Moray, Banff & Badenoch Decorative & Fine Arts Society

Important stages in their careers and major influences are considered. Margaret Mackintosh is considered to be the “spiritual key to her husband's greatness” through shared imagination.

During the nineteenth century Wilkie was considered as one of the great pioneers of Western art, but in the 20th century his homely humour was consigned to obscurity. In figure painting, Wilkie's psychological penetration makes the facial expressions in pictures by the Renaissance painters look bland and imprecise.

In the urban environment our lives are enhanced by public sculpture, from bronze worthies to sculpture on war memorials, from terracotta reliefs on public buildings to contemporary public art. The diversity and impact of this art is discussed.

The development of stained glass is traced from the magnificent blue and red glass that dominated the windows of the great Gothic cathedrals through the stained glass of the Gothic revival in the nineteenth century to the stained glass that filled the huge cathedral windows destroyed in the war.

Case histories are presented on the difficulties of attribution of paintings, particularly the long story of attribution of paintings to Rembrandt. The difficult field of quality of work, particularly in view of changing standards, is summarised. We are encouraged to make our own judgements undeterred.

Mining and professional artists, mesmerised by the visual impact of coal mining, have produced work of a high standard. They should be taken very seriously, as some, for example Tom McGuiness and Norman Cornish, are among the most important British artist of the second half of the twentieth century.

The lecture explores the impact on the work of artists through the ages. Among examples studied are Van Eyck's travels in Portugal, Bruegel's tour of Italy, Rubens' travels in Spain and Italy and Delacroix's and Gauguin's voyages to North Africa and the South Seas respectively.

Textiles provided the interiors of sixteenth century houses with colour, glamour, texture and symbolism. Now only a fraction of the original collections survives. We examine designs, techniques and uses, also the owners' fondness for decoding hidden messages and devices.

Gun toting angels, Virgins shaped like mountains, saints on horseback, dancing demons and Jesus and his disciples dining on a last supper of guinea pig and corn beer. The Spaniards tried to convert the Incas to Christianity by teaching them to paint, resulting in a delicious cultural fusion.

The Chateaux, manoirs and their gardens lie in the walnut groves of the Perigord, the vineyards around Bordeaux and the banks of the Dordogne. The buildings described range from medieval castles to nineteenth century houses. Three gardens in the Perigord, both old and contemporary, are of special interest.