NADFAS – FILLING THE CULTURE GAP
Contributed by Mrs Susan Molbeck
The National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies was founded in a leafy English suburb in 1968 to encourage enjoyment and appreciation of the decorative and fine arts of art and culture without having to visit big city galleries and museums. The idea caught on – world wide membership is nearly 100,000 between more than 350 societies. Three of ten societies in mainland Europe are in Andalucía. Sue Brodie set up DFAS Costa del Sol in Fuengirola in 1988. Nerja followed and DFAS de la Frontera was launched in January 2006. All three societies are now well established in the cultural life of Southern Spain. The core of NADFAS, Fine Arts Society, is its exclusive directory of highly qualified lecturers drawn from a rigorously selected pool of speakers, mainly from leading UK museums and art galleries. Many are familiar faces on BBC television arts and antiques programmes. Every year new speakers are selected, injecting fresh blood into the ever-changing cultural scene. Each lecture is presented digitally or illustrated by slides – some show familiar works, some have been produced by the lecturer and never seen in public. Each Spanish Fine Arts Society endeavours to strengthen links with its cultural heritage here in Andalucía and special study groups and visits occur every season. The social side of NADFAS is encouraged by lunches, dinners and special events, giving members and visitors the chance to mix with like-minded people and to talk to lecturers who are always delighted to discuss ideas and answer questions. Season of 8 NADFAS one hour-long lectures, October to May. Here we have a list of upcoming lectures. LECTURES OCTOBER 2008–MAY 2009 DFAS DE LA FRONTERA 21 October 2008 HOME IS WHERE THE ART IS: THE RENAISSANCE PALACE INTERIOR by James Lindow PhD MA BA Hons Successful 15th century merchants expressed their wealth in splendid palaces. Whilst facades survive, many interiors have been lost and their contents dispersed to museums. Using visual and written sources, James Lindow recreates this opulence, showing how paintings, sculptures and decorative objects were used within a domestic setting. This is a subject close to his heart – he was involved in the recent exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum 'At Home in Renaissance Italy'. A visiting lecturer at art colleges in London and Savannah, USA, Dr Lindow has been awarded research scholarships in London, the US and Italy, and has written several books. Sponsor: The Dentists Sotogrande 18 November 2008 MAX LIEBERMANN, GERMAN IMPRESSIONIST by Antony Peck MA (Cantab) In his paintings of sunlit places, with people enjoying the café society of the 'roaring twenties', and his fine portraits, Max Liebermann, 1847-1935, displays many of the characteristics of his more famous French contemporaries. But this great German Impressionist has a vigour and lightness of heart all his own. Sponsor: Lloyd Rowcroft Oriental Carpets Mr Peck will give an afternoon lecture on THE LIFE AND WORKS OF EMIL NOLDE, 1867-1956 , the German Expressionist of whom it has been said 'his pictures are saturated with a wild, erotic energy.' The boldness of his flower paintings broke new ground. Please see OTHER ACTIVITIES. 16 December 2008 THE HAZARDS OF MEDIEVAL PILGRIMAGE by Imogen Corrigan BA (Hons) Today the idea of a pilgrimage is popular once again but medieval pilgrims faced dangers and many perished on the way under appalling conditions. In spite of the problems, by the end of the 12th century, 100,000 pilgrims a year were making the perilous journey to Santiago de Compostela. Imogen Corrigan discusses 20 January 2009 THE STUDIO GLASS REVOLUTION by Charles Hajdamach The idea of using glass as a new medium for artistic expression was developed in America in the very late 1950s. The movement became almost as far-reaching as the invention of glass-blowing, representing a world-wide revolution in glassmaking. By 1965 the philosophy had reached Britain and in 2005 there were about 1,000 glass artists working in hot glass and cold decoration throughout the country. Amanda Brisbane, Bob Crooks, Rachael Woodman and Keith Cummings are now internationally acclaimed, pioneering new techniques in the creation of their sculptural masterpieces. Charles Hajdamach is a Fellow of the Society of Glass Technology