The Arts Society Winter 2021

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JOANA VASCONCELOS Giant works and potent messages

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T H E LU R E O F T H E L I G H T E D W I N D OW + M AG R I T T E ’ S S U R R E A L E Y E + DA N C E I N T H E T I M E O F PA N D E M I C

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THE ARTS SOCIETY MAGAZINE WINTER 2021 / £3.50

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On our cover: artist Joana Vasconcelos with her 2017 crochet work Pintura Louis XIII

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Enriching lives through the arts The Arts Society House, 8 Guilford Street, London WC1N 1DA Tel: 020 7430 0730 theartssociety.org magazine@theartssociety.org

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Patron: Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester Acting Chair: Liz Woods President: Loyd Grossman CBE Chief Executive: Florian Schweizer

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COVER IMAGE: KENTON THATCHER; EDITOR PORTRAIT: ANDREW MONTGOMERY; SCOTTISH BALLET IMAGE: ANDY ROSS

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THE ARTS SOCIETY MAGAZINE Published on behalf of The Arts Society by Think Media Group, 20 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JW Tel: +44 (0)20 3771 7200 thinkpublishing.co.uk Editor: Sue Herdman Group Art Director: Matthew Ball Art Director: John Pender Managing Editor: Marion Thompson Digital Editor: Holly Black Listings Editor: Annie Davies Client Engagement Director: Rachel Walder Advertising Sales: Sonal Mistry, Commercial Partnerships Director, 020 3771 7247, sonal.mistry@thinkpublishing.co.uk Printed by: Walstead Roche The Arts Society Magazine is published three times a year by The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS) and circulated to its membership.

The views expressed in The Arts Society Magazine are not necessarily those of the Chairman, Trustee Board or the Editor. Every effort has been made to check the accuracy of the information in The Arts Society Magazine. However, neither The Arts Society nor NEL Ltd can accept responsibility for inaccuracies or omissions. Articles, photographs, drawings, etc in The Arts Society Magazine may not be reproduced without the written permission of the Chief Executive of The Arts Society.

The Society accepts no responsibility for goods and services advertised in The Arts Society Magazine, whether the advertiser is a Member or not.

Advertisements are published for convenience of Members, and Members choosing to buy or sell through the medium of this magazine do so entirely at their own risk. © The Arts Society 2021

WELCOME

In the rehearsal studios at Scottish Ballet: dancers Christopher Harrison and Sophie Martin

ne positive to come from the rigours of pandemic has been the extraordinary innovation displayed by our creative industries. New ways of storytelling have been pioneered. Take Dream by the Royal Shakespeare Company, inspired by A Midsummer Night’s Dream and set in a virtual midsummer forest. It had audiences across the world influencing live performance, using technology and an interactive symphonic score to respond to actors’ movements. We’ve also toured exhibitions from home, with gallery robots relaying artworks to our screens. And we’ve seen electrifying new choreography.

Last summer Catalyst was performed by Scottish Ballet dancers wearing masks (a feat in itself), filmed in an empty theatre. This spectacle spurred the question: just how were live arts companies meeting the challenges of global crisis – and what did the future hold? Gabrielle Jaffe went behind the scenes at the company to find out.

Read her illuminating feature from page 20.

It could only be a lockdown, one suspects, that could contain the whirlwind that is Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. I’m not sure we could have pinned her down for interview otherwise, such is her usual, crammed timetable. As Holly Black spoke via Zoom to this maker of super-scale art, Vasconcelos was at work, her pen committing huge energetic loops to paper. Her art is hard to define; it’s best to see it, which you can this winter, at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Her work has certain correlations with that of René Magritte. His surreal approach, too, challenges perceptions of reality. We asked Guillermo Solana, curator of a new show of Magritte’s work in Madrid, to divulge details on choice works from the exhibition; typically, with each work, all is not as it seems. In addition, in this issue we explore the story behind the brilliant Arts Society initiative Art @ The Station, and are urged

by Professor Peter Davidson to take an evening winter walk with a particular focus. Look for that haunting motif, the lighted window, he says, towards which the traveller hastens and artists are lured, like moths to a flame.

SUE HERDMAN EDITOR

GET IN TOUCH!

Send us your views at magazine@theartssociety.org Sign up for our monthly arts news and ‘Instant Expert’ at theartssociety.org/signup THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 03

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06 5 THINGS TO DO Inspiring arts ideas for the winter season 10 BITE-SIZED ART An expert eye on a tiny Indian artwork 12 INSTANT EXPERT The intriguing story behind a sleek design classic 14 THE ARTS SOCIETY INTERVIEW We meet Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, whose super-scale works are on show in Yorkshire 20 OUTSIDE THE BOX How one ballet company has met the challenges of our Covid-led times 26 CURATOR’S CHOICE The thinking behind seven surreal works by René Magritte, with the curator of a new show 30 DRAWN TO THE LIGHT Revealed: what the lighted window – a beguiling motif for artists of all mediums – can convey 38 ART ON THE GO We talk to key figures behind Art @ The Station – a colourful pop-up Arts Society initiative 42 WHAT’S ON Plan ahead for arts events 51 STUDY DAYS Discover a new area of the arts 56 SOCIETIES NEWS News from around The Arts Society 63 BOOKS Choice arts and culture reads 65 SPECIAL OFFERS Our curated offers for you 66 10 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT… …the delectable history of desserts CONTRIBUTORS

PROFESSOR PETER DAVIDSON Peter is a senior research fellow at Campion Hall, University of Oxford. Inside he explores a haunting arts motif, the lighted window, and its influence on the art world

TASHA MARKS Tasha is a food historian, artist and Arts Society Lecturer, whose practice, AVM Curiosities, champions food as an artistic medium. Discover her top facts on desserts inside

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DR JOHN CHU John is the National Trust’s senior national curator for pictures and sculpture and also for Midlands.

Inside he shares the story behind the making of a precious work from India

MAIN IMAGE: BRIAN LEE; CONTRIBUTOR PANEL: PORTRAIT OF PROF PETER DAVIDSON COURTESY OF THE MASTER AND COMMUNITY OF CAMPION HALL

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FLORAL FANFARE This sumptuous photograph is called Let the Trumpets Sound. It was made

by Brian Lee, a finalist in the Macro Art section of this year’s International Garden Photographer of the Year (IGPOTY) competition, run in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The flower is a variegated Scabiosa, with a burst of petals that, for Lee, ‘resembled a mini fanfare of trumpets’.

Each year IGPOTY runs a touring exhibition of selected works from the competition. This season you can see it, until 15 December, at Calke Abbey near Derby. For more on the latest dates and locations, go to igpoty.com THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 05

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Fantastical works by a wizard goldsmith, scorching art from Van Gogh and a gift from The Arts Society: here’s a taster of the season’s highlights

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THINGS TO DO THIS

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SIGN UP FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL Cool winter skies and maybe even the crunch of snow… the season of cosy darker evenings may be here, but we’re making it a celebration of light. As a special gift for the month of December, we’ve created our exclusive ‘The Arts Society ARTvent calendar’. This digital offering is for all Members, enabling you, your family and friends to enjoy daily digital art ‘treats’ right up to, and including, New Year’s Eve. Sign up for free at theartssociety.org/artvent and get set to receive a little art surprise in your in-box from 1 December onwards.

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© IWAN BAAN FOR LUMA ARLES, 2021; © THE MOSCOW KREMLIN MUSEUMS

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Coming up, one of the hottest tickets to bag will be for The Courtauld’s Van Gogh Self-Portraits – the first exhibition devoted to such works by Vincent van Gogh, across his entire career. Unlikely to be repeated due to rare loans, the show will trace how this most fascinating of artists experimented with style and constructed an identity.

Pause and study his early Self-Portrait with Dark Felt Hat, the searing SelfPortrait with Bandaged Ear and this, his intense 1888 Self-Portrait as a Painter.

3 February–8 May 2022 courtauld.ac.uk

VAN GOGH MUSEUM, AMSTERDAM (VINCENT VAN GOGH FOUNDATION); THE SKIER, C.1909/CARL LARSSON/THE STAPLETON COLLECTION/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

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3 PLOT YOUR NEXT CULTURE TRIP…

…and factor in a new arts venue. Among openings are Marseille’s Musée Subaquatique (musee-subaquatique.com/fr) – an underwater sculpture museum – and Berlin’s Humboldt Forum (humboldtforum.org/en), where the reconstructed Baroque Berlin Palace is combined with contemporary architecture. Don’t miss, too, Norway’s MUNCH museum (munchmuseet.no/en) and France’s LUMA Arles. This is a detail of Frank Gehry’s stainless-steel, 56-metre tower on the creative campus, where human rights and the environment are also on the agenda. Book a tour at luma.org/en/arles

© IWAN BAAN FOR LUMA ARLES, 2021; © THE MOSCOW KREMLIN MUSEUMS

THE SKIER, C.1909/CARL LARSSON/THE STAPLETON COLLECTION/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

CHRISTMAS 4 START SHOPPING What better gift than something unique and handmade? Visit the winter shows online or in person for exclusive artisan finds, from Art in Clay Farnham (artinclayfarnham. co.uk) to Handmade Chelsea (handmadeinbritain.co.uk). It’s at the latter where, among the rich mix of crafts, you’ll find fine needlefelted pieces such as these hares from sculptor Zoe Stainton. Or why not commission a piece direct from a craftsperson? A great place to research makers is the Crafts Council Directory, where you’ll find details of over 800 craftspeople (craftscouncil.org.uk).

5 BE BEDAZZLED

Gold and silver, enamel and diamonds, rubies and nephrite, rock crystal, velvet and even bone… this piece could only have been created in the workshops of Carl Fabergé. Called The Alexander Palace Egg, it is one of 200 extraordinary works (many in the UK for the first time) in the V&A’s Fabergé in London: Romance to Revolution. The exhibition tells the lesser-known story of the master goldsmith’s London branch.

20 November 2021–8 May 2022 vam.ac.uk/exhibitions/faberge

See our in-depth listings from page 42 For our top arts events each month, sign up to theartssociety.org/signup THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 07

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OUR EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS AND FEATURES DRAWN FROM ACROSS THE ARTS WORLD REPRO OP SUBS ART PRODUCTION © THE HENRY BARBER TRUST, THE BARBER INSTITUTE OF FINE ARTS, UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

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DON’T MISS

Laden with symbolism and open to layers of interpretation, what does this 1865 work by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, The Blue Bower, represent? From the artist’s choice of flowers to the inclusion of a Japanese koto, this is more than just an intimate study of Fanny Cornforth, his muse and mistress.

See it, until 9 January 2022, in Rossetti’s Portraits at Bath’s Holburne Museum; holburne.org

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Miniature majesty National Trust curator Dr John Chu reveals the story behind this tiny Indian artwork

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1. HIDDEN DETAIL A label on the back of the picture identifies the sitter as Maharaja Pratap Singh, although more recent research suggests it depicts his son, Tulsaji of Thanjavur, who was the adopted father of Sarabhoji II. Ongoing investigation will hopefully unravel this mystery.

6. SCHOOL OF ART This kind of painting has become known as ‘company school’ because it was developed in the 18th century to appeal primarily to employees of the European East India Companies. These corporations traded in, and increasingly governed, large parts of the subcontinent.

However, this portrait was painted for Indian royalty.

2. FEATHER FAN Peacock feathers are highly significant in Indian culture.

They have divine associations and represent prosperity among other desirable qualities.

Here, fashioned into a fly whisk, they are both practical and auspicious.

3. COLOURED GEMS Green beetle wing covers (elytra) have been applied to emulate the lustre of emeralds, while the jewellery and embroidered textiles contain real gold.

The vivid colour of the gouache paint has been wonderfully preserved.

4. FINE BRUSHWORK The artist’s skill in capturing detail is especially evident in the swirling patterns of the textiles and in the features of the sitter’s face. His stubble is particularly finely rendered. It is likely that brushes with single hairs were used for parts of the picture.

SEE 100 Paintings From the Collections of the National Trust by John Chu and David Taylor, published by the National Trust, featuring works from the 14th to 20th centuries; nationaltrust.org.uk/shop

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5. POWER PRESENT In 1800, Sarabhoji II of Thanjavur gave this miniature to Lady Henrietta Clive, the wife of the British East India Company’s Governor of Madras (Chennai). By such a gift, he must have hoped to strengthen his relationship with the region’s new presiding power. It came to Powis Castle in Wales after Lord and Lady Clive inherited the estate.

his miniature, just 43 x 35.5cm, was made by an unknown Indian artist working in Thanjavur (Tanjore) in about 1770. The style in which it is painted, combining Indian and European forms of representation, was developed at a time of expanding colonialism on the subcontinent.

