London : Here are all the upcoming events at London's National Gallery for October 2006:
Exhibitions
Velázquez
18 October 2006 - 21 January 2007
For the first time in Britain, a major exhibition will trace the career of one of the very greatest painters - Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (1599-1660). From his beginnings in Seville, this exhibition follows his move to Madrid and appointment as court painter to Philip IV, his two trips to Italy, to his final days and his knighthood. Throughout his life Velázquez demonstrated an increasingly precocious ability to observe and record reality. He achieved ever greater physical and psychological naturalism using increasingly pronounced and elegant brushstrokes. Velázquez ultimately realised miraculous effects of illusion with an astounding, abbreviated technique that was to inspire future realists as well as the Impressionists. Drawing on the National Gallery's own rich holdings and major loans from the Museo del Prado and other collections, this exhibition will include around a third of the world's surviving works by Velázquez. It will demonstrate his extraordinary development through great examples of his religious and mythological paintings, alongside his portraits.
Manet to Picasso:
A Redisplay of Modern Masters from the National Gallery Collection
22 September 2006 - 20 May 2007
There is a unique opportunity to re-examine the outstanding scope of the National Gallery's collection, when its late 19th- and 20th-century paintings are displayed afresh in a new Sainsbury Wing installation. From the Impressionist masterpieces of Monet and Renoir, to iconic paintings by Van Gogh and Cézanne, this display includes familiar favourites alongside important loans. New juxtapositions will challenge audiences to reconsider well-known works, at the same time as exploring the relationships between major movements. The six rooms of the display will be organised chronologically, allowing visitors to trace the dramatic changes that occurred during some of the most exciting years of artistic development. Earlier 19th-century paintings will be displayed on the ground level of the Wilkins Building.
Cézanne in Britain
4 October 2006 - 7 January 2007
October 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906), acclaimed as one of the most influential and well-loved artists of all time. The National Gallery is celebrating the artist and his work with Cézanne in Britain - a retrospective focusing entirely on his works held in British collections. Reclusive and shy, Cézanne never came to Britain, yet thanks to pioneering collectors and forward-thinking dealers and scholars, his work has had a remarkable impact here. Britain now holds one of the world's most outstanding collections of works by the artist, and around forty of them from major institutions and private collections have been selected for Cézanne in Britain. This exhibition traces the full development of Cézanne's art with paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints, and covers his wide range of subject matter: portraits, still lifes and landscapes. World-renowned paintings such as Bathers (National Gallery, London) and Mont Sainte-Victoire (National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh) will be shown alongside rarely seen works from private collections.
Ludwig Mond's Bequest: A Gift to the Nation
14 July - 29 October 2006
The National Gallery has always enjoyed generous private patronage. This exhibition will celebrate Ludwig Mond (1840-1909), one of its most important benefactors, and highlight the contribution of private bequests to public art collections. A successful industrial chemist with a great passion for art, Mond assembled an outstanding collection of paintings, mainly of Italian Old Masters. On his death, he conferred 42 paintings to the National Gallery, one of the largest bequests ever made. The highlights of the Mond Bequest included in this exhibition include: Bellini's The Virgin and Child Enthroned; Raphael's The Crucified Christ with the Virgin Mary, Saints and Angels (The Mond Crucifixion) and Titian's late Virgin and Child.
ArtStart
Supported by American Express Foundation, the National Gallery's touch-screen multimedia facility allows all visitors to explore the Gallery's collection in astonishing detail. ArtStart terminals are situated in a specially designed room and at strategic positions in the Sainsbury Wing, and also in the café area of the newly opened Lower Hall. ArtStart allows visitors to zoom-in on the paintings, explore in-depth features on the 30 collection highlights, find information on artists and their works and print individual tours of the collection.
Wednesday Lates
Enjoy art in the evening at our weekly Wednesday Lates. Come to the Sainsbury Wing Foyer for live music (by the Bruno Heinen Jazz Trio on 4th October, and the Shilladay String Quartet on 11th), talks and bar, and enjoy exhibitions and the collection until 9pm.
Education Events
WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURE - Cézanne and Ambroise Vollard: the Artist and the Dealer Wednesday 4 October, 6.30pm, Sainsbury Wing Theatre.
