Stratford-upon-Avon
Decorative and Fine Arts Society

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STOP PRESS

From Thursday 18 March 2010, lectures will be held at the Civic Hall, Rother Street, Stratford–upon–Avon, CV37 6LU.

• If any member knows of a group which could benefit from the Society’s support for a Young Arts music project this year, please inform Margaret Cunnington (Young Arts Secretary) either on lecture days or ring her on 024 76 622 899 with the details of the person within the School/College/Society to be contacted (See Young Arts page).
  
  
• Thursday 15 April 2010
  BRING A FRIEND – IT'S FREE!
  
  Do you know someone who would be interested in becoming a member of SADFAS? Do you have friends who might like to be part of a stimulating and friendly society where they can enhance and develop their knowledge of the arts? Here’s an opportunity for them to find out what SADFAS is all about at absolutely no cost. Invite a friend to the 15 April lecture, Bess and her Descendants: the Cavendishes at Hardwick, Bolsover and Chatsworth, and there will be no visitor fee of £5.00 per person to pay. All we ask is that visitors check in at the Membership Desk to collect their SADFAS information pack.
  
  To make a reservation, please email membership@sadfas.org.uk providing the name, address and telephone number of visitors, or ask for further information at the Membership Desk at the 18th February and 18th March lectures.
  
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• Thursday 18 February 2010 – Deadly Rivals: The Earl of Arundel, the Duke of Buckingham and Charles I as Patrons of the Arts
  
  Tom Duncan treated us to an amusing and informative lecture entitled “Deadly Rivals: Arundel, Buckingham, Hamilton and Charles I as patrons of the Arts”, explaining that during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries England was culturally insular partly because of its geographical situation but also because of political and religious differences with mainland Europe. These three noblemen aimed to counteract this lack of knowledge of Renaissance and Baroque art by acquiring European works to enhance both their houses and their Court standing.
  
  The Earl of Arundel bought paintings from Europe including works by Titian and Rubens to embellish his classical house on the River Thames, designed by Inigo Jones. Buckingham quickly followed Arundel's interests and they became deadly rivals over the quality and quantity of their collections. King Charles I's collections were strengthened by gifts of works by Titian and Raphael from Philip IV of Spain, while James, First Duke of Hamilton favoured paintings by the celebrated Van Dyck.
  
  Once the Parliamentarians had won the Civil War, these collections were sold by Oliver Cromwell to the nobility of Spain, Austria and France, and English patronage of the arts abruptly halted. Tom Duncan's lecture, full of witty anecdotes about the intricacies of Royal politics and Court rivalry left his audience with a wonderful overview of those decades in which English noblemen coveted European art.
  
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• Thursday 11 February 2010
  Annual General Meeting
  The Civic Hall, Rother Street
  
  The AGM started at 11 am and was followed by the lecture, The Development of the St Ives Art Colony (1885-1914) by David Tovey and a buffet lunch. (See Lectures page for more information)
  
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• 2010 AGM and lecture report
  
  
  
  

  Rosie Langman (Chairman) and David Tovey (Lecturer) at the SADFAS AGM on 11 February 2010
  

  This February SADFAS held its Annual General Meeting at the Civic Hall, with Lady Follett in the chair. Her interesting report was followed by the Treasurers Report, plus reports from other groups such as the Heritage Volunteers and Young NADFAS representatives. At the end of the meeting, Lady Follett handed the Chairmanship over to Mrs Rosemary Langman who thanked her predecessor for all the hard work during the last three years. Newcomers to the committee were Mrs. Margaret Cunnington, Mrs Yvonne O'Hara, Mrs Jill Philps and Ms Jean Vaudeau, while Lady Follett, Mrs Christine Barter, Mrs Jo Davis and Mrs. Pauline Hemmings retired. Mrs Susanne Eastwood became the new Vice Chairman, and Mrs Wendy Ashley, Mrs Judith Dorricott, Mrs Gillian Nussey, Mrs Barbara Purser, Mr Christopher Purser and Ms Stella Webley remained on the committee. Mrs Tricia Doyle and Mrs Ann Langton also remained as co-opted members of the new committee.
  
  After the AGM, SADFAS members heard a fascinating lecture by Mr David Tovey on “The Development of the St. Ives Colony from 1885 to 1914”. Because the railways reached Penzance in the mid-1800s, artists were able to visit Cornwall more easily and could obtain inspiration from the beautiful countryside, the sea and the picturesque town of St. Ives. In the latter part of the century, as well as British artists working both in oils and watercolours, St. Ives attracted French and American painters, who were often influenced by the important Parisian art scene. J A M Whistler visited, painting works that were much more abstract than the meticulous Pre–Raphaelite paintings and sentimental Victorian works currently in vogue in London. Other popular landscape and seascape artists included Adrian Stokes and Edward Simmons, as well as the lecturer's own great–grandfather W H Y Titcomb, an acclaimed figurative painter whose work includes “Primitive Methodists at Prayer, St Ives”. Julian Olsson was a leading landscape painter at the turn of the century with such evocative works as “Moonlit Shore” and seascapes that eventually became acceptable in Royal Academy exhibitions. However, by 1914 the practice of landscape painting out–of–doors was ending, and despite over fifty American artists living in St. Ives at that time, this charming town became a shadow of its former self.
  