Here we see the ruler of Thanjavur beneath a tasselled canopy, while an attendant stirs the air with a fly whisk. Surrounded by luxurious furnishings and clothed in fine textiles, he projects regal ease. The miniature contains precious materials and is itself an extension of the sitter’s majesty.

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Instant Expert, 1

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Right: the Transat chair Below: Eileen Gray, photographed in Paris in 1926 by Berenice Abbott

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MACHINE AGE CLASSIC Behold, one of the sleekest chairs of the Modern Movement, created by 20th-century pioneer Eileen Gray. Sue Herdman reveals the key things to know about its design and its maker

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What was the design influence?

Designed c.1924, Transat’s look alludes to Art Deco transatlantic liners and, more specifically, their utilitarian deckchairs.

It speaks of sophisticated luxury, paired with precision and practicality. It was perfect for the Mediterranean setting, with its adjustable headrest allowing for snoozing in the sun.

Gray always had a Transat in her own homes. This particular one is made of pale sycamore wood, upholstered leather and chromium-plated mounts (Gray’s work in chrome preceded that of other designers, including Mies van der Rohe). It is now in the V&A. One of the originals sat in a Maharaja’s bedroom.

That version had a glossy black lacquer finish. It was commissioned by the young Maharaja of Indore – a fan of all things Modernist – for his palace, Manik Bagh (Garden of Rubies). It appeared at auction in 2014 in New York, realising over $1.5m.

Who was Eileen Gray?

Born in Ireland in 1878 into an Anglo-Irish aristocratic family, Gray was one of the first women to study at the Slade School of Art. She moved to France in 1902, sharing an apartment with sculptor Kathleen Bruce, who was to marry Scott of the Antarctic. Paris later became Gray’s permanent home.

She went on to become an avant-garde figure in French decorative arts, known for lacquerwork and weaving designs, both sold in her elegant shop, Galerie Jean Désert. Impeccably dressed and associated with the right circles (yet indifferent to being so), Gray was a mix of unconventionality (her affairs were with both men and women) and shyness.

She was a brilliant furniture designer and, without formal training, turned to architecture in her late 40s. Her oeuvre was small.

Just nine of her buildings and interior renovations were realised – with four, including E.1027, long being attributed to her collaborator and sometime lover Jean Badovici.

Her name could have slipped through history.

Gray is an elusive figure. The first time her name featured on radio was on the announcement of her death in Paris, in 1976, aged 98. She once said: ‘I was not a pusher and maybe that’s the reason I did not get the place I should have had.’

She disliked publicity.

World War II looting of her homes in France ensured that, post-1945, there

was little archival evidence of her work.

Yet in the late 1960s acknowledgement came, spurred by an article in Domus magazine. Today she is considered a key figure in the Modern Movement.

Gray had a particular eye for chairs.

Although her furniture designs included seminal pieces such as her E.1027 table and 1924 Lota sofa, her chairs remain a beacon for furniture aficionados. Her playful Bibendum, based on the Michelin Man, is also still in production, while her lacquered Dragons armchair has made history. In 2009 it sold for over $28m in Paris – a world record for a piece of 20th-century furniture.

SEE

Eileen Gray – a permanent exhibition at the National Museum of Ireland, Dublin; museum.ie The E.1027 house capmoderne.com; e1027.org

Explore an art story every month with our ‘Instant Expert’ email. Sign up at theartssociety.org/signup

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This is the Transat chair… …also known as the Fauteuil Transatlantique. With its functional, yet glamorous aesthetic, its timeless quality sees it still in production. Original versions (there were 12, only nine survive) are coveted by collectors. In 2018 one sold at Christie’s for $1,596,500. Eileen Gray designed the chair for her E.1027 house – the remarkable whitewashed property she built between 1926 and 1929 on the French Riviera.

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On another scale

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With her exhibition in Yorkshire, Joana Vasconcelos toys with our perceptions of the everyday, in a supersized way. Hers is subversive art, with potent messages, as Holly Black discovers

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Right: Red Independent Heart #3, in the shape of a giant ‘Heart of Viana’, filled in with red plastic cutlery KENTON THATCHER; PHOTO © JONTY WILDE, COURTESY YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK; LUIS VASCONCELOS

Below: The artist’s outlandish Lilicoptère, a gilded helicopter with ostrich feathers, gold leaf and Swarovski crystals

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n the work of Joana Vasconcelos, nothing is quite as it seems. The Portuguese artist creates gargantuan installations that often take the form of recognisable objects, but it is her use of materials and subversive symbolism that encourage us to look again. A pair of glamorous high heels crafted from kitchen pots and pans; a Venetian mask formed from elaborate Baroque mirrors; even a chandelier made of tampons – all of these works resonate on an aesthetic level and cause one to marvel at their construction.

Once she draws you in, more complex, conceptual concerns of gender, sexuality and cultural identity come to the fore, revealing themselves through her uncanny assemblages.

Vasconcelos is not the first artist to challenge the innate symbolism of everyday objects. The Surrealists loved to lean into the absurd (consider Dalí’s Lobster Telephone or Méret Oppenheim’s Breakfast in Fur), and feminist critiques have often interrogated the domestic space. However, her fusion of joyful motifs and epic proportions give cause to marvel. She is a master of spectacle, and loves to involve her audience, whatever their background.

‘It’s important to have universal symbols so that you can communicate with different cultures,’ she explains, when we speak via Zoom. ‘You enter » THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 1 5

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CRAFT AND COLLABORATION

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it clear that she is driven by the idea, not the material. ‘I am a conceptual artist. I’m not like the sculptors of the 19th century. I have a team of craftspeople with incredible knowledge and skills, from wood and metal to knitting and embroidery. They enable me to do my work. Sometimes I get these crazy ideas, and instead of searching for someone to make them a reality, I have those people right here. It’s dynamic and empowering.

There is no constant questioning of what is possible. It allows me to get crazier and crazier.’

These outlandish notions often come when she is invited to participate in a particular project. In 2012, for instance, she became the first female and youngest artist to exhibit within the Palace of Versailles. Instead of attempting to fit in with the opulent surroundings, she challenged them by centring ideas of

IMAGE BY ALLAN POLLOK-MORRIS, COURTESY JUPITER ARTLAND; KENTON THATCHER FOR ATELIER JOANA VASCONCELOS

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through something you do know, to discover something you don’t.’ She is at home in Lisbon, where the need to shut down her 50-person strong atelier due to the pandemic has not hampered her creativity. Throughout our conversation she draws beautiful looping patterns in a range of colours, reminiscent of her whimsical swimming pool Gateway, which was installed at Jupiter Artland, just outside Edinburgh, in 2019. It is formed from 11,366 hand-painted tiles produced in a traditional Portuguese factory. When seen from above, the pool calls to mind a fantastical cartoonstyle paint splat; it also has celestial connotations relating to the artist’s own astrological chart.

Left: Vasconcelos’ swimming pool in Edinburgh, Gateway Right: The Bride, an imposing chandelier, made from tampons Far right: Solitaire, on show now in Yorkshire Below: the artist’s handmade woollen crochet work, Finisterra

LUIS VASCONCELOS; JONTY WILDE

‘ONCE SHE DRAWS YOU IN, MORE COMPLEX, CONCEPTUAL CONCERNS OF GENDER, SEXUALITY AND CULTURAL IDENTITY COME TO THE FORE, REVEALING THEMSELVES THROUGH HER UNCANNY ASSEMBLAGES’ women’s experience. While crochetcovered objects, a feathered helicopter, and a Heart of Viana (the Portuguese emblem for love) formed from red plastic cutlery were permitted, her chandelier was not, on the grounds that a sculpture made from menstrual products was ‘too sexual’.

More recently, Vasconcelos has mounted her exhibition at Yorkshire Sculpture Park (open until January 2022), spanning both interior galleries and the landscape beyond. The exhibition is, says the park, ‘a celebration of the artist’s unbridled imagination’. Within, visitors can expect her multicoloured crochet, 12-metre long Valkyrie Marina

Rinaldi (2014), with its tentacle limbs, from her series Valkyries, based on those warrior women of Norse mythology.

And without, they can catch works such as her Solitário [Solitaire] (2018). This seven-metre-high ring is made of car wheel trims, topped with a ‘diamond’ of whisky glasses. Representing society’s ambitions to acquire wealth, it also speaks of symbols of luxury, such as the diamond solitaire, that bridge social classes. It was a proud moment for the artist, who had long considered the park to be a space of artistic renown. ‘I started to get a bit fed up because friends and colleagues would say, “you’ve done Versailles, but have you done YSP yet?”,’ she laughs. ‘It took me

a few years, but I’m finally here, and it is a pleasure to show work in such beautiful surroundings. You can see art with mud on your boots. What more could you ask for?’

IDEAS AND OPPORTUNITY

For her next major installation, Vasconcelos will take the idea of audience experience even further, by building a massive four-storey, 12-metrehigh wedding cake in the grounds of Waddesdon Manor. The self-described ‘impossible project’, which she has been working on since 2017, will push the boundaries of art, architecture and a sense of shared celebration. Ceramic on » THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 1 7

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Far left: Pop Galo, inspired by the Portuguese symbol the Rooster of Barcelos ART

Above: Marilyn, created from steel pans and lids Left: I’ll Be Your Mirror, made entirely from bronze mirrors

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the outside and textile within, it will, says the artist, ‘exist between reality and a magical world, where people can be part of the artwork by entering the cake and becoming one of the two figurines on top. I hope visitors will be able to get married there. That way, people will forge memories that last a lifetime.’ Such an elaborate undertaking was inspired by the manor and the legacy that the Rothschilds have built there: ‘Some projects need to find the right partner. If you have the concept, but not the right location or person to make it for, it doesn’t make any sense.’

While Vasconcelos has certainly embraced illustrious sites in which to exhibit her work, she takes the social responsibilities of being an acclaimed artist seriously: ‘In troubled times, artists have a crucial role. We are a voice that can be heard,’ she has said. For her, that role involves her eponymous foundation, which supports young people in pursuing careers in the arts, through a range of

scholarships and bursaries. ‘I want people to be able to follow their dreams, whether it is through art, dance or music,’ she says.

The foundation invests in individuals who need recognition and emotional support as much as financial provisions to flourish.

‘I am very proud of how we helped a local girl recently,’ Vasconcelos recalls. ‘She was not from a wealthy background, and her mother was ill. She wanted to study scenography in London but felt she had to stay at home to care for her mother and mind her shop. Instead, we said we would pay for her tuition. She was very brave, finished her studies, and has returned to a job in a reputable theatre in Portugal. Now she has the means to care for her family.’

Vasconcelos’ studio also works with institutions to employ people with mental health issues, refugees and others who might otherwise find work hard to come by. They work with other craftspeople to crochet and embroider, contributing to elaborate ongoing sculptural series such as Vasconcelos’ Valkyries. For

Vasconcelos, offering these kinds of creative, paid opportunities, is a given.

‘I do my share, and if the art world thinks I’m good enough, I will be able to support my studio and provide for my family, and that way I can help others to pursue their dreams. That is what I truly believe in.’

I ask her if the benefits of creative output across all areas of society have been ignored by governments and educational systems for too long. She agrees, yet, unsurprisingly, distils the concept even further: ‘If there were more artists in the world, it would be a better place.’

SEE

Joana Vasconcelos: Beyond – the UK’s largest exhibition of Vasconcelos’ work; Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Yorkshire; Until 9 January 2022; ysp.org.uk

JONTY WILDE; LUIS VASCONCELOS; PHOTO © JONTY WILDE, COURTESY YORKSHIRE SCULPTURE PARK

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‘IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE UNIVERSAL SYMBOLS SO THAT YOU CAN COMMUNICATE WITH DIFFERENT CULTURES. YOU ENTER THROUGH SOMETHING YOU DO KNOW, TO DISCOVER SOMETHING YOU DON’T’

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OUTSIDE THE BOX How did ballet companies, unable to work in usual ways during lockdowns, think differently and feed their creativity and connection with audiences? Gabrielle Jaffe discovers how one such rose to the challenge » 2 0 / T HE A RTSS O C IETY.O RG

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ANDY ROSS

Sophie Martin (centre) and company in rehearsals for Scottish Ballet’s Starstruck

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masked figure dances beside a single light bulb. Dozens of other dancers in matching face masks soon cascade around him on stage, as the camera swoops out to reveal the hauntingly empty seats of Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre. Created by Scottish Ballet for last year’s pandemic-proof, online-only iteration of Edinburgh International Festival, this work, Catalyst, perfectly encapsulates the trying times we found ourselves living through in the summer of 2020. Over 200,000 people watched this six-minute performance online, the dancers each choreographed to their own socially distanced space, their rippling movements conjuring so many birds struggling to break free.