and Chairman of the Glass Association. Please see OTHER ACTIVITIES. Sponsor: Blevins Franks 17 February 2009 FROM JAPANESE PRINTS TO ART DECO by Marie-Therese Barrett MA English MA Art When Japan was forced to open up its doors to the outside world in 1854 after two centuries of isolation, a passion for everything Japanese gripped Europe. Ikiyo-e prints, images of the “floating (i.e. impermanent) world” of pleasure were imported by the thousand and collected avidly by artists such as Manet, Whistler, Degas, Lautrec, Bonnard, Klimt and others. The innovative treatment of space, line and colour found in these cheap and popular prints had a revolutionary impact on Western art and inspired the Art Nouveau and Art Deco movements. Mrs. Barrett, well known to other NADFAS Spanish societies, has travelled and lectured widely in Japan. Sponsor: Langtons Finance Planning 17 March 2009 LIBYA UNCOVERED by Christopher Bradley B.Eng (Hons) FRGS The sheer scale of Leptis Magna, distant outpost of the Roman Empire, is overwhelming. A mass of exquisitely carved masonry lies where it fell. Great carved faces which once topped gigantic columns in the forum gaze blindly into your face at eye level. For many years a closed society, Libya is slowly unveiling its ancient Phoenician, Greek and Roman cultures, relatively free of tourists and the development of the pilgrimage from spontaneous journeys to holy places to well-organised tours with sophisticated itineraries and points systems. From their maps, souvenirs and shrines, we will see how early pilgrims planned their journey and what they achieved. Sponsor: Muebles Gavira 21 April 2009 FROM EGG TO BACON: ENGLISH PAINTING 1850-1950 by Linda Smith BA (Hons) MA Victorian artists like Augustus Egg, a friend of Charles Dickens, created popular works with a high moral tone. The Pre-Raphaelites challenged the status quo with vivid colours and complex decoration. They initiated a fertile era in English art, at the end of which Francis Bacon erupted onto the scene. Linda Smith. returning after her highly-acclaimed lecture last season, is an art historian, guide and lecturer at London's Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Sponsor: Linda Cockerell,Cortijo las Flores Ms Smith will give an afternoon talk on how modern British Art came 'KICKING AND SCREAMING' into the 21st century. She will present some interesting ideas on future directions. Please see OTHER ACTIVITIES. Sponsor: Bang & Olufsen Sound & Vision Systems 19 May 2009 LUSTRE POTTERY FROM BAGHDAD TO MALAGA by Rachel Ward, MA Mphil. The creation of lustreware at the Abbasid court in 9th century Iraq transformed pottery into highly prized, golden vessels 'like the light of the sun'. The mysterious technique, more chemistry than pottery, was a closely guarded secret but gradually it spread around the Islamic world, carried by potters seeking employment at the courts of Iran, Syria, Egypt and Spain. Mrs Ward will trace its evolution and illustrate the enormous variety of pottery and design, culminating in winged vases and giant platters made in Malaga. She is working on a catalogue of Islamic Metalwork at the British Museum, has written several books and lectures extensively. Sponsor: Casa de la Era Restaurant, Marbella The generous support of our NADFAS sponsors makes it possible for us to fly top lecturers to Spain and meet in prestigious locations. We are most grateful to them.
NADFAS Decorative and Fine Arts Society de la Frontera Asociación de Actividades Artísticas yCulturales de la Frontera PROGRAMME OCTOBER 2008-MAY 2009 Sponsor: SG Hambros Lectures at the San Roque Golf & Country Club A7 / km 127, 11:00am, third Tuesday of the month Lectures are held at the San Roque Golf and Country Club, A-7, km.127 (turn left at the via de servicio). Free entry to members of DFAS de La Frontera. Members of other DFAS societies €10. Visitors are welcome: entry at the door €12. Costs for other activities will be quoted separately – reduced prices for members. Coffee and other light refreshments are available at the bar before lectures begin. Informal lunches are held after each lecture, providing an opportunity to meet the speaker and fellow members. Arrangements are made at the time. The generous support of our sponsors makes it possible for us to fly top lecturers to Spain and meet in prestigious locations. We are most grateful to them.
