Venue: Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre... from 10.00am to 3:00pm

Cost: £49 per ticket... to include free parking, coffee on arrival, mid-morning refreshments and a two-course buffet lunch

Purchase tickets here:  Buy tickets for Cult of the South Pacific

This Special Interest Day will look at the enduring Western obsession with, and invention of, the so-called ‘Exotic’ or ‘Noble Savage’, starting with the first discovery of the Island of Tahiti in 1767.

The three lectures will demonstrate charting the impact of English and European influence, in this part of the World, through painted images of the island and their people. All this is as seen through the eyes of not only Captain Cook and those who came before him, but also through the eyes of the artists that accompanied these pioneering voyages and into the 19th and early 20th century with the images of Gauguin.

Programme:

10.00 Registration and Coffee

10.30-11.30 Part 1: Cook & the invention of Paradise - Voyages & Discoveries This lecture will look at the artistic legacy of Cook’s voyages to the South Pacific and the events that led up to the invention of paradise and the European notion of the exotic. Charting the three voyages, we will not just discover exotic objects that were brought back from the South Pacific, but also the artists that accompanied Cook on all three voyages and that gave us a wealth of paintings and illustrations of said objects and the verdant lands. Artists such as John Webber (1751 - 1793), Johann Reinhold Forster (1729-1798) and his son Johann Georg Adam Forster (1754-1794), Sydney Parkinson (c.1745–1771, William Parry (1743-1791) are among those that would paint these exotic images.

In addition, this lecture will also look at how the images produced by these artists were used to create a European vision of paradise, how those encounters then impacted on the native populations, and what they reveal about 18th century English society, its perception or preconception of the Other or non-white European.

Finally, this lecture will look at the result of these cultural clashes that would lead to the pseudo-scientific invention of race and white superiority and how that was then used to justify the brutality inflicted upon native populations by Europeans.

11.30-12.00: Coffee Break

12.00-13.00 Part 2: The Cult of the Celebrity - Omai the Exotic, & Joshua Reynolds This lecture Iooks at the events that led up to Joshua Reynolds’s portrait of Omai becoming an emblematic and iconic image representing Britain at the very height of its imperial powers. To explore this famous moment from history when two Worlds collided, Leslie will explore the key players in Omai’s story, his origins in Tahiti, his background and motivation to come to England, followed by his time in England, English society and his interaction therein.

The lecture will then go on to look at Joshua Reynolds’s ideas regarding his self-image, his influences and how this related to his image of Omai. This will be followed by a look at what this portrait of Omai by Joshua Reynolds can tell us about 18th century English society, its perception or preconception of the Other or Non-white European and how prevalent pseudo-scientific ideas in this period affected the way Omai was perceived and finally envisioned in Reynolds’ painting. Leslie will then look at what happened when Omai returned to the South Seas and the impact of him going back. Can one ever go back? What is the impact of returning?

Finally, Leslie will speak about the legacy of the image we call Omai, which has become an enigma in its own right.

13.00-14.00: Buffet Seated Lunch

14.00-15.00 Part 3: The Cult of the South Pacific – Invention & Re-Invention: Gauguin’s Portraits and the Myth of Paradise This lecture will look at the enduring Western obsession with, and invention of, the so-called ‘Exotic’ or ‘Noble Savage’ that would eventually manifest itself in the 19th and early 20th century with the images of Gauguin. This lecture will take us into the modern period and look at what happened to these notions of the exotic in the 19th century. This is explored through the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist work of this period’s most notable visitor to the island of Tahiti, also looking for the exotic and paradise - Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903). His experiences and the vibrant evocations of paradise through his paintings, and his discoveries and eventual death in the South Pacific, bring this exploration of the exotic to its conclusion.

It also reminds us how the romanticised depictions of the island and its peoples by artists such as: William Hodges (1744-1797), Benjamin West (1738-1820), John Webber (1751-1793), and John Cleveley (c.1712- 1777), and indeed those of Paul Gauguin (1848 – 1903), not only bolstered these notions in the minds of Europeans, but also helped to perpetuate and invent the Western notion of the exotic, and the myth of paradise.

By popular demand, we are delighted to announce an additional evening lecture at the Pavilions, Teignmouth, starting at 7:30pm.. 

Get ready to journey back in time! Join us for an extraordinary and exciting journey through original archives. Tony asks: What is the British seaside? How did it come about? What are the origins of the seaside pierrot troupe and concert party? And how are modern pop music and comedy rooted in these very British Artforms?

After the interval, we shall have Spike Bones’ Punch & Judy Show, a new perspective on an old tradition. Both Mr. Punch and Ms. Judy take centre-stage as they work and sometimes shirk their responsibilities!

All are welcome: the cost is £12 for both members and non-members.

Please purchase tickets directly from the Pavilions Box Office: Pierrot Heroes: The Evolution of Seaside Entertainment | Pavilions Teignmouth

Venue: Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre... from 10.00am to 3:00pm

Cost: £47 per ticket... to include free parking, coffee on arrival, mid-morning refreshments and a two-course buffet lunch

Purchase tickets here: Buy tickets to Special Interest Day

Just over a century since the end of the Hapsburg Dynasty’s control, this Study Day looks at the cultural life of the Czech and Hungarian capitals as well as one of the most pioneering artists working in Central Europe. During the 19th century, when many Central European countries were controlled by the Habsburgs, art and culture were often the only ways in which the Empire’s constituent crownlands could express their national identities.