This short work wasn’t just a powerful metaphor for how we’d all been forced apart yet were in this together. It was also a showcase of how a forward-thinking arts company could rise to meet the challenges of Covid and continue to bring art to audiences beyond traditional settings.

‘We’re creative creatures; even in a pandemic we couldn’t stop creating,’ says Christopher Hampson, artistic director of Scottish Ballet. ‘With so much uncertainty, we focused on what we could control, and that led us to commit to creating work that could be accessed through the screen.’

The early challenges in the pandemic were practical ones: how would they get half the company, who were performing in New York, back before the borders closed? How would they keep the dancers fit and supported when they couldn’t come into work? They put on video classes and – having initially watched dancers struggle to balance off kitchen chairs and livingroom mantelpieces – sent them each their own ballet barre and piece of linoleum stage flooring.

Principal Sophie Martin, who had just returned from maternity leave, recalls, ‘It was so difficult.

We couldn’t keep in time to the music because of the video delay. There wasn’t enough room

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Scottish Ballet has created two new dance films in collaboration with people living with neurological conditions

Christopher Harrison rehearses for the company’s production of Starstruck

Artistic director Christopher Hampson

at home. We all thought we’d be back after a few weeks.’

ANDY ROSS

SHIFTING TO SCREEN

When it became apparent they were in for the long haul, Hampson challenged the company’s resident choreographer, Sophie Laplane, to turn the limitations of physical distancing into a source of creativity. The result is Indoors, a short video that splits the screen into 28 tiles. In each tile, a dancer emerges from behind a closed door to move playfully to Mozart’s chirpy Papageno, Papagena duet from The Magic Flute, their collective movements patterning across the screen. Rehearsed and recorded via Zoom, Indoors was a first for Scottish Ballet in terms of working remotely. But the company is no stranger to the screen, having pioneered the idea of a digital season back in 2017.

Many companies now live-stream their stage productions, but few have their own film-makerin-residence or design original dance works specifically for digital performances. One example is Frontiers, a short film released as part of Sottish Ballet’s 2019 Digital Season (and featuring dancer Rishan Benjamin, a past Arts Society grant recipient). This work, which you can see on YouTube, questions gender norms inherent in classical ballet, partnering two women together and two men. The camera splices quickly between the same-sex duets, zooming in on their intimate embraces, zooming out to reveal a gritty urban location, having an impact that would be hard to recreate on stage. ‘When you watch on stage,’ says Hampson, ‘your eye can wander. On film, you can have the audience follow a dancer and stay with them, so the viewer is taken on a different journey.’

Creating for film has required the whole company to adapt, not least the dancers. ‘Normally they’re doing eight performances a week, requiring stamina like a marathon runner,’ explains Hampson.

‘With digital capture, we’re asking artists to perform very short excerpts, but repeating them over and over. They’re more like sprint runners – it requires a different kind of performance.’

Such past experience stood the company in good stead to make a digital-only swerve during the pandemic. While many ballet companies planned live performances last Christmas, only to be told at the last minute that the show couldn’t go on, Scottish Ballet chose this as the occasion to make its first feature-length film. Over an hour, The Secret Theatre cleverly blends scenes from The Nutcracker and The Snow Queen. The ambitious production kept the whole company busy. The Scottish Ballet Orchestra recorded the » THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 2 3

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BEHIND THE SCENES

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score, while wardrobe adjusted costumes designed for the stage, hiding hooks and netting that would have been visible on camera. Everyone had to get used to 12- to 14-hour days on set.

‘It’s hard because you don’t have the adrenaline that comes with a live audience,’ says Jerome Anthony Barnes, who portrays the Nutcracker Prince in the film. ‘I’d always dreamt of being the Prince, but thought it would be on stage,’ he says.

‘Actually, it was better than I’d dreamt. In a theatre, only one group of people sees it. It felt good to be able to give people something on the telly, while everyone was feeling down.’ Scottish Ballet streamed The Secret Theatre for free in December last year. ‘It was Christmas – it felt like the right thing to do during the pandemic,’ explains Hampson. ‘We were saying, it’s a bad time right now, but this is why art is here.’ In doing so, the company was able to expand its reach. A third of The Secret Theatre audience had never seen the company’s work before. By asking viewers to 24 / T H E A RTSS OC IE TY.O RG

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become free members to access content, they have been able to keep the connection going.

REMOVING BARRIERS

It’s all part of the company’s wider mission to bring the power of dance to as many as possible. As Hampson explains, ‘Ballet has been accused of elitism. We want to change perceptions by showing that dance is about humans moving, and anybody should be able to access that.’ The company’s work is helping eliminate some of the barriers inherent in a theatre setting through different outreach programmes. Its Safe to Be Me initiative has helped hundreds of primary school pupils address issues of racism, homophobia, ableism and transphobia, and given them the confidence to put on their own dance performances. The company runs dance classes for people with Parkinson’s, dementia and multiple sclerosis, and during lockdowns it also created movement and breathing video sessions to help NHS workers manage stress.

ANDY ROSS; DREW FORSYTH

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‘BALLET HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF ELITISM. WE WANT TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS BY SHOWING THAT DANCE IS ABOUT HUMANS MOVING, AND ANYBODY SHOULD BE ABLE TO ACCESS THAT’

BEHIND THE SCENES

Bethany Kingsley-Garner and Evan Loudon in The Nutcracker

Producing digital content complements these accessibility initiatives. ‘Ballet doesn’t always need to be two acts long. It can be something that’s two minutes long, which you watch on your smartphone, during your lunch break,’ says Hampson. ‘We need to allow ballet to live in this space too, so it can keep growing.’ However people first become drawn to ballet, he feels the ultimate goal is ‘to drive people to watch our amazing dancers in person. There’s nothing more inspiring than seeing communication in action through the medium of dance.’

After 18 months without a physical audience, the company returned to the stage this September with Starstruck, a glamorous adaptation of Gene Kelly’s Pas de Dieux, set in 1960s Paris. Following its tour of Scottish venues, the show has also been made into the company’s second feature-length film. This winter the company is back in theatres in an even bolder way. With plans for dozens of performances at six venues in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, its production of The Nutcracker marks a nostalgic return to pre-pandemic times. ‘It’s got

Behind the scenes in rehearsals for The Nutcracker

everything that everyone’s been missing,’ muses Hampson. ‘Sumptuous dances, live orchestra, opulent costumes and sets – it even snows on stage.’ It’s not just audiences who are eager for a dazzling Christmas production. For all the power of digital to expand ballet’s reach, there are certain irreplaceable moments that come with the dialogue between a company and live audience.

‘The Nutcracker brings the crowds and a younger audience,’ says Sophie Martin, who’ll reprise the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy. ‘There is nothing like feeling that feedback in the clapping, and wondering how many people are there, seeing ballet for the first time.’

FIND OUT MORE

For more on how to see films such as Starstruck, and for details on The Nutcracker tour (1 December 2021–12 February 2022) to four Scottish cities, Belfast and Newcastle, see scottishballet.co.uk

WHAT ELSE TO SEE THIS WINTER

A CHRISTMAS CAROL See Dickens’ uplifting tale and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future brought to life in this critically acclaimed adaption that gives Scrooge his own backstory. 13 November 2021–8 January 2022; Old Vic, London; oldvictheatre.com

THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART This musical comedy from playwright David Greig is set in the Scottish borders one winter solstice night. 4 December 2021 –15 January 2022; Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester; royalexchange.co.uk

HANDEL’S MESSIAH Sung at the Royal Albert Hall each Christmas since 1872, Handel’s sacred oratorio is performed this year by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Chorus.

15 December; Royal Albert Hall, London; royalalberthall.com

THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE One for all the family: step into the world of Narnia with this visually spectacular production based on CS Lewis’ classic.

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SURREAL EYE

Explore René Magritte’s otherworldly art with Guillermo Solana, artistic director at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional, Madrid and curator of its arresting new show of the artist’s dreamlike works

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This 1965 work is a late masterpiece, created two years before Magritte’s death, in which he applied techniques of camouflage.

He referred to it as ‘the picture with the Amazon who is hidden yet can be seen’.

The Amazon and her steed become entangled with the trees, in the same way that the visible

This 1935 painting gives us a glimpse of an exterior in daylight – a Magrittian landscape with a gigantic leaf of a tree. The artist gave this explanation: ‘This closed door is nevertheless open: an opening makes it possible to go through it as if through the opening of an open door.’

When a hole is made in the closed door, it

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intermingles with the invisible. Magritte explained: ‘When someone rides a horse in the forest, first you see them, then you don’t, but you know they are there.

‘In The Blank Signature the rider hides the trees, and the trees hide her. But our thought encompasses both the visible and the invisible.’

It was what he called an ‘impossible image’.

becomes both open and closed at the same time, outwitting the French proverb ‘il faut qu’une porte soit ouverte ou fermée’ (‘a door must be either open or closed’).

Magritte thus creates a paradox equivalent to that in his famous work This is not a Pipe but without turning to words, relying solely on images.

ALL WORKS: RENÉ MAGRITTE © VEGAP, MADRID, 2021; THE MENIL COLLECTION, HOUSTON,

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THE AMOROUS VISTA

ALL WORKS: RENÉ MAGRITTE © VEGAP, MADRID, 2021; NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, COLLECTION MR & MRS PAUL MELLON; PRIVATE COLLECTION, COURTESY GUGGENHEIM, ASHER ASSOCIATES

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THE BLANK SIGNATURE

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ALL WORKS: RENÉ MAGRITTE © VEGAP, MADRID, 2021; THE MENIL COLLECTION, HOUSTON, PHOTO: PAUL HESTER; LEHMBRUCK MUSEUM, DUISBUGO, 1966/1976, PHOTO: BREND KIRTZ

COLLECTION MR & MRS PAUL MELLON; PRIVATE COLLECTION, COURTESY GUGGENHEIM, ASHER ASSOCIATES

THE FUTURE OF STATUES

MEGALOMANIA Two strands in Magritte’s work are the minimising of objects, making them invisible, and the opposite, their enhancing. He played with how some pieces grow and grow, which we see here in his 1962 Megalomania (La Folie des grandeurs).

Magritte was fond of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, illustrated

by John Tenniel. Here he is connecting with the idea of Alice becoming a telescope.

In the book Alice changes size, and her changes in height cause the most striking decontextualisations.

‘I wish I could shut up like a telescope,’ she exclaims at one point, referring later to how she is ‘opening out like the largest telescope that ever was!’. Here a sculptural female torso is divided into three hollow parts, each fitting inside the other, like a set of Russian dolls.

Magritte did as many as four versions of this, taking a cast of Napoleon’s funerary mask, and camouflaging it with blue sky and white clouds. Each time he was seeing how far he could make a physical object disappear.

The plaster cast is a reference to the one shown in Giorgio de Chirico’s The Song of Love, which had fascinated Magritte.

Paul Nougé, the Belgian poet and philosopher who christened this piece, noted: ‘And it so happens, thanks to Magritte, that the plaster mask of Napoleon, of Robespierre, or of Pascal, a half-open forest, a patch of sky traversed by clouds and dreams, transfigures the very face of death in a totally unexpected way.’

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ONE-NIGHT MUSEUM

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From September 1927 to July 1930, Magritte painted more than 40 tableaux-mots: pictures combining words.

This 1927 work has the same composition as his first word picture, The Interpretation of Dreams, but it has no words; it is missing its museum labels. The first object is a hand, but is it real, or made of plaster or wax?

The second appears to be

an apple – or a tomato. The third has the outline of a shoe, only flatter, and seems to be cast in metal.

The contents of the fourth niche are concealed by the cut-out paper; or is the object on show that paper lattice itself? ‘Some objects do without a name,’ Magritte stated. And also: ‘My painting is a mind seeing without naming what it sees.’

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Magritte showed a special interest in birds that undergo a variety of mimetic metamorphoses. The bird is often camouflaged with the sky through which it makes its way.

In this 1966 painting, in which the motif appeared for the last time in Magritte’s work, the contrast is between the clear sky outside the figure and the cloudy sky within.

The paradox of Magrittian mimicry is that the figure’s submission to its environment can make it more visible, but visible in its absence.

THE MASTERPIECE In this 1955 painting, also known as The Mysteries of the Horizon, three male figures in bowler hats look in different directions, as if to remind us that the horizon is not a straight line but a circle around the observer.

The three figures suggest the same person in three positions: viewed from

behind, in lost profile and in profile. Not even the latter is accessible and none of them gaze back at us.

This work is related to a core topic for Magritte: the vanishing face, the non-disclosure of identity.

He makes us want to see the face, and creates a charged sense of enigma.