OTHER ACTIVITIES - WHAT IS NADFAS? We are extending the scope of our cultural and social events to include one-day visits to exhibitions and interesting locations. Details will be announced as they become available. Please let us know if you have any suggestions. 14-17 October 2008 Art Course. A small hotel in Cartajima is running an exclusive Art Course for us: three days of relaxed drawing and painting with an experienced tutor/artist. Beginners and experienced artists alike are welcome. On going to print the course is fully booked but if there is sufficient demand it may be repeated at a later date. 18 November 2008 Afternoon talk . Antony Peck will follow his Max Liebermann lecture with an afternoon talk, illustrated by slides, introducing the wild, energetic paintings of Emil Nolde. The talents of these two painters, who revolutionised German art in the early 20th century, are only now gaining universal recognition. 20 November 2008 Private studio visit to two internationally-exhibited artists in the architecturally-listed Marbella Pueblo at Las Lomas del Marbella Club. Kirsten Clover, whose 'field' series of paintings is widely collected, and Ann Ridge, creator of magical effects with textiles, will show us their work. Lunch will be at the restaurant Casa de la Era, our May sponsor. 21 January 2009 Lecture-related visit . The day after Charles Hajdamach's lecture on Studio Glass, he will accompany an informal visit to Gibraltar's glass factory to watch a demonstration by their prize-winning head glass-blower. Lunch will follow. February 2009 Three-day NADFAS trip . Please would members interested in a private visit to Barcelona talk to Susan Molbeck. The viability of small groups visiting other destinations will be discussed during the season. 21 April 2009 Afternoon talk . In an informal afternoon lecture, Linda Smith will round off her examination of modern English art with a study of the mixture of Modernism and Pastoralism in the 1950s, followed by Pop Art in the sixties, Conceptualism through the 1980s and the turbulent launch of the Turner Prize. Will the future be equally controversial or will the trend to figurative art intensify? 2009-2010 NADFAS Members' exhibition. An exhibition of members' own paintings and sculptures was held in 2007 in San Roque. It is hoped to arrange a similar function during next season (2009-2010). Please let a member of the committee know if you wish to participate. La Asociación de Actividades Artísticas y Culturales de la Frontera Apartado de Correos 0282, 11311 Guadiaro, Cádiz, España NADFAS, Fine Arts Society was founded in the UK in 1968 in order to encourage the enjoyment and knowledge of the arts. It now boasts 100,000 members internationally in 330 societies, three of which are in southern Spain. The Decorative and Fine Arts Society de la Frontera, launched in 2006, has already earned a place in the cultural life of the region. Members and visitors have the opportunity to: 1 Attend 'live' lectures, presented digitally or with slides, by well-known speakers flown in from the UK. 2 Meet like-minded people. 3 Enjoy an hour of professionally-presented information and stimulating opinions in attractive local surroundings. Patron: The Lady Parkinson DL Committee: Vice/Acting Chairman Susan Molbeck 952 465 707panterarosa_61@hotmail.com Programme Secretary Julia Fisher 956 615 673juliafisher@hotmail.com Membership Secretary Joyce Paris 952 804 692jomiparis@telefonica.net Social Secretary Anna Tekenbroek 952 886 831atekenbroek@gmail.com Treasurer Cindy Glasby Hon. Secretary Kay Robertson Members happy to help run the society are invited to join the committee. Please contact Susan Molbeck. NADFAS Decorative and Fine Arts Society de la Frontera Member Society of NADFAS UK No 942 Post Office Box 0282, 11311 Guadiaro, Cádiz, Spain Printing courtesy of SG Hambros NADFAS Decorative and Fine Arts Societyde la Frontera Asociación de Actividades Artísticas yCulturales de la Frontera PROGRAMME OCTOBER 2008-MAY 2009 Sponsor: SG Hambros Lectures at the San Roque Golf & Country Club A7 / km 127, 11:00am, third Tuesday of the month NADFAS Venues:Costa del Sol, 2nd Monday of the month, Salón Varietés, FuengirolaNerja, 2nd Tuesday of the month, (normally same lecture as Costa del Sol) Casa Culturál, NerjaDFAS de la Frontera, 3rd Tuesday of the month, San Roque Golf Club, A-7 km 127 For more information, contact Billy Dawson, Chairman, DFAS Costa del Sol, 952 375 708Ruth Lucas, Chairman, DFAS Nerja 952 534 282Susan Molbeck, Chairman, DFAS de la Frontera 952 465 707 Visitors are always welcome and society chairmen are also happy to hear from those interested in joining their local committees.NADFAS is non-profit making. All committee members are volunteers.
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