Ann Dumas
Paul Cézanne is now regarded as one of the greatest artists of the modern period. But for most of his career he was almost completely unrecognised. In his youth his works were consistently rejected at the official Paris Salon and later he failed to achieve the success enjoyed by his colleagues in the Impressionist group. His fortunes changed in 1895 when a young dealer and newcomer to the Paris art scene, Ambroise Vollard, was prepared to take a chance with the reclusive artist from Aix-en-Provence and give him his first solo exhibition. Ann Dumas has contributed to the catalogue of Cézanne in Britain. She is the curator of From Cézanne to Picasso: Ambroise Vollard, Patron of the Avant-Garde.
WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURE - The Anatomy of Spanish Habsburg Portraits: From Titian to Velázquez
David Davies
Spanish Habsburg monarchs appear grave (they never smile or laugh), formal (they stand erect, composed and detached) and sober (they wear priestly black). These distinctive forms of decorum reflected their ideology of rule, based on the belief that God had ordained them. To fulfil their obligation, merit his mercy and secure their rule, they rigorously embodied the theological and cardinal virtues. To portray them in their 'body politic', Titian, Mor, Rubens and Velázquez rejected literal imitation for one based on the observation, selection and invention of appropriate elements. Thereby they conveyed both the illusion of their sitters' physicality and the reality of their ideals. David Davies is Emeritus Professor, University of London, and was the curator of El Greco.
WEDNESDAY EVENING LECTURE - The 2006 Felicity Meshoulam Lecture: Velázquez is in the Details
Svetlana Alpers
What is the intention and the tradition behind the small figures that haunt the paintings of Velázquez? From the early Christ in the House of Martha and Mary through Philip IV hunting Wild Boar (La Tela Real) and The Surrender of Breda to Las Meninas and The Spinners, his little figures are an astonishing alternative to the large-scale portrayals for which he is celebrated. What specific to Velázquez as a painter is found in these details? Svetlana Alpers is Professor Emerita at the University of California, Berkeley, and a visiting scholar in the Department of Fine Arts, New York University. Her most recent book is The Vexations of Art: Velázquez and Others (2005).
Wednesday Evening Lecture - Velázquez's Religious Paintings Wednesday 25 October, 6.30pm, Sainsbury Wing Theatre.
Gabriele Finaldi
Velázquez painted only a few religious pictures. His early move to the court in Madrid in 1623 meant that he received relatively few ecclesiastical commissions, which makes his small religious oeuvre all the more interesting. From the early Sevillian works such as the The Adoration of the Magi or the National Gallery's Kitchen Scene with Christ in the House of Martha and Mary, to the mature paintings such as The Coronation of the Virgin or Christ on the Cross in the Prado museum, Madrid, Velázquez proved to be a highly original interpreter of traditional religious imagery. Gabriele Finaldi is Deputy Director for Conservation and Research at the Prado.
COURSE - City Breaks: Journeys through the History of Painting Part 1 - Painting from the 14th to 16th centuries
Course Liaison Tutor: Louise Govier
Why were so many innovative paintings made in Florence in the 15th century? Why did Venetian art develop in ways that weren't quite like any other Italian city-state? Join us as we go on a series of virtual city breaks, visiting some of the cultural and artistic hotspots of Europe and building up an overview of how painting developed. Each week we focus on a different destination, using that city as a starting point for exploring a particular part of the National Gallery's collection. Part 1 is divided into two different three-week 'tours' of cities that were significant from the 14th to 16th centuries; you can book for one or both of them. Part 2 (16th and 17th centuries) starts on 27 January.
COURSE - Avant-Garde? Romantics, Realists and Impressionists in the 19th Century. Tuesday 26 September, 3, 10 October, 2.30-4pm, Sainsbury Wing Conference Room 1.
Rebecca Lyons
This three-week course will look at different artistic developments in French painting in the 19th century. At the beginning of the century, the Neoclassical style prevailed: we will explore how artists such as Gericault and Delacroix broke free from conventions and experimented with both subject matter and style. Realism and politics in the art of Millet, Courbet and Manet also challenged the more traditional art world and arguably helped to pave the way for the generations of more experimental painters who would follow, such as Degas and Cézanne. The idea of the avant-garde artist will be discussed - both the origins of the term and the relevance of its application to artists in this period.
COURSE - The Painter of Painters - Diego Velázquez
James Heard
We will try to answer the question of why Manet dubbed his hero Velázquez 'the painter of painters' by examining his technique, exploring his methods of constructing a composition and comparing him to other great pioneers of oil painting such as Titian. Demonstrations of 17th-century oil painting techniques, and discussion of the training of Baroque artists, as well as such topics as the value of technical treatises (one was written by the artist's father-in-law) will be used to reveal the greatness of Velázquez.
EVENING EVENT - Illuminations: Pleasures of Paris by Night Wednesday 4 October, 6.30-8pm, Sainsbury Wing Conference Room 1.