SEE

The Magritte machine Until 30 January 2022 at Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional, Madrid; museothyssen.org The show will then go to CaixaForum, Barcelona; caixaforum.org

ALL WORKS: RENÉ MAGRITTE © VEGAP, MADRID, 2021; PRIVATE COLLECTION, COURTESY LUDION PUBLISHERS; PRIVATE COLLECTION, COURTESY DI DONNA GALLERIES, NEW YORK, COURTESY LUDION PUBLISHERS; FREDERICK R WEISMAN ART FOUNDATION, LOS ANGELES

ART

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DRAWN TO THE LIGHT

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A winter’s evening walk brings glimpses of a motif that, for artists, conjures homecomings, hauntings, nostalgia and desire. Peter Davidson explores the enduring fascination of the lighted window

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t is evening now and I should walk home. This sentence opens a world of evening strolls and lighted windows seen and remembered. A walk past city windows is an imaginative journey through constellations of unknowable lives. Such walks bring recollections of artworks in all media; works that use the potent motif of the lighted window.

Innumerable examples of visual art focus on the window lit from within, particularly from the early 19th century to the present; and there are multiple literary treatments of the theme in the same period.

In music, serenades imply a figure in a dark street, addressing the beloved at a lighted window.

This finds memorable form in Joseph Losey’s 1979 film of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, where the Don serenades Donna Elvira’s maid. This scene was filmed below a wing of the Villa Valmarana in Vicenza, so the artist Tiepolo’s beautifully sparse chinoiserie decoration is visible inside the frame of the window, lit from within.

Lighted windows convey moods and meanings.

In Victorian England, for the poet Matthew Arnold or the painter Atkinson Grimshaw, they can express the melancholy of the long 19th century. They conjure gaslight or lamplight glimmering on rainwet cobbles, where a lonely, belated figure looks up at the lighted windows of gritstone suburban mansions, or a chapel in misted dusk. Late arrival, changed places, exclusion from present comfort and the lost happiness of the past are all here.

This tradition might be said to cumulate in the beauty, power, nostalgia and desire expressed by Alan Hollinghurst’s novel The Sparsholt Affair, as it moves through 20th-century history, tracing the fortunes of the handsome athlete first glimpsed in its pages in ‘that brief time between sunset and the blackout’ through a window in wartime Oxford. »

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THEMES IN ART

© ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO/FRIENDS OF AMERICAN ART COLLECTION/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES

Nighthawks, 1942, by Edward Hopper, master of twilight paintings

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‘THE CHEMIST’S SHOP, WITH ITS BACKLIT FLAGONS OF COLOURED WATERS, HAS SOMETHING OF THE FLEETING SADNESS OF A DESERTED FAIRGROUND’

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Above: Eric Ravilious, chemist’s shop from High Street, 1938 Left: Richard Bergh’s The Fortress of Varberg, 1894

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The glowing window in a quiet street or an isolated villa is also associated with the supernatural. The unexpected glimpse of a painted room or ceiling from the past can feel like a kind of haunting.

Lamplight moving in an empty dwelling has become a cliché of ghostly tales. From the mysterious to the romantic, the potential of the lighted window is first explored in detail by Romantic painters working in Dresden in the early 19th century, particularly Caspar David Friedrich. In the UK, an intensely potent British image continuing the theme of moon and window light is found in Humphrey Repton’s delightful drawing of his proposed Gothic bower for a mansion on the shore of the Menai Strait, with the mountains of Wales rising beyond the water.

The motif of the lighted window, indeed the work of art as lighted window, is seen in those optical devices – transparencies and backlit glass paintings – that painters have delighted in since the 18th century. These fascinated artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and Friedrich. The tradition continues today in temporary sacred theatres of Baroque elaboration, erected in Tyrolean churches at Easter, with effects of backlighting, varnished or pricked-through transparencies, and lights seen behind globes of coloured glass.

There is a fascination, too, associated with the lighted windows of great cities, particularly in the fictions of detection and adventure, which shape imaginations of the modern metropolis. Think of the canon of Sherlock Holmes stories and that of Father Brown. The approach of the London evening also brings forth a kind of lonely poetry, first observed in the fin-de-siècle nocturnes of James Whistler.

In turn, London windows, and the lives behind them, are perfectly observed by Virginia Woolf in her 1925 novel Mrs Dalloway, which concludes with one of the most beautifully realised evening glimpses through a London window in all fiction: ‘…it was also windows lit up, a piano, a gramophone sounding; a sense of pleasure-making hidden, but now and again emerging when, through the uncurtained window, the window left open, one saw parties sitting over tables, young people slowly circling, conversations between men and women,

OXFORD, BODLEIAN LIBRARY, 1773 D.100; © ERIK CORNELIUS/NATIONALMUSEUM 2008

MYSTIC ALLURE

maids idly looking out… Absorbing, mysterious, of infinite richness, this life.’

LIGHTING THE WAY

PHOTO © CHRISTIE’S IMAGES/BRIDGEMAN IMAGES; ANTON PROCK

OXFORD, BODLEIAN LIBRARY, 1773 D.100; © ERIK CORNELIUS/NATIONALMUSEUM 2008

Thirteen years later, in 1938, Eric Ravilious published his coloured lithographs of lighted shops and pubs in the book High Street. The work has a haunting quality, showing shops at night in deserted streets with an element of quiet strangeness. His chemist’s shop, with its backlit flagons of coloured waters, has something of the fleeting sadness of a deserted fairground, with wintery trees and moonlit sky showing above its roof. Yet the lighted window can also represent warmth, the security of home, a promise of domestic happiness towards which the traveller hastens at nightfall. One of the most distinguished artists in this mode is Samuel Palmer.

His gouache The Lonely Tower (also rendered in etching) occupies layered times and places. It is at once 19th-century England and Virgil’s pastoral Italy, with its star-surrounded, lighted tower window high above the gentle landscape.

Above left: Atkinson Grimshaw’s Under the Moonbeams, 1887 Above right: interior of a Tyrolean church

The Lighted Window: Evening Walks Remembered

by Peter Davidson is published on 5 November by Bodleian Library Publishing; bodleianshop.co.uk

The image of yellow, welcoming light in the vast blue dark of winter, such as that seen in Richard Bergh’s 1894 The Fortress of Varberg, is also a motif of Scandinavian romantic painting. The sheer scale of the northern landscape is emphasised by the sparse lights of the dwellings scattered across hills and islands. Much the same applies to the exquisite urban and rural nocturnes of 20th-century Japanese woodblock prints. In a very different mood, lit windows in darkness became a defining motif of American art in the years after World War II, and remain so in the work of contemporary American photographers, such as the makers of sad and disquieted photographic nocturnes, Todd Hido and Gregory Crewdson. These artists of the lonely night hours are the heirs of Edward Hopper, whose paintings derive much of their power from the skilled placing of the imagined spectator as someone out too late, themselves transient and ill at ease.

There is so much for the walker at evening to see and remember. A world is opened by that sentence: it is evening now and I should walk home.

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ARTS SOCIETY FEATURES AND NEWS, PLUS OUR WHAT’S ON LISTINGS AND SPECIAL OFFERS REPRO OP SUBS ART PRODUCTION CLIENT

DON’T MISS

ALASTAIR MUIR

Join John Cox and David Hockney’s

production of Stravinsky’s 1951 opera The Rake’s Progress (with libretto by WH Auden) – the tale of a bearded lady, a small-town boy and a deal with the devil – on tour. Hockney’s electrifying set and costume designs are, says Cox, ‘the visual equivalent of the music: angular, disciplined and with a lot of clarity’. The artist took Hogarth’s original A Rake’s Progress engravings as his spur to create a ‘linear, spiky’ look ‘that goes with the music’, transforming the opera into a living Hogarth etching. Catch it as it tours to Milton Keynes, Norwich and Liverpool. glyndebourne.com

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THE ARTS SOCIETY FOCUS

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ART ON THE GO

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Art @ The Station turns railway waiting rooms into pop-up galleries with works by locals of all ages.

Caroline Wheater talks to people involved, revealing how this brilliant initiative can move down the line fast, as more Societies join in

ART

ILLUSTRATION: ELEANOR SHAKESPEARE

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n Harry Potter style, the waiting room on Platform 3 at Guildford station in Surrey promises all kinds of magic.

No wands or mandrakes involved – instead, a rolling programme of paintings, drawings and photographs casts its spell over passengers. The wonder has spread to waiting rooms at Farncombe (Platform 1) and Woking (Platform 5), too. You might see roaring tigers painted by a primary school child, watercolour sailing boats created

by GCSE students, or reproductions of famous paintings by, possibly, some of their parents.

This is Art @ The Station, as championed by The Arts Society Guildford, and now a national Arts Society initiative. Originally launched at Farnham, Guildford took up the baton in 2017 under Cherry-Anne Russell, now The Arts Society’s Head of Arts Volunteering. ‘Our original aim was to support local young arts,’ she says, ‘and the chance to stage a “proper” exhibition at Guildford station, in such a great space, was too good to miss.’ With images supplied by A-level photography students at Guildford County School, the event made local news. Head teacher Jack Mayhew summed up the impact at the time by saying: ‘It’s an incredible opportunity for students to show their 3 8 / T H E A RTSS OC IE TY.O RG

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work beyond the classroom.’ This feeling was echoed by student Albie, who added: ‘It’s great to have my work on show in such a professional way. I didn’t think anyone other than the examiners would ever see it!’

GETTING INVOLVED

Since then Art @ The Station has become a fixture on Guildford’s calendar.

It is run by retired art teacher Liz Collins, who joined The Arts Society specifically to do arts volunteering.

The impact of Liz’s work has won her this year’s Marsh Awards Highly Commended for Arts Volunteering Award, for her tireless activity in promoting this initiative and supporting Societies wanting to get involved.

‘The concept was to get art into the community and give it a public space, with a special focus on the work of children, from Year 1 up to Year 13,’ she says. Her current rota now includes 15 local schools. The waiting room displays are changed three times a year to chime with autumn, winter and summer terms, and Liz plans the schedule a year in advance – work that takes her two days a month.

‘I got involved because, when I was teaching, I was supported by the local Arts Society. I wanted to do the same for

‘WE ARE SO PROUD OF OUR STUDENTS’ WORK AND IT HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE FOR THEM TO HAVE THEIR ARTWORKS SHOWCASED IN THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITY’ MEL PEARSON-JURY, HEAD OF ART, BROADWATER SCHOOL

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other schools. I’m passionate about art for children and do this to celebrate the work of schools. It’s important for the public to be part of school life and to know what pupils are achieving.

Our feedback shows the children are delighted with the project. It gives them huge satisfaction, pride and confidence.

Plus, if they want to take their art onwards, it’s a stepping stone.’ Liz has a clear brief for schools that want to take part in Art @ The Station, inviting teachers to submit eight artworks

chosen from curriculum projects. Ruth Cook, head of art and textiles at George Abbot School, saw drawings by some of her Year 9 students (13- to 14-year-olds), go up in Guildford station last spring.

Around 40 Year 9 students had been studying the pencil portraiture of artist Iain Macarthur, and Ruth chose eight outstanding pieces inspired by his work.

‘They are really expressive works, and I’m thrilled that we could show the quality of our students’ drawing skills, already apparent at such a young age.’

MULTIPLE BENEFITS

Art @ The Station has played a key role for South Western Railway’s (SWR) community outreach too. Liz liaised with SWR to formally ‘adopt’ the waiting rooms at Guildford, Woking and Farncombe stations. ‘We have to satisfy health and safety requirements and provide eight lockable, tamper-proof picture frames per station, which SWR gave us a £500 grant towards.’ The initiative was deemed so successful that it was shortlisted in the nationwide

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‘I WAS ALREADY PRETTY SURE THAT I WAS GOING TO TAKE GCSE ART, BUT THIS GAVE ME MORE CONFIDENCE THAT I WOULD BE GOOD AT IT’ STUDENT AT GUILDFORD COUNTY SCHOOL

PHOTOS: ANDY BUCKLEY AND SIAN DAVIS

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Community Rail Network (CRN) Awards 2020. Says Daniel Wright, community rail support officer at CRN: ‘We’re all about connecting the railway to its communities. Art @ The Station has done so much towards achieving this goal at South Western Railway stations.

It has allowed local artists to show off their works to a new audience of rail travellers, and rail travellers have seen station waiting rooms turned into art galleries.’ SWR also offers station adopters 60 free train tickets a year – a bonus that’s enthusiastically taken up by participating schools.

