The Pre-Raphaelite Dream
Explore the Victorian avant garde. The Pre-Raphaelites were notorious for their painting style and their lifestyles. Find out who eloped with whom, and the surprising results in art and literature. See why Ruskin became their champion, follow the rise of … More details …
Bath: a Musical History
The social history of Bath is also its musical history, and it’s a tale worth telling. From the days of Beau Nash, when the spa was instituted, a band has been part of the set-up, because music has healing powers, … More details …
Tragedy and Triumph: The heroic age of Antarctic exploration
Three famous explorers dominate the story of early Antarctic exploration: Scott, Amundsen and Shackleton. We will focus on their expeditions from 1902 – 1912, including the race to the Pole between Scott and Amundsen. Herbert Ponting’s photographs and Edward Wilson’s … More details …
Germany after the Wall
Find out how Germany changed when the Berlin Wall came down, how Angela Merkel and her two predecessors dealt with major social and economic challenges – and how Germans in these uncertain times are building train stations! The course will … More details …
Toulouse-Lautrec: the Painter of Montmartre
This study day will look at the life and work of the Post-Impressionist painter Henri Toulouse-Lautrec. The main focus will be the period in which the artist lived and worked in the Parisian district of Montmartre. Lautrec, through his paintings … More details …
Doris Hatt and Rosa Bonheur
Two remarkable women artists: Doris Hatt, a modernist working in Clevedon, and animal painter Rosa Bonheur, the most successful of the 19th-century. DORIS HATT (1890-1969) was a remarkable woman who lived in Clevedon for much of her life. A recent … More details …
Shakespeare and history: the Real War of the Roses
Shakespeare’s earliest plays deal with the most turbulent period in English history, from the loss of France through to the Battle of Bosworth. Along the way he addresses the burning of Joan of Arc, the murder of a king and … More details …
Jacobean Theatre
The accession of James 1 to the throne in 1603 had a enormous impact on playwrights from Shakespeare to Webster and Ford. We’ll look at the political, religious and social influences which helped to create some of the greatest plays … More details …
Reading Paintings: Great Collections
This course explores some of the great collections in art history, from the Stuart kings to the Hugh Lane Collection of impressionist paintings. Contains a case study of Evelyn Waugh – his art collection as well as his taste in … More details …
Still Life – a bigger picture
A study day examining the genre of Still Life painting. The emphasis of the day will be allegory, metaphor and narrative. We will follow the development of the Still Life from the Renaissance to the 21st Century and try to … More details …
Constable, Turner and Joseph Wright of Derby
John Constable, Joseph Wright, and J. M. W. Turner are three giants of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British art. Each possessed special qualities in their painting that set them apart from their contemporaries. We analyse the qualities of their major works … More details …
The Tudors
The Tudor monarchs are a perennial favourite in film and popular fiction – but sometimes this distorts our understanding. This course will cover the key elements and events of each reign, discussing new scholarship and research, and discussing the local … More details …
Reading Paintings: the Restoration
The return of Charles II in 1660 changed English history, literature, and society. This course traces the changing tastes of the day, with a special focus on the links between art and social history. Contains a case study of Sir … More details …
Making Peace – Keeping Peace
It is of course simplistic to say that history repeats itself. But writing and performing two Great War centenary events for my home community (Axbridge) kept ringing bells and raising questions about our current predicament. In particular, the 2018 Remembrance … More details …
Art of Post-War Britain 1945 – 1970
In this four week course we will consider:- St Ives school: with a focus on a new interpretations of the Romantic Landscape tradition, looking at the work of artists including Peter Lanyon, Wilhelmina Barnes-Graham, Patrick Heron and Barbara Hepworth. London … More details …