Rebecca Lyons
Impressionist paintings of crowded theatres and smoky café-concerts convey the pleasure-loving mood of mid-19th-century Paris. Various social classes mixed and mingled in these venues, spectators becoming the object of each other's scrutiny and discussion. From the ingénue at her first outing in Renoir's At the Theatre to the more worldly crowd in Manet's Corner of a Café-Concert or the spectacle provided by Degas's Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, the National Gallery's collection will provide a springboard for this informal discussion of evening leisure scenes painted by the Impressionist group. Includes wine and refreshments
EVENING EVENT - Cézanne: He is the Man who Paints Wednesday 11 October, 6.30-8pm, Sainsbury Wing Conference Room 1.
Belle Smith
For much of his life Cézanne stayed away from the hubbub of Paris, doggedly pursuing his art in relative isolation in the south of France. His life has become the stuff of legend. In the first part of this informal evening we will explore the myth - the austere and suffering genius with peasant clothes and manners - and the life of Cézanne through works in the exhibition. Was he in fact isolated or inarticulate? How was he perceived by critics and fellow artists and how did he react to them? We will discuss his work in this broader context and consider the reasons for his profound influence on avant-garde art of the 20th century. Includes wine and refreshments.
SUNDAY MORNING BRUNCH - Life and Leisure in 19th-Century Paris Sunday 15 October, 11.15am - 1pm, Sainsbury Wing Conference Room 1.
Rebecca Lyons
The latter part of the 19th century saw Paris transformed from a medieval city to a modern one with broad boulevards and pavement cafés. Parisians strolled the streets and the parks, read the papers, ate and drank in the cafés or took trains to the suburbs where they enjoyed new watering holes and social venues, all the while remaining close to the city.
This informal Sunday morning event looks at the Impressionists' fascination with painting Parisians in and around their rejuvenated city. Artists such as Manet, Renoir, Monet and Seurat participated in these new leisure activities, as well as observing and recording them. Includes coffee and refreshments. Brunch will be served from 11.15am, and the course will commence at 11.45am.
WORKSHOP - Talk and... Draw Still Life Saturday 7 October, Free lunchtime talk: 1pm, Sunley Room followed by a still-life drawing workshop: 2-3.30pm, Education Centre Rooms 2 and 3.
Robert Dukes
This event combines a free lunchtime talk in the Gallery (open to the general public) with a practical still-life drawing workshop. Cézanne's still-life paintings were central to his desire to 'make of Impressionism something solid and durable, like the art of the museums'. After a talk on Cézanne's Still life with Teapot, painter Robert Dukes will lead a drawing workshop, using coloured pastels to explore still-life compositions inspired by Cézanne's work. Places at the workshop are limited, so advance booking is recommended. All materials are provided, and the workshop is suitable for all levels of experience.
WORKSHOP - The Big Draw: Close Encounters with the Carracci Cartoons Saturday 14 October, 11am - 1pm; repeated 2 - 4pm.
Karly Allen
The Carracci Cartoons are two large charcoal and white chalk drawings made in the late 1590s by Agostino and Annibale Carracci. The brothers were designing a huge fresco that still decorates the ceiling of a grand room in the Palazzo Farnese in Rome. The drawings show mythological subjects: the goddess Aurora abducting a mortal man to whom she'd taken a fancy, and a woman being carried off by a sea god. These sessions offer a rare chance to make your own drawings from these beautiful works, which because of their fragility are not on permanent public display. All materials are provided, and the workshops are suitable for all levels of experience. Groups are limited to 20 people, so advance booking is recommended. This session takes place in an area not usually accessible to the public; please meet at the Sainsbury Wing Information Desk by 10.50am (morning session) or 1.50pm (afternoon session).
Workshop - Drawing from Life Sunday 15 October, 10.30am-4.30pm, Education Centre Rooms 2 and 3.
Ann Dowker
This workshop will enable participants to engage with the European tradition of figure drawing, for a whole day. Working with a life model, artist Ann Dowker will use National Gallery paintings as points of reference. The day will be divided between practical drawing sessions with the model both draped and undraped, and the study of individual paintings in the collection, with particular reference to Degas's Young Spartans Exercising. Places at the workshop are limited, so advance booking is recommended. All materials are provided, and the workshop is suitable for all levels of experience. Includes sandwich lunch, tea and coffee.
Workshop - Drawing from Cézanne Sunday 22 October, 10.30am - 4.30pm, Education Centre, Rooms 2 and 3.