For the contributors, too, it’s exciting to see their paintings gain public appreciation. Arts Society Member and ceramics graduate Cheryl King founded the Roseacre Gardens Grown-up Art Group during lockdown, for the benefit of friends and neighbours seeking an artistic outlet. None of the 12 members

have any art training. Each two-hour Zoom session involves a 10-minute talk from Cheryl on a famous painting, which the group then copies. This work has seen Cheryl recognised by the Marsh Awards (with the Individual Award for Arts Volunteering) and her group has had its work shown at Guildford and Farncombe stations. ‘Time and again, I hear people say they couldn’t paint at school and they are hopeless at art,’ she says. Now, to her participants’ surprise and delight, their works are under public gaze. One contributor, Nik Badain, had her interpretation of Edward Hopper’s Compartment C, Car 193 on show. ‘I’ve never done anything like this,’ she says.

‘I feel so much more confident in my ability, and it was lovely to think we could brighten the walls of a waiting room and inspire other people to have a go at art.’

As news of Art @ The Station spreads, more Societies are getting involved – and

no wonder. This is a powerful project that makes public spaces more welcoming and provides a sense of community. The Arts Society St Albans mounted its first display this summer, with Heathlands School for the Deaf.

The students’ artworks expressed their feelings about attitudes to deafness. This is uplifting art that starts conversations between strangers – and isn’t that what art is all about?

FIND OUT MORE • If your Society would like to get involved, or if you are interested in getting a volunteering project started, email volunteering@theartssociety.org • For more on the Marsh Charitable Trust, see marshcharitabletrust.org/awards

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Our guide to this season’s arts and culture events LONDON

Mike Leigh Retrospective BFI Southbank UNTIL 30 NOV

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The BFI celebrates one of Britain’s most loved directors. In addition to the retrospective, a selection of films will be available on BFI Player. bfi.org.uk T: 020 7928 3232 _

The Covid-delayed 253rd Summer Exhibition opens its doors, with Yinka Shonibare coordinating.

The theme is ‘Reclaiming Magic’, to celebrate the joy of creating art. royalacademy.org.uk T: 020 7300 8090 _

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Hampstead Theatre

Imperial War Museum

UNTIL 4 DEC

UNTIL 9 JAN 2022

Stockard Channing and Rebecca Night explore the mother-daughter relationship in Marsha Norman’s Pulitzer Prizewinning play. hampsteadtheatre.com T: 020 7722 9301 _

Twenty years after the 9/11 terror attack, the IWM shows five large-scale photographs taken at Ground Zero in November 2001 by the Oscarnominated film-maker. iwm.org.uk T: 020 7416 5000 _

UNTIL 23 DEC

*Details correct at time of going to print; please check with all sites before you visit

UNTIL 2 JAN 2022

’night, Mother

Guildhall Art Gallery

For our monthly ‘top 5 events’ and ‘Instant Expert’ e-talks, sign up at theartssociety.org/signup

Royal Academy of Arts

Wim Wenders: Photographing Ground Zero

Noël Coward: Art and Style

For news of The Arts Society events near you, see theartssociety.org/ events

Summer Exhibition 2021

To mark 100 years since Coward’s West End debut as a playwright, this exhibition lifts the curtain on the dazzling visual side of his life and work, including his iconic gowns. cityoflondon.gov.uk T: 020 7332 3700 _

Yoko Ono: MEND PIECE for London

Hokusai: The Great Picture Book of Everything The British Museum UNTIL 30 JAN 2022

Over 100 rediscovered drawings by Katsushika Hokusai on show for the first time. britishmuseum.org T: 020 7323 8181 _

Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules Somerset House

Whitechapel Gallery

UNTIL 6 MAR 2022

UNTIL 2 JAN 2022

Get your black and red striped sweater on to view virtual works of art and walk through the recreation of Beanotown – just two of the attractions in a show celebrating the

Ono focuses on the act of repair, a metaphor for the mending that takes place in the mind. whitechapelgallery.org T: 020 7522 7888

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DON’T MISS

MIXING IT UP: PAINTING TODAY Hayward Gallery, London UNTIL 12 DEC

Pictured is The Captain and the Mate by Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid, whose art uncovers marginalised, hidden histories. It features in this show, which brings together 31 contemporary painters from around the world, whose work draws on a range of image sources, techniques and tradition. southbankcentre.co.uk; T: 020 3879 9555

world’s longest-running weekly comic strip. somersethouse.org.uk T: 0333 320 2836 _

For further details, see individual venues _

Hogarth and Europe

National Gallery

Tate Britain

20 NOV 2021–27 FEB 2022

3 NOV 2021–20 MAR 2022

Charting Albrecht Dürer’s travels across Europe using paintings, drawings, prints and letters – the first major UK show of his work for nearly 20 years. nationalgallery.org.uk T: 020 7747 2885 _

European society and culture shifted in the mid18th century. This show reveals how Hogarth and his contemporaries chronicled that change. tate.org.uk T: 020 7887 8888 _

Dürer’s Journeys: Travels of a Renaissance Artist

ENO: La bohème

London Jazz Festival

London Coliseum

Various venues

31 JAN–27 FEB 2022

12–21 NOV

The return of Jonathan Miller’s classic production, inspired by Brassaï’s photographs of 1930s Paris. eno.org T: 020 7845 9236 _

The London Jazz Festival goes live again, with a lineup that includes Cleveland Watkiss, Django Bates, Joachim Cooder and Yo La Tengo. If you can’t make it to a live gig, enjoy 2020 highlights online at the festival website. efglondonjazzfestival.org.uk

Surrealism Beyond Borders Tate Modern 24 FEB–29 AUG 2022

© LUBAINA HIMID (2021). COURTESY THE ARTIST AND HOLLYBUSH GARDENS, LONDON. PHOTO: ANDY KEATE

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John Nash: The Landscape of Love and Solace Compton Verney; until 23 Jan 2022 In association with Towner Eastbourne, a show on the life of the prolific and versatile John Nash, war artist in both world wars. This is his Oppy Wood of 1918. comptonverney.org.uk; T: 01926 645500

How artists around the world have been inspired and united by Surrealism. tate.org.uk T: 020 7887 8888 THE SOUTH AND EAST OF ENGLAND

Anton Smit: The Walk of Life Leonardslee Sculpture Park and Art Gallery, Horsham ONGOING

© IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM; TATE COLLECTION. COPYRIGHT ESTATE OF DUNCAN GRANT. PHOTOGRAPH: TATE

Shipped from South Africa during the pandemic, Anton Smit’s monumental sculptures have found a spectacular home in the new sculpture garden. leonardsleegardens.co.uk T: 0871 873 3389 _

kettlesyard.co.uk T: 01223 748100 _ Modern Art Oxford

including Sir Peter Blake, and Tacita Dean. pallant.org.uk T: 01243 774557 _

style, transforming the landscape. kew.org/wakehurst T: 01444 894066 _

UNTIL 13 FEB 2022

City Lights

Kapoor sees himself as a painter working as a sculptor. This is a chance to explore the lesserknown side of his work. modernartoxford.org.uk T: 01865 722733 _

Glyndebourne, Lewes

Car Park Panto presents: Horrible Christmas

19–20 NOV

17 DEC ONWARDS

Charlie Chaplin’s classic silent comedy accompanied by a live orchestra. glyndebourne.com T: 01273 815000 _

The world’s first drive-in panto returns so you can boo, hiss and cheer from the comfort of your car.

Starting at Chelmsford City Racecourse, before heading around England and Wales. carparkparty.com _

Anish Kapoor: Painting

Masterpieces in Miniature: The 2021 Model Art Gallery

Glow Wild

Pallant House, Chichester

Wakehurst, Haywards Heath

UNTIL SPRING 2022

25 NOV 2021–2 JAN 2022

Over 80 miniature masterpieces from artists

Wakehurst turns on its Christmas lights in

Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge UNTIL 30 JAN 2022

A solo show drawing on the British Indian artist’s extensive career, featuring her contributions to the Black Arts Movement in Britain.

14 NOV

Suzanne Vega: An Evening of New York Songs and Stories

The celebrated singer/ songwriter kicks off a short tour in Brighton. theatreroyalbrighton.com T: 0844 871 7627

UNTIL 25 JAN 2022

Sutapa Biswas: Lumen

Theatre Royal, Nottingham

10 FEB 2022

Hove Museum and Art Gallery Pottery dogs, clocks and Toby jugs take on new meaning as ceramic artist Richard Slee takes inspiration from Mass Observation’s 1937 Mantlepiece Reports, when volunteers listed the items on their mantlepieces. brightonmuseums.org T: 0300 029 0900 _

An Evening With David Suchet: Poirot and More – a Retrospective

Theatre Royal Brighton

Richard Slee: Mantlepiece Observations

THE MIDLANDS

Turner Prize 2021 Herbert Art Gallery and Museum, Coventry UNTIL 12 JAN 2022

DON’T MISS

DUNCAN GRANT: 1920 Charleston, Lewes UNTIL 13 MAR 2022

A unique show at the artist’s one-time home: over 30 paintings, many not seen for decades or in public before, on display in a recreation of Duncan Grant’s (1885–1978) first solo exhibition of just over a century ago. This is his Venus and Adonis, c.1919. Accompanying the show will be the inaugural solo exhibition of works by artist Tunji Adeniyi-Jones. charleston.org.uk; T: 01323 811626

The winner of the 2021 Turner Prize will be presented at the gallery as part of the UK City of Culture 2021 celebrations.

This is the first time that the shortlist has been made up entirely of artist collectives. theherbert.org T: 02476 237521 _

Laura Knight: A Panoramic View MK Gallery, Milton Keynes UNTIL 20 FEB 2022

Laura Knight was a pioneering painter of women, war and marginalised people.

This is the most significant presentation of her work in over 50 years. mkgallery.org T: 01908 676900 _

David Suchet revisits the milestones of his 50-year acting career, including his portrayal of Agatha Christie’s legendary detective, Hercule Poirot trch.co.uk T: 0115 989 5555 _

Brick by Brick Rugby Art Gallery and Museum 18 NOV 2021–4 JAN 2022

Eighteen artists, designers and photographers from across the world use LEGO® bricks to create a range of thought-provoking, humorous works. ragm.co.uk T: 01788 533201 _

Kindred Spirits The Harley Gallery, Worksop 19 NOV 2021–6 FEB 2022

Curated by Outside In, a charity that provides a platform for artists who face barriers to the art world. Artists include Alfred Wallis and Edward Burra. harleygallery.co.uk T: 01909 501700

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JACQUELINE DE JONG: THE ULTIMATE KISS MOSTYN, Llandudno

22 JAN–10 APR 2022

UNTIL 6 FEB 2022

SUBS

The largest touring exhibition of contemporary art in the UK arrives in Wolverhampton. www.wolverhamptonart. org.uk T: 01902 552055 _

ART

The first UK solo show for the Dutch artist whose challenging mix of eroticism, violence and humour has made her one of the crucial figures of the post-war avantgarde. Seen here is her 1987 Chemin Perdu de la Chasse Frustrée. mostyn.org; T: 01492 879201

Birmingham Royal Ballet: Don Quixote Birmingham Hippodrome 18–26 FEB 2022

PRODUCTION

Director Carlos Acosta’s new production of Cervantes’ classic tale, part of a UK tour taking in Southampton, Salford, Sunderland and Plymouth. brb.org.uk T: 0844 338 5000

member of Magnum Photos David Hurn amassed a large collection of images by swapping with other photographers. museum.wales T: 0300 111 2333 _

Blazin’ Fiddles Aberystwyth Arts Centre 25 NOV

CLIENT

WALES

David Hurn: Swaps National Museum Cardiff UNTIL 27 MAR 2022

Documentary photographer and

The award-winning Blazin’ Fiddles return to Aberystwyth for an evening of energy and fizz. aberystwythartscentre. co.uk T: 01970 623232

WORDS: ANNIE DAVIES

ENJOY MORE ART ONLINE

Omar Sosa and Seckou Keita Taliesin Arts Centre, Swansea 27 NOV

Piano virtuoso Sosa and kora maestro Keita join forces for a unique musical experience. taliesinartscentre.co.uk T: 01792 602060 THE WEST OF ENGLAND

What Lies Behind Newlyn Art Gallery UNTIL 8 JAN 2022

Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah

National Theatre at Home

20–30 JAN 2022

ONGOING

Film fans can catch the best in independent movies without leaving home. In 2021 Sundance went digital and drew its largest ever audience. This year it will take place in person and online. sundance.org _

If you’re not quite ready to go back into the theatre yet, the National Theatre is now offering a subscription streaming service that gives access to a catalogue of plays to watch online. From Chiwetel Ejiofor in Everyman to Helen Mirren in Phèdre, new productions are added each month. ntathome.com

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The Edinburgh International Festival At Home If you weren’t able to make it to Edinburgh this year then enjoy

Ten people, referred by their GPs, have chosen works from the Arts Council Collection to reflect their feelings about the pandemic. The group also worked with artists to create pieces of their own. newlynartgallery.co.uk T: 01736 363715 _

Wildlife Photographer of the Year Royal Albert Memorial Museum and Art Gallery, Exeter UNTIL 9 JAN 2022

This is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, attracting over 49,000 entries from across the world. rammuseum.org.uk T: 01392 265858 _

Coming Up For Air: Stephen Gill – A Retrospective Arnolfini, Bristol UNTIL 16 JAN 2022

Photographer Gill has been described as a documentarist, anthropologist and

some of the performances for free at home. Among them The Soldier’s Tale (until 25 February 2022), a darkly humorous musical story combining dance, theatre and the playing of violinist Nicola Benedetti; The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (until 5 December): Vasily Petrenko conducts Beethoven’s Symphony No 7 and Clara Schumann’s Piano Concerto.