Programme:

10.00 Registration and Coffee

10.30-11.30: ‘The Magic of Prague’ – The City and the Czech Cultural Revival

As part of the Habsburg Empire, Prague was beloved of kings and princes. During the 19th century, however, the Czechs sought to reclaim the city for their own. Looking back at their roots and mythology, the Czech people imagined a new future through art, entirely reshaping cultural movements including Romanticism and Symbolism in specifically patriotic ways. Looking at painters such as Alfons Mucha, Otakar Lebeda and Jakub Schikaneder and composers like Bedrich Smetana and Antonin Dvorak, as well as their forward-thinking literary and architectural contemporaries, this contextual talk shows how the Czechs reclaimed both country and capital by cultural means.

11.30-12.00: Coffee Break

12.00-13.00: ‘A Hungarian Metropolis’ – How Hungarians came to understand their national identity through culture

Budapest was formed in 1873 by the unification of Buda and Pest, situated on either side of the River Danube. The new capital was the focus of resurgent Hungarian nationalism, finding expression in lavish new buildings, the continent’s first underground railway system and paintings of specifically Hungarian subjects and locales. Meanwhile, in the countryside, composers including Bartok and Kadaly began collecting the music of their compatriots. Placing these endeavours in a historical framework, this lecture explores how Hungarians came to understand their national identity through culture.

13.00-14.00: Two-course Buffet Seated Lunch

14.00-15.00: ‘Gustav Klimt’ – Imperial Muralist Turned Radical Painter

Klimt was one of the most prominent figures in the Viennese fin de siècle, creating paintings whose sexual themes and bold use of colour and gold shocked an unsuspecting populace. Less is known about his early years as a muralist for the grand municipal buildings and royal and aristocratic palaces of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This lecture looks at the many changes in Klimt’s life, his rejection of public pomp and the impact on his style and works.

15.00: End of Special Interest Day, but...Abbey, Gardens, Museum, Bookshop and Café are all open to visit until 5pm

About Gavin Plumley:

A writer and broadcaster, Gavin appears on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and contributes to newspapers, magazines and opera and concert programmes. He lectures widely about the culture of Central Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries. His recent appearances include Klimt and The Kiss in cinemas Worldwide and talks for the Hay and Cheltenham Literature Festivals, the Royal Opera House, the National Gallery, the National Trust, the National Theatre, the British Museum and the V&A. His first book, A Home for All Seasons, is out now in paperback.

We are delighted to be sponsoring this photographic exhibition of bygone life on Dartmoor. We are also delighted that students from local schools will be participating by taking and exhibiting their photographs of everyday life around us today.

Chris Chapman will be giving an illustrated talk on his photographs on 31 January at 10:30am. If you would like to register your interest and book a ticket, please email teignbridge@theartssociety.org. Places for the lecture may be limited, so please book early. There are no limitations to the exhibition. 

Cost: Tickets for the lecture are free for members and cost £5 for non-members. The exhibition is free for both members and non-members.  

Venue: The Newton Abbot Museum, 43 Wolborough St, Newton Abbot TQ12 1JQ

Exhibition times: 

• Monday 29 January: 10:00am - 3:00pm
• Tuesday 30 January: 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Wednesday 31 January: 10:00am to 3:00pm
• Thursday 1 February: 10:00am to 4:00pm
• Friday 2 February: 10:00am to 3:00pm

About Chris Chapman: 

Chris has a nationally important archive of photographs, which has been widely recognised. Some of which are held in private collections while others can be seen in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, Arts Council England, and the International Centre of Photography in New York.

He captures the essence of Dartmoor and its residents. These reflect traditional skills inherent in the indigenous population and emphasise the accumulation of knowledge associated with age and customs. The Newton Abbot exhibition is aiming to bring his work to the local community and beyond and will include a talk from Chris to bring his photographs to life.

We are absolutely delighted to welcome Sarah Dunant back to The Arts Society Teignbridge following her superb October lecture on The Borgias. Sarah made a real impression with so many members that we have invited her to deliver this year’s Special Interest Day. Sarah is a much sought-after commentator as well as a respected lecturer; she was the guest presenter on BBC Radio 4’s A Point of View on Sunday and you can find it available on BBC Sounds.

The theme for the day is “The Second Sex? Women in the Italian Renaissance, Art and Society – Courtesans and Nuns“. The day will involve two lectures from Sarah, the first on the career choices facing women and the second, a study of one remarkable noble woman, Isabella d'Este of Mantua. In the afternoon we will have an interactive, 'book club' session with Sarah discussing what it takes to put accurate history into fiction. We encourage everyone to read one of Sarah's books on the Renaissance, it doesn't matter which one, and come prepared to join in an interesting and lively discussion, or just to be a fly on the wall if that is your preference!

We are confident that it will be a unique opportunity to be immersed in the art and social history of this fascinating period. All are welcome, members and non-members. The booking form and further details are available in the Documents section, or click here: Special Interest Day booking form - The Second Sex - 14 Sept 2023

Venue: Buckfast Abbey, Buckfastleigh

Date: 14th September 2023. 10am for registration and coffee