Robert Dukes
This workshop offers the chance to spend a day looking at and discussing Cézanne's work and making your own artistic response to it. Painter Robert Dukes will talk about key works in the Sunley Room exhibition Cézanne in Britain and will support participants as they draw with a range of different materials. The day will be divided between time spent in the exhibition and time working from still-life compositions inspired by Cézanne. Places at the workshop are limited, so advance booking is recommended. All materials are provided, and the workshop is suitable for all levels of experience. Includes sandwich lunch, tea and coffee, and 20 per cent discount voucher for the catalogue Cézanne in Britain.
Discussion Group - Talking Books Wednesday 18 October, 6.30-8pm, Sainsbury Wing Conference Room 1
Louise Govier
If you like to read and talk about books and are interested in how they can be a way into exploring the art in the National Gallery, this informal, friendly group discussion is for you. The focus book is Martin Gayford's The Yellow House: Van Gogh, Gauguin and Nine Turbulent Weeks in Arles (2006, Penguin). It recreates the short, difficult but extraordinarily creative period that the two artists spent living and working together. This was the time Van Gogh painted his Sunflowers (for Gauguin's room), a period of collaboration and discussion, but also of increasingly explosive arguments. Where do myth and reality collide in this account of their intense relationship?
Film Season - Portrait of an Artist 23 September-11 November 2006, Saturdays, 2.30pm, Sainsbury Wing Theatre.
'The greatest tableaux are portraits. Velázquez, for instance. A painter who tries to render a face only renders the outside of people; and yet something else is revealed. It's very mysterious. It's an adventure' (Jean-Luc Godard - Godard on Godard)
To reflect Velázquez's eminence as a portraitist, this National Gallery film season concentrates on the portrait in cinema; from the inward intensity of performance, to the self as an essentially unknowable entity.
7 October: Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966) B&W, 15, 83 mins
14 October: Triple Agent
21 October: Vivre Sa Vie
28 October : A Street Car Named Desire (Elia Kazan, 1951) B&W, 15, 119 mins
4 November: Solas (Benito Zambrano, 1999) colour, 15, 97 mins
11 November: The Life of Oharu (Kenji Mitzoguchi, 1952) B&W, PG, 130 mins
Free Events for Children and Families
Half-term Events
MAGIC CARPET STORYTELLING - for under-5s
Climb aboard the magic carpet and fly away for a half-hour adventure. Sessions explore a different painting each day. All children must be accompanied.
WORKSHOP - Theatre of fun
Join us to meet a determined dragon and a fearless lady, and set the stage for a dramatic battle in this mixed media workshop led by artist Al Johnson. For families with children aged 5 to 11. All children must be accompanied. There's no need to book, but numbers are limited and are allocated on arrival. Workshops last two hours.
Weekend Activities
WEEKEND GALLERY TALKS Every Saturday and Sunday, 11.30am, Meet in the Education Centre Foyer
Join us and meet Heroes and Villains in October in this themed children's tour of paintings. Session lasts one hour and is aimed at families with children aged 5 to 11. All children must be accompanied.
SECOND WEEKEND DRAWING EVENT - Furry trees and plastic rabbits Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 October 2006, 11.30am, repeated 2.30pm. Meet in Room 10
Let painter Matthew Burrows take you on a journey to a fantastic island in search of some strange and surprising creatures. Workshops take place on the second weekend of each month and last one hour. Sessions include a lively talk and drawing activity based on a different theme each month. All materials are provided and participants receive a free souvenir pencil. For families with children aged 5 to 11. All children must be accompanied.
Free Events
In addition to the courses, workshops, lectures and other events detailed in this booklet, the National Gallery has free talks and tours every day.
Guided tours - every day at 11.30am and 2.30pm, plus 6pm and 6.30pm on Wednesdays, 12.30pm and 3.30pm on Saturdays.
Lunchtime talks - Tuesday to Saturday each week at 1pm, plus special lectures and films on some Mondays. On Fridays, you can join in an interactive talk, hear a debate or get creative in the 'Talk and Draw' activities for adults.
Ten-Minute Talks - a quick insight into one painting, Monday to Friday at 4pm.
Picture in Focus - 25-minute talk on one painting, every Wednesday evening at 6pm.
Painting of the Month - a range of free talks at different times on one painting.
Art through Words - session for visitors with a visual impairment, last Saturday of the month, 11.30am.
British Sign Language -interpreted events take place on the first Saturday of every month.
For more information on any of the events listed above visit www.nationalgallery.org.uk .
USA
Your Talkback on this Story