The pianist is Isata KannehMason. And Talisk (until 9 February 2022), the award-

visual poet. This show spans 30 years of his work. arnolfini.org.uk T: 0117 917 2300 _

Petrit Halilaj: Very volcanic over this green feather Tate St Ives UNTIL 16 JAN 2022

Artist Halilaj investigates cultural identity, heritage, nationhood and personal and political freedom. tate.org.uk T: 01736 796226 _

Bournemouth Arts Club, 1920–2020 Russell-Cotes Art Gallery, Bournemouth UNTIL 6 MAR 2022

Shortly after World War I a group of artists formed the BAC. See their work and that of artists who inspired them, such as John Nash and Prunella Clough. russellcotes.com T: 01202 128000 _

Grayson’s Art Club Bristol Museum and Art Gallery

winning trio blends concertina, fiddle and guitar in a fast-paced, genre-bending display.

Free tickets for online At Home performances can be booked at eif.co.uk _

The Dalí Museum, St Petersburg, Florida Take a 360-degree tour of the museum and Avant-garden, or indulge in the complete VR experience by immersing yourself in Dreams of Dalí.

For details, see thedali.org

PRIVATE COLLECTION, COURTESY PIPPY HOULDSWORTH GALLERY, LONDON

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4 DEC 2021–8 MAY 2022

This exhibition showcases work from the second series of the hit TV show. bristolmuseums.org.uk T: 0117 9223571 THE NORTH OF ENGLAND

Julia Crabtree and William Evans: Slip Henry Moore Institute, Leeds THE SPANISH GALLERY, BISHOP AUCKLAND/WORKSHOP OF ALONSO SÁNCHEZ COELLO 1531/2–1588 AFTER SOFONISBA ANGUISSOLA 1535?–1625

UNTIL 16 JAN 2022

An opportunity to appreciate the breadth of the sculpture duo’s work in their biggest exhibition to date. henry-moore.org T: 0113 246 7467 _

Young Gainsborough: Rediscovered Landscape Drawings York Art Gallery UNTIL 13 FEB 2022

Twenty-five newly attributed Gainsborough drawings on display for the first time. yorkartgallery.org.uk T: 01904 687687 _

Portrait of an Artist Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne UNTIL 26 FEB 2022

The artist is the subject in this exhibition, which gathers self-portraits and portraits painted by fellow 20th-century artists, muses and sitters. laingartgallery.org.uk T: 0191 278 1611 _

Lucy McKenzie Tate Liverpool UNTIL 13 MAR 2022

The first UK retrospective for the artist known for her skilful use of trompe l’oeil. tate.org.uk/liverpool T: 0151 702 7400 _

Over 2,100 musicians from around the world descend on Glasgow for this annual celebration of Celtic music. celticconnections.com _

DON’T MISS

Mark Hearld, Raucous Invention: The Joy of Making

SPANISH GALLERY

Michael Clark: Cosmic Dancer

The Auckland Project, Bishop Auckland

V&A Dundee

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

ONGOING

26 FEB–4 SEPT 2022

This newly opened gallery is the first in the UK to be dedicated to the art, history and culture of Spain. Auckland Castle has been home to Francisco de Zurbarán’s 1640s masterpieces, Jacob and His Twelve Sons, for 250 years; these were the starting point for the gallery, which will include works by El Greco, Velázquez, Murillo and Coello, whose Portrait of Prince Don Carlos (after 1567) you see here. aucklandproject.org

A focus on the choreographer who became one of the most innovative artists in contemporary dance. vam.ac.uk/dundee T: 01382 411611

13 NOV 2021–6 FEB 2022

Over 60 new works from artist Hearld. He has also worked alongside Leach Pottery to create decorated platters, some of which will be for sale. ysp.org.uk T: 01924 832631 _

NORTHERN IRELAND

Anne Tallentire: But this material…

Derek Jarman Protest!

Manchester Art Gallery 2 DEC 2021–10 APR 2022

This much-anticipated exhibition looks at Jarman’s work as a writer, film-maker, artist, gardener and activist. manchesterartgallery.org T: 0161 235 8888 _

The MAC, Belfast of sustainable manufacturing with traditional Japanese craft. dovecotstudios.com T: 0131 550 3660 _

Thomas Joshua Cooper: The World’s Edge

James Taylor

Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh

First Direct Arena, Leeds

UNTIL 23 JAN 2022

27 JAN 2022

Stunning images captured by an artist who has taken his vintage camera to extreme locations on the Atlantic coast. nationalgalleries.org T: 0131 624 6200 _

The Grammy Awardwinning singer-songwriter kicks off a six-city UK tour. james-taylor.com SCOTLAND

Making Nuno: Japanese Textile Innovation from Sudo Reiko

Typewriter Revolution

Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh

UNTIL 17 APR 2022

UNTIL 8 JAN 2022

An exhibition from the artist renowned for combining new methods

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh The social and technological influence of the typewriter. nms.ac.uk T: 0300 123 6789

Tapestry

UNTIL 21 NOV

City Art Centre, Edinburgh

Key works from County Armagh-born, Londonbased artist Anne Tallentire. themaclive.com T: 028 9023 5053 _

13 NOV 2021–13 MAR 2022

Work by contemporary artists connected with the former tapestry department at Edinburgh College of Art. edinburghmuseums.org.uk T: 0131 529 3993 _

New Arrivals: From Salvador Dali to Jenny Saville Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh 27 NOV 2021–SPRING 2023

Catch up on the gallery’s past five years of acquisitions. nationalgalleries.org T: 0131 624 6200 _

Celtic Connections Venues throughout Glasgow 20 JAN–6 FEB 2022

Tilt (at Windmills) Centre for Contemporary Art, Derry-Londonderry UNTIL 18 DEC

New works examine and respond to the UTV archive, which is being digitised. ccadld.org T: 028 7137 3538 _

Van Morrison Millennium Forum, Derry-Londonderry 10–11 NOV

Morrison sings songs from his latest album, Three Chords and the Truth, and revisits greatest hits. millenniumforum.co.uk T: 028 7126 4455

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Fresh adventures Our new Arts Society travel affiliate, Saga, invites Members to be among the first guests on its latest arts-based experiences, all with expert guides to hand

W

hat do you seek when planning a special break away? Is it viewings of fine art in beautiful locations like the French Riviera, or the chance to dock in St Petersburg, to take in performances of music and ballet?

A holiday is an opportunity to truly expand horizons. You might head to the great outdoors, to stargaze under big African skies while discovering more about astronomy; or you could follow a revelatory Shakespearian trail, not here in the UK but in Italy.

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All these are on offer with Saga, our new travel affiliate, which, for over 70 years, has been creating outstanding experiences such as these specifically for the over-50s. Now it has a new collection on offer: the Saga Cultural Odyssey Tours, which combine Saga quality with exclusive cultural adventures, rich encounters and inspiring talks.

An additional touch to these tours, which begin departing in 2022, will be exciting behind-the-scenes access, one-off concerts and select

excursions. Each tour will be led by experts, many of whom are Arts Society Accredited Lecturers, while others may be from organisations such as the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Astronomical Society.

Each will deepen travellers’ understanding of sites, while the smaller group size – a maximum of 30 – will ensure every experience has an intimate atmosphere.

As expected from a trusted travel affiliate, Saga has everything in place to provide peace of mind. There is optional travel insurance included on all overseas holidays, which covers coronavirus cancellation. All holidays are ABTA and ATOL protected, and backed by Saga’s reassurance promise.

Such is Saga’s confidence that you will love your holiday, a money-back guarantee is in place. In addition, if

WORDS: JACKY FERNEYHOUGH

PRODUCTION

Take in the sights and art of the French Riviera

TASTER TOURS Here are just three of the holidays that are now on sale; keep up to date on Saga’s website for details ASTRONOMY IN SOUTH AFRICA Explore African skies by night and culture by day. The adventure begins at the Royal Astronomical Society’s headquarters in London, before moving to destinations in South Africa to study the stars in the southern hemisphere, visit the national observatory and experience the country’s wine lands. You may see stars of the animal kingdom too.

Enjoy music at Canterbury Cathedral

CHAMBER MUSIC IN CANTERBURY, KENT, WITH THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF MUSIC

There is so much to enjoy in this short break. Staying in a hotel within the precincts of Canterbury Cathedral,

you’ll attend three exclusive concerts by talented young musicians, with pre-concert talks provided by a music expert. There will also be guided tours of the historic city of Canterbury and the cathedral.

MODERNISM IN CATALONIA Experience a week in Barcelona exploring tales of the Modernist Movement within the city, the area’s famed architecture and its delicious cuisine. Talks and visits include those on the work of Gaudí, Miró and Rusiñol. You’ll see famous Modernist buildings, including Gaudí’s 1888 Guell Palace – a milestone in European architecture of the time – along with the lesserknown, such as the spectacular wine cellars of Codorníu.

‘A NEW COLLECTION IS ON OFFER: THE SAGA CULTURAL ODYSSEY TOURS, WHICH COMBINE SAGA QUALITY WITH EXCLUSIVE CULTURAL ADVENTURES , RICH ENCOUNTERS AND INSPIRING TALKS’

SHUTTERSTOCK

Sail away on a Saga cruise

the price is reduced after booking, Saga will refund the difference. From the moment you close your front door, to be taken forth by the VIP door-to-door service on Europe, river and long-haul Cultural Odyssey Tours, to the farewell dinner, you will also have the services of a dedicated Saga tour manager. Arts Society Members are offered a special 5% discount on all Saga holidays, river cruises and boutique ocean cruises.

All you need to do now is decide which location – and cultural experience – will be the one for you.

Marvel at South Africa’s wildlife

FIND OUT MORE

To book or request a brochure, call free on 0800 096 3620 or visit saga.co.uk/artssociety quoting ‘ART21’

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SPECIAL COURSES Upcoming Study Days, courses and events from The Arts Society GREATER LONDON

The Romanovs: the public and private lives of Russian royalty in Tsarist Russia 22 NOV, 10AM–1PM

PRODUCTION CLIENT

Tutor: Dr Rosamund Bartlett A morning of talks exploring the reigns of 16 tsars and four tsarinas under the Romanov regime, including those of Peter the Great and Catherine the Great.

Covering questions of art patronage, politics and pageantry, you’ll get a glimpse, too, behind the closed doors of the palaces, as the often turbulent dramas of royal lives (and those of the many grand dukes and duchesses who bore the name Romanov) played out.

Via Zoom £20 E: psavours@gmail.com BEDFORDSHIRE AND HERTFORDSHIRE

Thank you for supporting Arts Society activity during Covid-19.

Please be aware that cancellation or postponement is still possible, according to government advice.

These events are just a taster of those on offer: book the latest on our Society and Area sites.

For more, see theartssociety.org/studydays-and-courses or call 020 7430 0730

Fashion, fury and feminism: women’s fight for change 5 DEC, 10AM–1PM

Tutor: Tessa Boase Two talks in one morning: The dark side of fashion and The women who saved the birds. The first looks at the troubled stories behind past feathered fashions, especially hats, and the women who made them.

The second is on the

pioneering female figures who founded Britain’s biggest conservation charity, the RSPB. Via Zoom £8 E: gmgowing@ btopenworld.com T: 01923 777715 CHILTERN HILLS

How to view art like an expert 17 NOV, 10.30AM–3PM

Tutor: Lynne Gibson Discover a strategy for looking at art, becoming an active, rather than passive, viewer. Led by tutor Lynne Gibson, there will be small-group work looking at a range of paintings, along with discussion and sharing of ideas. This Study Day is a must for anyone interested in visiting galleries, exhibitions and art museums. Numbers are limited.

