The international political world has become so bewildering we could be forgiven for wanting to escape into other realms, especially into that vast and inspiring world of the creative mind. Accordingly, this spring two capital cities of Europe are excelling themselves in their exhibitions with the highly focussed ‘Old Master’ shows of ‘unmissable’ Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam and the two master thinkers and creators of Impressionism, Manet and Degas, at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris.
In Britain a no less fascinating approach: delving into the mysteries of the c. 1600 BCE Cretan cult of the bull in Knossos, in a revelatory exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford. At the Royal Academy a massive sweep through the centuries covering 4000 years of Hispanic art from 2000 BC bowls through Goya and Velazquez, an exhibition which one reviewer wrote ‘conjures the soul of the Hispanic world’. The brilliant V&A Donatello show deepens and broadens our understanding of the greatest Renaissance sculptor, Donatello, setting him in the context of works by his disciples. He was not only one of the first to revive classical sculpture, but his emotional expressiveness stretched his work into the realms of the modern.
During this series of study lectures on Zoom, we see these exhibitions as raising important questions:
This exhibition of Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum is so popular that it sold out on its first day and for the following five months. What common or existential chord does this 17c Dutch painter strike in our hearts and souls that people are flocking to see his genius from far and wide?
The Royal Academy show presents the Archer Huntington collection from the New York Hispanic Society. What were his aims in collecting items from 2000 BC to modern times? Can Hispanic art be culturally defined by such a broad stretch of works of art?
What new discoveries are made about Impressionist art by the juxtaposition of the two great intellectuals of Impressionism, Manet and Degas at the Musée D’Orsay? How were their differing attitudes to the same subject matter revealed?
In what ways did Donatello at the V&A free himself from his Florentine background? Why might he have chosen to work in such a range of materials, from wood to marble to terracotta to bronze, gilded and ungilded? Why does Michelangelo’s David, rather than that of Donatello, define the Renaissance for so many of us?
Does the Ashmolean Museum in its major Knossos exhibition achieve its goal of setting the record straight about the discovery of Knossos Palace in Crete? Why was Knossos, centre of a Bronze Age civilisation of people we now call the Minoans, devoted to the cult of the bull? In what ways does the exhibition advance the story of the origins and meaning of the endlessly fascinating myth of Theseus, Ariadne and the Minotaur?
Booking Information:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
This online course via Zoom has been developed by Louise Friend and Nicholas Friend. It will be presented by Nicholas Friend, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Inscape. It is held on Tuesdays and repeated on Thursdays, beginning on Tuesday 28 March 2023 at 5 pm and ending on Thursday 27 April 2023 at 5 pm. Please note the time of 5pm: Nicholas will be zooming from California (at 9.am. his time) for the duration of this course before returning to the UK at the end of April.
You may choose to attend individual sessions or all five. If you would like to attend but cannot manage a particular date, then be assured we will be sending recordings of sessions to all participants. Each session meets from 20 minutes before the advertised time of the lecture, and each lecture lasts roughly one hour, with around 15 minutes discussion.
Cost: £225 members or £275 non-members for the course of 5 sessions or £45 members or £55 non-members per individual session. All sessions are limited to 21 participants to permit an after-lecture discussion session.
Due to the coronavirus cheques are not a viable option at this time. Instead, please make your payment to Friend&Friend Ltd by bank transfer to our account with Metrobank, bank sort code 23-05-80, account number 13291721 or via PayPal to nicholas@inscapetours.co.uk, or credit/debit card by phone to Henrietta on 07940 719397. She is available Tuesdays 10-12 and 2-5 pm or Thursdays 10-12 and 2-5 pm. Do get in touch if you would like extra support learning how to use Zoom.
How to Set Up a PayPal account::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Click on this link: https://www.paypal.com/uk/home
In the upper right-hand corner of the screen, click “Sign up.”
On the following screen choose “Personal account” and click “Next.”
On the next page, you’ll be asked to enter your name, email address and to create and confirm a password. When finished, click “Next.”
Click “Agree and create account” and your PayPal account will be created.
How to Connect your Bank Account to your PayPal account:::::::::::::::::::::::
Log on to your account and click the “Wallet” option in the menu bar running along the top of the screen.
On the menu running down the left side of the screen, click the “Link a credit or debit card”.
Enter the card information you wish to link to your PayPal account and click “Link card” for debit card.
How to Send Money::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Log on to your account. Click Send & Request.
Enter the email address of the person you wish to send money to: nicholas@inscapetours.co.uk
Type in the amount you wish to send, click continue then press ‘Send Money Now’.
INSCAPE CULTURAL STUDY SOCIETY 