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• Thursday 21 January 2010 - Opera, the melting pot of culture
  
  On Thursday 21 January we were delighted to welcome Sarah Lenton who gave a brilliantly witty and amusing lecture entitled ‘Opera, the melting pot of culture’.
  
  We were treated to a history of the development of opera from its beginnings in the Renaissance to the present day. Visual representations were interspersed by musical illustrations of the operas discussed. Ms Lenton explained how very early opera, written by Monteverdi, was derived from Greek drama and was dependent on patronage. She followed opera through Mozart, Rossini, Verdi and Wagner to Benjamin Britten and pointed out that it has always been of great technical brilliance but has also depended on patronage throughout its history.
  
  It is now some 400 years since the beginnings of opera and, as in the Renaissance, it is attended by a self-selected group of opera-goers rather than the majority of the population.
  
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• Sunday 20 June to Thursday 24 June 2010
  THE LAKES, GLASGOW AND EDINBURGH
  
  Last few places remaining for the above tour. Final booking date: Thursday 18 February 2010. See Extended Tours for further details of itinerary and booking form. Please contact Susanne Eastwood, Extended Tours Secretary on 01789 295687 if you need further information.
  
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November 2009 THE NADFAS REVIEW

• NADFAS have introduced a new system for the mailing of The NADFAS Review to members. It was used for the recent winter issue. NADFAS are aware that there may be a few initial problems with the new system and advise:
  
  
  1. If members have moved or if their address is incorrect, they should as usual, contact their Membership Secretary who will then inform the Membership Department of the issue.
  2. If members have received duplicate copies they do not want or if they did so before and wish to continue to do so they should contact the NADFAS Membership Department direct at nadfasreviewqueries@nadfas.org.uk or call 020 7430 0730 ext. 239.
  3. Some members may notice that they have been incorrectly titled. This is an error on the new system. There is no need to contact NADFAS as this will be corrected by the next issue.
     
     
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NEWS DURING 2009

• 8 December 2009 – 8 December 2009 – Visit to The Birmingham Royal Ballet ‘The Nutcracker’
  
  In early December 2009, over fifty members of SADFAS joined the coach to Birmingham to see a matinee performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ by the Birmingham Royal Ballet. Although many of us had seen ‘The Nutcracker’ in previous years, it never fails to please and this vibrant performance was no exception. Tchaikovsky’s music is always superb and the standard of the dancing is second to none. The beautiful Christmas Tree which eventually disappears into fairyland sets the scene, and is quickly followed by the wonderful Spanish, Arab, Russian and Chinese dances. As usual the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Harlequin attracted great applause for their solos, and children in the audience were riveted by the dances of the soldiers and the mice. We were lucky to have excellent seats in the circle so we could see the dancers’ footwork clearly. ‘The Nutcracker’ was first performed in 1892, but still makes a magical start to Christmas over one hundred years later.
  
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• Wednesday 18 November 2009, Young Arts Area Meeting
  
  

  Swinfen YOI project 2009
  

  
  
  Two SADFAS committee members, Rosemary Langman and Susanne Eastwood attended the Area Young Arts meeting in the Guildhall, Lichfield in November. Kate Clark–Smith from Swinfen Young Offenders' Institution gave a presentation on the project funded by NADFAS in 2009. Six young men, aged between 20 and 23 were chosen from among 620 and became involved in producing a black and white frieze based on the theme HOPE. A group of professional artists from Multistorey worked with the prisoners for 12 hours and then spent about 14 days collating the finished piece which was hung in Lichfield Cathedral during Prisons' Week. Photographs of this dynamic and stimulating artwork can be seen here and in the picture gallery.
  
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• Thursday 19 November 2009 - 'Have you good taste?'
  
  We were delighted to welcome David Phillips who gave an amusing talk entitled 'Have you good taste?'
  
  Our speaker attempted to define what is meant by 'good taste'; not an easy question to answer. He showed examples of good art which is in good taste, good art which is not in good taste, mediocre art which is in good taste and bad art in bad taste. His illustrations ranged from Minoan vases through van Gogh and Dali to seaside postcards. He pointed out that violence, prurience, political incorrectness and pretentiousness are never in good taste but the perception of these is often affected by fashion. His attempts to define 'kitch' produced many entertaining slides.
  
  It was a relatively light-hearted subject which was given with great skill and good humour and was a suitable lecture for our final one before Christmas.
  
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  Visit to Shugborough Hall
  
  

  Thursday 2 July 2009 – Visit to Shugborough Hall
  
  Shugborough Hall, the family home of Lord Lichfield's family, greeted us with a warm breeze on a gloriously sunny day. The house is very much lived–in and possesses a lovely warm feeling.
  
  The photographic exhibition, not seen before, brought back many nostalgic memories of the 60s and was fascinating.
  
  The Victorian kitchens, the school rooms and the children baking bread were wonderfully authentic. We learnt about the remedies used from the garden and hedge rows, some of which are returning today.
  