King’s Church Amersham, Raans Road, Amersham £42 Booking via Eventbrite: eventbrite.co.uk/e/ what-makes-a-paintinga-work-of-art-tickets167198444047 E: acechilternhills@ theartssociety.org T: 01296 620830 _

Encaustic to acrylic, discover the impact of paint on art 14 JAN 2022, 10.30AM–3PM

Tutor: Lynne Gibson We are familiar with paintings being described

SOUTH WEST

DECODING ART – A GUIDE TO ART HISTORY 1, 8, 15, 29 MAR AND 5 APR 2022, 10AM–3.30PM

Tutors: Geri Parlby and Jeni Fraser

Pictured here is Apotheosis of Hercules, François Lemoyne’s masterpiece, on the ceiling of the Hercules room in Versailles. Hundreds of thousands (and more) will have gazed up at it, but how many have fully understood the work?

This special five-day course offers myriad ways to understand and appreciate art and artists.

Starting with Saints, sinners and biblical heroes, it continues with Windows to heaven: stained glass from the medieval to John Piper, followed by A feminine hand: a celebration of female artists.

The course also includes Crack architecture – an exploration of how the medium affects our lives – and then heads to the south-west of the UK for What made Cornwall an artists’ paradise.

The Sidmouth Rugby Club, Heydons Lane, Sidmouth £130 for five days

E: gillgill48@me.com or lapwoodsonia@gmail.com as oils on canvas or tempera on panel, but might be surprised to discover the importance of this sticky stuff to the history of art. Without oils the Mona Lisa would not be mysterious; without modern processes Impressionism would never have existed; and would Jackson Pollock have been able to achieve his splashing and dripping

so effectively without industrial car paints?

Examining key works from Western art history, and looking at paints, media and brushes, discover the important role materials and techniques play in our understanding of art.

Venue, price and contact details as above Please book via the Eventbrite link above

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Moscow’s brightly lit Prospekt Mira station

Patrons of opulence: the Marquesses of Bute

SUBS

22 NOV, 10.30–11.30AM, 11.50AM–12.50PM, 1.30–2.30PM

ART PRODUCTION CLIENT

Tutor: Matthew Williams The Marquesses of Bute made a fortune from the Victorian coal industry, but chose to spend it on restoration and rebuilding, creating some of the most spectacular and sometimes quirky interiors of the 19th century. Among them is Dumfries House in Ayrshire. This Study Day introduces the Bute family, taking us through three centuries of their artistic patronage, and brings in the architects and craftsmen who created the imaginative buildings they were associated with, and the remarkable furnishings, textiles and silver created for those spaces.

Via Zoom £12.50 E: meganbashir@ gmail.com T: 01277 374314 HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT

Eat, drink and be merry: food for thought – Spanish, Dutch and modern still-life paintings

from 1560 to today. Expect to discover fascinating facts about works by figures from Velázquez, Meléndez and Goya to Picasso, Dalí, Taylor Wood and Hirst. From symbolism and moral meanings to the corruption of abundance – and intriguing representations of cabbages, apple cores, lemons and lobsters along the way – the three talks of the day promise something of an assault on the senses.

Winchester Discovery Centre, Jewry Street, Winchester and via Zoom £25 E: hiowsd1@gmail.com T: 07906 572851 _

Eat, drink and be merry: bottoms up!

A history of wine, its rituals and its vessels

HAMPSHIRE AND ISLE OF WIGHT

DIVINE LIGHT AND REVOLUTIONARY DARKNESS IN THE RUSSIAN ARTS 3 DEC, 10.30AM–3PM

Tutor: Dr Rosamund Bartlett

The final of five Study Days of the Jean Bolton Memorial Study Course 2021, with a focus on how the prism of light and darkness reveals the mysteries behind some of Russia’s most remarkable artistic creations.

From Orthodox icons to art on the eve of the Russian Revolution and on to the ‘heaven underground’ of Moscow’s illuminated metro stations.

25 MAR 2022, 10.30AM–3PM

Via Zoom £12

Tutor: Andy McConnell The second Study Day, with Antiques Roadshow glass expert Andy McConnell, offers a lighthearted look at the history of wine, tracing its story from pre-Bronze Age to the present, when single bottles can change hands for thousands, or hundreds of thousands, of pounds.

Venue, price and contact details as above

E: hiowsd1@gmail.com T: 07906 572851

18 FEB 2022, 10.30AM-3PM

Tutor: Daniel Evans The first of three Study Days on the theme of eating, drinking and merriment, looking at food through still-life paintings

Eat, drink and be merry: why Paris? The allure of the city of light, 1900–1945 22 APR 2022, 10.30AM–3PM

Tutor: Mary Alexander The third Study Day explores how and why Paris has acted as both a magnet and cauldron of talent for aspiring artists and designers. Discover more about the key events and personalities shaping the ‘City of Light’ during the first half of the 20th century. An inclusive and exploratory approach is

used with location maps, using both contemporary and old photographs of the city, and various art and design media.

Whether you know the city well or not at all, there will be new and exciting discoveries for everyone.

Venue, price and contact details as above WESSEX

The Splendours of China 16 NOV 2021, 18 JAN, 5 FEB AND 15 MAR 2022 10.30AM–3.30PM

Tutors: David Rosier, Viv Lawes, Patrick Conner and Jon Cannon A reminder of these Study Days on the arts of China, details of which were published in the summer issue of The Arts Society Magazine.

Cerne Abbas Village Hall, Dorchester and via Zoom New booking site: tickettailor.com/events/ theartssocietywessexarea For more information: wessexcoursessouth@ gmail.com

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Sea lochs and distant isles Lord of the Highlands, says Jacky Ferneyhough, is the latest beautiful ship to join Hebridean Island Cruises’ fleet.

As it prepares for sailings, will you be on board?

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ebridean Island Cruises, one of our trusted Arts Society travel affiliates, has announced the arrival of a new addition to its fleet. Built by Spanish craftsmen in Vigo, Lord of the Highlands, a ship custom-built to pass gracefully through the historic locks of the Caledonian Canal, has been the subject of a multimillionpound rebuild over the past two years. Its classic lines, quality finish and high level of comfort recall a more leisured era of travel, making it the perfect vessel for taking in the natural and cultural sites around the coast of Scotland.

From spring 2022, you’ll be able to voyage on a seven-night cruise between Inverness and Kyle of

Lochalsh. Sailing through glacial and sea lochs, you’ll traverse Britain’s longest flight of canal locks at Neptune’s Staircase at the foot of Ben Nevis, and reach its most remote tavern, the Old Forge Inn at Knoydart. The voyage also takes in the legendary isles of Skye, Eigg, Mull and Iona, with their ancient stories and wild, breathtaking scenery.

Hebridean Island Cruises shares The Arts Society Member’s desire for colourful cultural experiences, personal service and relaxed cruising. Its small, exclusive ships and the warmth of the welcome create a friendly ‘at home’ feel the moment you step aboard. Lord of the Highlands will accommodate its Clockwise from left: Neptune’s Staircase on the Caledonian Canal; Urquhart Castle overlooking Loch Ness; Lord of the Highlands and the route it takes from Inverness to Kyle of Lochalsh

‘YOU’LL TRAVERSE BRITAIN’S LONGEST FLIGHT OF CANAL LOCKS AT NEPTUNE’S STAIRCASE AT THE FOOT OF BEN NEVIS, AND REACH ITS MOST REMOTE TAVERN, THE OLD FORGE INN AT KNOYDART’ 5 4 / T H E A RTSS OC IE TY.O RG

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Here are three of the sites on the itinerary.

Check the brochure and website for more

passengers in style; it has 20 outward-facing cabins with picture windows, and convivial space in the elegant bar, lounge and restaurant in which to relax while taking in the panoramic views. A guest list of no more than 40 people and singlesitting dining also means you’ll soon be on first-name terms with your fellow travellers.

Prices start from £3,850 per person sharing a twin cabin. This all-inclusive price covers all meals, which are freshly prepared from the finest local produce; selected fine wines of the day, including Taittinger champagne; gratuities and taxes; and fascinating visits ashore with knowledgeable guides. On themed cruises, Arts Society Lecturers and

other expert speakers will bring alive the stories and history of places you’ll visit. Many of Hebridean Island Cruises’ guests are returning clients, but whether you have enjoyed one of its cruises before, or are experiencing one for the first time, an unforgettable voyage awaits – one that you won’t want to miss.

SPECIAL MEMBER DISCOUNT Members of The Arts Society benefit from a 5% saving on any Lord of the Highlands tour. To book your place, visit hebridean.co.uk or call 01756 704704

CANALS AND CASTLES Fort Augustus, on the shores of Loch Ness, has beauty, tranquillity and glorious scenery.

Surrounded by the hills of the Great Glen, there are spectacular views down the loch and from the picturesque ruins of Urquhart Castle. Relax on board as the crew

guides the ship through the canal locks, or visit the Caledonian Canal Centre to find out more about this amazing waterway.

SOLACE AND SEABIRDS A short hop to Iona, island of mystery and legend. St Columba founded Scotland’s first Christian community here in the 6th century.

It is the final resting place of many Scottish kings, including Macbeth, and its medieval abbey is one of best

preserved in Europe.

Feeding the soul of nature lovers, Iona is also a haven for those with geological and wildlife interests.

PICTURE PERFECT Sited on a small tidal island, the peaceful setting of Eilean Donan Castle belies its violent past. Now beloved by filmmakers and visitors, you won’t want to miss this iconic attraction. Its story is as dramatic as any film, with tales of

Robert the Bruce, Jacobites and a would-be Spanish invasion force.

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YOUR SOCIETIES

Societies news and a message from our Chief Executive

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The Arts Society Royal Leamington Spa (RLS) has presented a bursary award to young fashion design student Hannah Smith from Warwickshire College of Art. Hannah is now heading to Central Saint Martins and the award is a prize of £325 and a bursary of £175 each year.

‘My work has been inspired by my brother, who has a physical disability, and seeing how he navigates the world,’ she says, adding: ‘My designs focus on where disabled people fit in fashion; there is a lack of visibility for such people in the industry.’

In the future she wishes to ‘be designing on the same level of the people who are at the forefront of fashion, with the aim of starting conversations more than trends’. Pictured here (from left to right) are Edwina Rowe, Arts Volunteering Representative at The Arts Society RLS, Hannah, and Shaun Pitt, Chairman of the Society.

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PHIL WILKINSON/© THE GREAT TAPESTRY OF SCOTLAND

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NEW ARTWORK FOR SCOTLAND The Great Tapestry of Scotland, which tells the country’s story from 8500 BC to today, is now on permanent show in its new purpose-built centre (below) in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. It has been one of Scotland’s biggest-ever community projects.

The original idea of author Alexander McCall Smith, it is the work of artist Andrew Crummy, historian Alistair Moffat, chief stitcher Dorie Wilkie and 1,000 stitchers, recruited from the Borders to the Highlands and Islands. Among them are Arts Society Members drawn from Societies in Scotland, including Trustee Jennifer Harding-Edgar.

Two years in the making, 300 miles of wool thread, 140 metres of linen and 50,000 hours of sewing have gone into the 160 panels.

See it now alongside the exhibition Iconic Scots (on until 4 January 2022). greattapestryofscotland.com

Top: chief stitcher Dorie Wilkie and her husband, Tom, at work on the panels

News, 1

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he world has can look ahead with changed since confidence and a sense March 2020 and of excitement for what The Arts Society has the future may bring. changed with it. Over We are a transformed the past 18 months we Arts Society, one that have faced extraordinary has the capability and challenges and found capacity to bounce ourselves constantly back – and forward. reacting to everSupporting your changing circumstances. local Society is now Yet here we are, well more important over 300 local Societies than ever. One of our having started the greatest challenges FROM OUR 2021/22 season CHIEF EXECUTIVE is the recruitment and resumed their of new committee Florian Schweizer programmes for the members, so for the benefit of their Members sake of your Society’s and local communities. future and wellbeing This resilience is no coincidence: please ask your Chair if there are roles it is something local Societies worked that need to be filled, or if there are for, together. The thousands of hours tasks that need to be carried out. Local on Zoom, the uncounted phone calls to committees are having to deal with the Members who are not online, the special unprecedented situation of having to Society newsletters, the precious find alternative venues, organising moments of ‘rule of six’ sociability, the hybrid lectures and keeping up with outdoor picnics and celebrations – all government Covid guidelines. You can these have been a core part of our work make a real difference by supporting in recent times. Societies, Lecturers, your local committee – and you will find Areas, staff and Trustees came together out how rewarding it is to be part of and worked tirelessly to ensure that we shaping your Society’s future.

SAMLESBURY SUPPORTS DanceSyndrome is a Lancashirebased charity led by adult dance leaders with learning disabilities.

They work to co-produce, cochoreograph and co-deliver dance performances, classes and dance leader training qualifications, with a focus on what they can do despite being visually impaired and blind, hearing impaired and wheelchair users.

