that is just "what NADFAS is all about". It certainly made me want to go to your exhibition at Dulwich later on. Thank you for such an interesting morning.' Elisabeth Neather, Sidmouth DFAS
‘Thank you so much for a wonderful day on Saturday... We have had lots of positive feedback.’ Jo Banham, Victoria and Albert Museum
'Thank you for your wonderful illustrated lecture at the Bankside Gallery on Thursday.' Isla Hackney, Royal Watercolour Society
‘Vigorous applause from a packed audience was evidence enough of the calibre of the museum lecture last Thursday by James Russell…’ Wiltshire Gazette & Herald
‘Alfriston put yet more gloss on its artistic credentials with a sell-out talk celebrating the work of Eric Ravilious.’ Sussex Express
‘Thank you for such a great talk on Saturday, and for signing the books. People thoroughly enjoyed it and we've had great feedback...’ Sara Cooper, Towner Gallery
‘Thanks again for the talk, it was a great start to our proposed autumn series of lectures.’ David Oelman, Fry Art Gallery
‘Like many other people, apparently, I could have gone on listening to you for a lot longer! Thank you so much for making the effort to come all this way.’ Catherine Bingham, Rye Arts Festival
Hi There
ReplyDeletejust back from seeing the Bon Hiver exhibition at the Towner in Eastbourne including the Downs in winter by ER. My favorite artist and I enjoyed the splendid Ravilious guided walk last year from the gallery to the sites of many of his paintings,
I am always moved by the strange sense from "Chalk paths" that hangs above my fire place and how this captures the Downs for me -but where is it? Or is it a composite of many places - I have been running the South downs for many years and there is nowhere I know that has such steep escarpments.
I noticed that in "The Ley" he had decided to actually paint the building much shorter than it actually is and I think some of his other paintings are not as they first seem, so maybe Chalk Paths is indeed a representation of the feeling rather than the sight?? your view would be welcomed.
Thanks Martin - I love 'Downs in Winter'. You're spot on about ER changing what he saw to create his own design and mood. He often portrayed a scene as if he were hovering a little way off the ground, and rarely painted exactly what he saw - much of the work was done from memory, after a start made on site, and this gave him the freedom to experiment.
ReplyDeleteI believe that 'Chalk Paths' is based on Beddingham Hill and I've seen old pictures that seem to confirm this; however, the picture seems - as you suggest - to reflect a mood more than anything else, perhaps relating to Edward Thomas's remark about chalk roads: 'The long white roads are a temptation. What quests they propose!'