  The beautiful walled garden had espaliered fruit trees, other vegetables and even a farrier. Finally we discovered the farm with its rare breeds and a working flour mill – I have yet to use my flour!
  
  A really fascinating day out. See more pictures in the Gallery.
  
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  Deb Follett collecting the Media Award
  
  

  May 2009 - Media Award
  
  It is with great pleasure that we can announce that our Newsletter was the runner-up in the NADFAS Media Award for printed material 2009. The certificate was presented at the NADFAS AGM in London in May. The winning Newsletter was that produced by Birmingham, we were the runner-up and there were three which were highly commended.
  
  The Chairman received the certificate on behalf of our Society during the AGM.
  
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• Friday 8 May 2009 – Study Day – Paris in the 1900s: The Cradle of Modern Art
  
  Our May 2009 Study Day on the subject of Paris in the 1990’s: The Cradle of Modern Art was a great success. Michael Howard gave us a beautifully crafted series of lectures which told the story of Paris and its artists from the 1850’s up to the first World War using excellent illustrative slides.
  
  Michael drew into his lectures the history, philosophy, poetry and spirituality of the time around the turn of the century, with the added thrust of challenging our pre conceived ideas of our views on classic and modern art. He included well documented stories of the personalities, lives and loves of the artists and the fierce competition which they displayed in vying with each other to become the most innovative and truly modern artists of their time.
  
  Michael gave us a day which was full of stimulation and excitement and was thoroughly enjoyable. During the lectures he referred to two writers of this era and some members requested further information as follows;
  
  
  • Walt Whitman, an American poet. In 1855 Whitman published at his own expense a volume of 12 poems entitled ‘Leaves of Grass’
  • Guillaume Apollinaire, 1880—1918. A French poet, novelist and playwright, he was one of the most popular members of the artistic community of Montparnasse in Paris. His masterpiece Alcools contains his famous poem ‘Song of the Poorly Loved’
  
  Michael Howard will be returning to give us a lecture in March 2010 on Berthe Morisot and Edouard Manet.
  
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• April 2009 – Public Catalogue Foundation and a £500 donation
  
  The Sadfas Committee have decided that members would appreciate being part of a valuable project to catalogue all oil paintings which are in public ownership in England. To this end we have donated £500 to the Public Catalogue Foundation.
  
  Catalogues of all oil paintings which are in public ownership in England are in the process of being produced by the Public Catalogue Foundation, a private and independent organisation. They have already published catalogues from many areas, including Birmingham and they are now in the process of producing one for Warwickshire.
  
  There will be some 2000 paintings from over 30 collections in the county, all produced in colour; paintings from the Herbert Art Gallery in Coventry, the Leamington Spa Gallery and Museum and Compton Verney together with paintings in council buildings, libraries, hospitals and even police and fire stations are being included.
  
  Together with the same sum from Leamington Spa DFAS it is sufficient to have our names listed in the catalogue as Royal Leamington Spa and Stratford upon Avon DFAS so we will be doing good and getting publicity. The catalogue will be available to purchase later in the year and a website will eventually be created.
  
  The Chairman and Membership Secretary attended the launch of the project for Warwickshire at Compton Verney and were very impressed by the catalogues that have already been published. Our contribution was greatly appreciated by the Lord Lieutenant and the organisers of the project.
  
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• 23–27 March 2009 – Extended Tour to Amsterdam
  
  
  

  Canal scene in Amsterdam

  Fifteen SADFAS members and friends recently enjoyed an excellent study tour to Amsterdam and surrounding areas where we were able to examine in detail some of the wonderful works of art produced in the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century
  
  We were fortunate to be accompanied by Colin Bailey, a highly qualified and experienced art historian, who gave us many insights into the development and iconography of a wide variety of paintings
  
  Following the establishment of Dutch independence from Spain in the late 16th century, the new middle class merchants commissioned pictures to decorate their homes – hence the growth of many types of painting including the famous Dutch interiors of artists like Vermeer
  
  Highlights of our tour included a visit to the Rijksmuseum to see many great paintings by artists such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, Frans Hals and Van Ruisdael. A couple of hours from Amsterdam we visited the fantastic Kröller-Müller, which is set in a beautiful sculpture park, and houses one of the largest collections of paintings by Van Gogh as well as many other famous artists.
  
  Nearby we visited Het Loo Palace built by William III where our guides explained the history of the Netherlands and its connections to our own. Further notable galleries were the Boijmans van Beuningen Museum in Rotterdam, the Rembrandt House and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. (see pictures)
  
  Members thoroughly enjoyed their evening dinner cruise along the canals of the city as well as opportunities to sightsee by themselves – Ann Frank’s House and diamond workshops were popular venues.
  
  Although we had experienced a very full programme of events, we all felt mentally refreshed and stimulated by our exposure to such a magnificent artistic heritage.
  
  See more pictures.
  
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For more current information about the society, please contact chairman@sadfas.org.uk

For detailed information on all of our activities click on the list on the left.

For information about membership please see Membership.