The Arts Society Samlesbury has supported the charity’s vital work with a £500 donation, to help extend the repertoire and introduce partner dancing, with Primary Dance UK being engaged to plan and deliver a scheduled programme.

IN BRIEF

LET’S CELEBRATE This year has seen The Arts Society Hampstead Heath mark its 30th anniversary. Its first meeting was on 1 October 1990.

TRAIL TIME The Arts Society Nottingham has launched its first Children’s Trail at St Mary and All Saints Church in Willoughby-on-the-Wolds. Children are now discovering carved animals on monuments, why the money box has three locks, and the church’s links to the Civil War.

YOUNG TALENT The Arts Society North Devon’s Young Artists’ Competition, held online this year, attracted 120 entries. Judge Hester Berry said: ‘The skill and imagination… was uplifting and showed a mature way of looking at the world.’

TALKING POINT A group puts their moves into practice in a park in Preston

The Arts Society Romsey supported the Romsey Arts Festival this year, making it possible for Arts Society Lecturer Peter Medhurst to give a talk and recital at Romsey Abbey.

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Societies news

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With its own funding and an additional Arts Society grant, The Arts Society Dukeries has been behind a colourful summer arts project for children aged three to six. Artist James Brunt led pupils from Hallcroft Infants School in Retford in a forage for natural materials from their school grounds. The found pieces were then used to create intricate works of art.

‘It felt like a perfect pandemic project,’ says Barbara Higgins, the Society’s Arts Volunteering representative, ‘after so many of the children had been home schooled during lockdowns up to that point.’

ART PRODUCTION CLIENT ROD KIRKPATRICK

PRECIOUS PAGES Founded in 1816, Bromley House Library in Nottingham is an independent lending library – one of the few remaining subscription libraries in the UK. Its Grade II listed building, a beautiful Georgian townhouse, holds some 50,000 books, which include a large collection from the 18th and 19th centuries and a particular prize, Zodiacus Vitae, a 1575 Latin book on astrology.

Heritage Volunteers from The Arts Society Nottingham have been helping in a project to care for and repair some of these special books. Pictured here is Hilary Olleson, who is also Head of Heritage Volunteering at The Arts Society, working on replacing the red silk ribbon on a book from 1874.

TEST VALLEY COMPLETES Among the final church records to be completed under The Arts Society are two by The Arts Society Test Valley. Now St Michael’s, Quarley and St Andrew’s, Hurstbourne Priors both have their records. Each church has important elements of note: St Michael’s having its bells hung in a bell frame at ground level, and St Andrew’s its fine Oxenbridge Altar Tomb.

TEIGNBRIDGE WORKSHOPS With grants from the South West Area and The Arts Society Community Grants Awards, The Arts Society Teignbridge has been able to support two special community initiatives. One was a lively workshop at Sheldon School for Year 6 pupils, with world-renowned musician Chi-chi Nwanoku and members of the Chineke! Ensemble (chineke.org). The second was a workshop for children of the same year at Bishopsteignton School, with a focus on puppetry and performance, developing skills in craft-making, scriptwriting and performing.

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Finger painting and bark rubbing, collage and mobile making, watercolours and wax resist works – all have been ingredients in an arts project for children, realised over the summer with help from The Arts Society King’s Lynn.

The initiative saw all seven classes of Whitefriars Church of England Academy

involved in making art of a leafy nature.

Arts Volunteer Tricia Rowlands devised and ran the workshops for the school and the result was an exhibition in Hanse House Gallery, hired with help from a grant from the Patricia Fay Memorial Fund, which also made the purchase of materials possible.

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MAKING ART IN HAMBURG

PAUL TIBBS

The Arts Society Hamburg has marked its 30-year presence in the German city at an event called Home and Garden meets British Flair. Aiming to raise awareness of the Society, flyers about lectures were shared, competitions run to win two annual memberships and free access to some online lectures, and artist and Society Member Mathilde Berry (pictured) created art on the stand.

Children from Whitefriars work on their projects and proudly show their completed artwork

Share your news! The deadline for the next issue is 26 November. Send to magazine@theartssociety.org.

Only a selection can be featured and the editor reserves the right to edit content.

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BOOKS VERSION

GOOD READS

Our pick of the season’s latest arts and culture reads

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LAURA KNIGHT: A PANORAMIC VIEW Edited by Fay Blanchard and Anthony Spira SUBS

(Philip Wilson Publishers, £25)

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The art of Laura Knight (1877–1970) has not been fashionable for many decades, but the tide is turning with a current reassessment of her work. A new exhibition has just opened at MK Gallery (until 20 February 2022), offering the chance for a fresh generation unfamiliar with Knight’s place in the history of art to get acquainted with her oeuvre. Some 100 works are on display. And to accompany that show comes this, a book that gives an in-depth introduction to Knight, exploring why she was such a pioneer, one who paved the way for other female artists in the 20th century.

She was the first woman to be elected to full membership of the Royal Academy; and the first female artist to be made a Dame of the British Empire. She was a prolific painter, choosing as her subjects women, war and the sections of society that were marginalised.

She was fascinated not so much with what theatre-goers might see on stage, but with life in the shadows of the wings and dusty dressing rooms.

Richly illustrated with 160 works, this book explores Knight’s trajectory, from her training at Nottingham Art School at age 13 to her visits to traveller communities and a segregated American hospital. It features her famous ballet and circus scenes and lesser-known works – her graphics and designs for ceramics, jewellery and costumes. We learn facts behind the making of works such as The Cornish Coast of 1917, shown on the cover.

Knight was to describe how she would clamber ‘along the cliff edge and over slippery rocks… carrying six-foot canvasses on my head’. Edited by Fay Blanchard, head of exhibitions at MK Gallery, and Anthony Spira, the gallery’s director, this book also includes contributions and further assessment of Knight’s art from artists such as Monster Chetwynd, Lubaina Himid and Barbara Walker.

African Artists: From 1882 to Now Phaidon editors (Phaidon, £49.95)

It is Pliny, says artist, curator and art historian Chika Okeke-Agulu, in his introduction to this book, who coined the phrase ‘Always something new out of Africa’. The continent’s current art scene is proof that remains so, with collectors seeking works by artists from its shores. In response is this substantial and informative survey of artists born or based in Africa.

Ancestors, artefacts, empire: Indigenous Australia in British and Irish museums Gaye Sculthorpe, Maria Nugent and Howard Morphy (British Museum, £60)

This book explores artefacts in indigenous Australian collections. ‘Our ambition,’ says co-author Gaye Sculthorpe, ‘has been to convey something of the incredible diversity and richness… and the multiplicity of people, encounters, relationships, discourses, contexts and experiences they represent.’

Women in Abstraction Edited by Christine Macel and Karolina Lewandowska (Thames & Hudson, £50) Shining light on more than 100 female artists whose work brought rigour to Abstraction from its origins to the 1980s, this book is an alternative history of Abstract art. With essays by scholars, it explores the techniques and thinking of such artists, from textile genius Anni Albers to wire sculptor Ruth Asawa.

These artists did not always get recognition, but this book and the exhibitions it accompanies ensure they do now.

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SPECIAL OFFERS

BENEFITS, DISCOUNTS AND TREATS FOR MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS OF THE ARTS SOCIETY REPRO OP

20% OFF

CHADBROOK CARDS SUBS ART PRODUCTION

Chadbrook Cards publishes a range of fine-quality greetings cards featuring vibrant artworks by some of the world’s bestloved artists. In the collection you will find art by figures such as Bruegel, Vermeer, Degas and Kandinsky; Van Gogh, Ravilious, Monet, Klee, Gauguin and more.

• Members and Supporters can now enjoy 20% off all orders until 28 February 2022. To claim, enter the coupon code ‘ARTS20’ at the online checkout at chadbrookcards.com. You can use the coupon as many times as you like until the expiry date; it is also valid with the regular ‘Buy 3 get 1 free’ offer on the site. All orders include free standard delivery in the UK. 20% OFF

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ST JUDE’S WALLPAPERS AND FABRICS Founded by artist-printmaker Angie Lewin and her husband Simon, St Jude’s collaborates with a range of artists and designers, from Mark Hearld to Emily Sutton, to create beautiful fabrics and wallpapers.

Among the designs are those by Lewin herself: seen here is her pattern The Island Lichen Gold, with inspiration drawn from the natural world.

From Hearld’s Harvest Hare to Lewin’s Hedgerow patterns, there are also covetable designs by artists past, such as Edward Bawden.

• St Jude’s is offering a 20% discount on in-stock wallpapers by the roll and fabrics by the metre until 31 December (this discount code cannot be combined with any other offers). Just go to stjudesfabrics.co.uk and enter the code ‘ARTSSOCIETY’ at checkout.

30% OFF

SPIRIT OF PLACE: ARTISTS, WRITERS AND THE BRITISH LANDSCAPE Art historian, curator and Arts Society Lecturer Susan Owen’s book Spirit of Place: Artists, Writers and the British Landscape is now out in paperback. It offers a panoramic view of the British landscape as seen through the eyes of writers and artists from Bede and the Gawain poet to Gainsborough, Austen, WG Sebald and Barbara Hepworth. It also explores how the British landscape has been framed, reimagined and reshaped by each generation.

• Use the code ‘ARTSSOCIETY30’ for 30% off the paperback when purchased through the Thames & Hudson website: thamesandhudson.com. The offer will be available until 30 April 2022.

25% OFF

ARTISTS ON ART A new book from arts and culture journalist Holly Black, who is also our digital editor, Artists on Art is a curated selection of quotations, images and interviews that highlight what matters most to the masters, from Ai Weiwei to Ana Mendieta.

Learn how the giants of different artistic genres developed their individual, distinctive visual styles, and discover the core ideas behind their practice.

• Publisher Laurence King is offering a special 25% discount to Members when purchased through its website, laurenceking.com. Just use the code ‘ART25’ at checkout.

For our special offers online, see theartssociety.org/member-offers Subscribers to our mailing list are notified through our monthly e-newsletter: sign up at theartssociety.org/signup THEA RTSSOCIET Y.ORG / 65

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Dessert connoisseurs: the season of Christmas feasting approaches. Food historian and Arts Society Lecturer Tasha Marks reveals 10 facts about the not so humble pudding

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The word dessert comes from the French verb desservir, meaning ‘to clear the table’. When dessert first appeared as part of our eating rituals, it was to allow the tables to be cleared for the after-dinner activities; sweetmeats and spiced wines were consumed standing up, away from the table.

2 An array of mouth-watering late-Victorian desserts and (top) an elaborate gateau

Early mince pies had actual meat in them.

When sugar first came to England in the 12th century it was primarily as a spice and a medicine. For centuries, recipes involving sugar did not have a clear boundary between sweet and savoury.

Early confectioners were treated like artists, travelling the world and inventing huge edible dioramas and sculptures in sugar. These early sugar artists must have seemed more like alchemists, spending hours grinding, moulding and transforming sugar into intricate creations that dazzled and enchanted the viewer (and diners) in equal measure.

5

In the 16th century, a sugar sculpture made by a famous confectioner could cost as much as an average person’s yearly wage.

As a result, sugar sculpture and confectionery were seen as markers of wealth and status throughout the early modern era.

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Elizabethans used to build whole buildings, called banqueting houses, purely to have dessert in.

One banquet in 1590 refers to a dessert raised to such a ‘monstrous ticklish height’ that it nearly touched the ceiling.

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Historically, jelly wasn’t just a food, it was an artistic medium. There are

Jellies were seen as works of art and came in a variety of shapes

multiple historical recipes for experimental and extravagant jellies, from jelly planetariums to jelly fishbowls with sugar swans on top.

8

The first printed ice-cream recipe in Europe was part of a medical and cookery manuscript, dated 1651-78,

by Lady Anne Fanshawe.

Her recipe titled To make Icy Cream suggests the addition of ambergris (a substance produced in the digestive system of sperm whales) or orange flower water, both fashionable ingredients at the time.

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The earliest English recipe for a sponge cake was

by Gervase Markham in his 1615 The English Huswife.

To get the aerated texture, the mixture had to be beaten for an hour with a bunch of twigs (the wire whisk wasn’t invented until 1850).

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In 1840, Queen Victoria’s wedding cake was a single-tier fruit cake that weighed over 21 stone. It had busts of the couple on the top and was covered in pure white icing.

Victoria’s choice of a white cake sparked the trend for white wedding cakes, and so the term ‘royal icing’ came into use.

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Sugar was so important in the medical practices of the past that the saying ‘like an apothecary without sugar’ meant a state of utter desolation. Sugar was used for everything, from aiding digestion to preserving the body, as it was believed that, as sugar could preserve fruit, it could also protect humans.

We now know that’s definitely not true, especially when it comes to teeth.

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