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The Arts Society Ashdown Forest
Crowborough Community Centre
Pine Grove East Sussex TN6 1FE
Thursday 14 Sep 2023
2pm. Members of the Society free, visitors £7 per lecture.
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The Arts Society Ashdown Forest
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The Arts Society Ashdown Forest
‘Venice, Canaletto and his Rivals’ a lecture by Anthony Russell
The first lecture of our 2023-24 season is a heady mixture of a ‘superstar’ painter, immensely rich patrons and a city whose modern face hides behind a romantic mask. Though some were no better than modern hooligans, many a British grand tourist was highly sophisticated and had a lasting impact on Venice, and how it is perceived today. These are magical paintings by an Italian artist greatly influenced by British taste and Britain boasts the greatest collection of his works, in both public and private hands. While these wonderful views depict a serene dreamland and have always been highly prized, Venice is now in serious trouble and needs global co-operation to save it from sinking forever.
Anthony Russell is a cultural historian, writer and artist. He lectured originally on bespoke cultural tours of Europe and has lectured for the Arts Society since 2010 on a wide variety of subjects, not only fine art but also architecture, furniture and historical topics. He spent six years as a consultant advising on the furniture needs of prestigious buildings throughout Britain, including museums, palaces and cathedrals. At the British Museum he ran outreach events and hosted visiting lecturers. Committed to ‘the search for civilisation’ and as an advocate of non-violence, he is the founder of The Chandos Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting causes that promote understanding and cooperation. He is currently researching a new book on civilisation; what it is, whether we have it and how you get it.
Everyone welcome - Refreshments available at the end of the lecture.
The first lecture of our 2023-24 season is a heady mixture of a ‘superstar’ painter, immensely rich patrons and a city whose modern face hides behind a romantic mask. Though some were no better than modern hooligans, many a British grand tourist was highly sophisticated and had a lasting impact on Venice, and how it is perceived today. These are magical paintings by an Italian artist greatly influenced by British taste and Britain boasts the greatest collection of his works, in both public and private hands. While these wonderful views depict a serene dreamland and have always been highly prized, Venice is now in serious trouble and needs global co-operation to save it from sinking forever.
Anthony Russell is a cultural historian, writer and artist. He lectured originally on bespoke cultural tours of Europe and has lectured for the Arts Society since 2010 on a wide variety of subjects, not only fine art but also architecture, furniture and historical topics. He spent six years as a consultant advising on the furniture needs of prestigious buildings throughout Britain, including museums, palaces and cathedrals. At the British Museum he ran outreach events and hosted visiting lecturers. Committed to ‘the search for civilisation’ and as an advocate of non-violence, he is the founder of The Chandos Foundation, a non-profit organisation supporting causes that promote understanding and cooperation. He is currently researching a new book on civilisation; what it is, whether we have it and how you get it.
Everyone welcome - Refreshments available at the end of the lecture.