Humanities
Gertrude Jekyll & Edwin Lutyens – The English House & Garden
The agricultural depression of the late nineteenth century removed land as the chief source of wealth in England. By 1901 money to pay for a country house had to be made in urban centres of trade or, in the countries that made up the British Empire. Building a house in the country made to appear as old and as venerable as the countryside itself was the ideal. Stylistically they looked back to the English vernacular tradition, which had been modified in response to the differing requirements of affluent clients. In this creative climate of possibilities architect Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944) and gardener Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932) became names well known.
Josiah Wedgwood Tradesman – Tycoon, Firing up the Modern Age
Josiah Wedgwood was a trend setting potter, manufacturing innovator and marketing genius. He fulfilled the dream, going from being an apprentice tradesman in a tough industry, to becoming a world famous tycoon. He built a business empire, founded a famous family dynasty and gained for himself a favourable reputation against all the odds and in harsh and physically demanding conditions.
Cherishing Wisdom – Treasures of the Bodleian and Humankind
The Bodleian Libraries at Oxford are safeguarding and showcasing outstanding texts and ephemera so we can all enjoy the benefits of 21st century enlightenment
Shakespeare: Staging the World – Shaping England’s Identity
From July to November 2012 the British Museum is presenting what will most likely be one of the key exhibitions of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. Shakespeare – Staging the World will be produced in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company. It aims to provide an innovative perspective on the bard and his plays.
National Gallery – Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed
Eugene von Guérard: Nature Revealed currently on show at the National Gallery of Australia is a traveling exhibition of works by arguably Australia, and certainly Victoria’s most important colonial landscape painter
Extravagant Inventions – The Roentgen Family Cabinetmakers
Later this year in The Met at New York will be a landmark exhibition of the furniture from the German Roentgen family cabinetmaking firm in operation c1740-1795
Heaven on Earth? – Palladian Villa at Padua nearby to Venice
The precise location of heaven on earth has never really been established. However it could be at the Villa Moro Malipiero at Padua, nearby to Venice in Northern Italy.
Archaeology – Met Show Explores Origins of Egyptian Art
The best and shortest road towards knowledge of truth [is] nature* In ancient Egypt their agricultural society, at first, was structured around a King, who embodied the Egyptian belief that their lives were being divinely guided and nurtured. During the ‘Old Kingdom’ in the 3rd millennium before the Christ Event, he emerged as a ‘living [...]
Archaeology – Uncovering the Past to Help Invent the Future
Without romantic enthusiasm attached to a hunt for hidden treasures the true wealth of our cultural heritage would never have been re-discovered at all.
The Lewis Chessmen – British Museum’s Goodwill Ambassadors
The objective of any museum is to tell the story of cultural development around the world, from the dawn of human history over two million years ago until the present day. In every major capital city of the western world there are various types of museums, and each has a different focus, dependent on the [...]
Planning Savvy, Sustainable City Environs – Being Eco-Smart
Delivering sustainable communities is big business. We need to fast-track informed, intelligent decisions and solutions for managing natural, urban and virtual environments. A lot will depend on creatively connecting communities globally, as well as computing the right answers.
Casting Castor & Pollux – With a Little Help from Mozart
To play the role of Castor, in The Pinchgut Opera’s 2012 presentation of Castor and Pollux, a very high tenor voice (haut-contre) is required. They have recently cast American Jeffrey Thomson, who has been based in Paris for the past few years.
Pugin & Pearson – The Master & Disciple of Gothic Revival
Auguste Welby Pugin [1812-52] and John Loughborough Pearson [1817-1897] were leading exponents of the nineteenth century Gothic Revival style in architecture in England from Waterloo (1815) to the Great War (1914-1918). Their connection with the expansion of the colony established in the antipodes during the late eighteenth century has almost been forgotten, especially in England.
Lord Byron – A Rock Star Poet in an Age of Extravagance
For historians the Regency era in England is about romantics and revolutionaries, poets and princes, architects and artists. It was a paradox where extremes met
The China Trade Begins with Precious Cargoes from Cathay
Ceramic traditions since ancient times have undergone many cross fertilizations by their exposure to various cultures. The first stirring of what we now describe as the China Trade began when Europe was still emerging from the medieval period and would build momentum slowly peaking during the nineteenth century.
Australia – A Multicultural Celebration of Life
In Australia life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are objectives we are all seeking to embrace. If we are however to continue going forward as a nation, and as an integral part of an enlightened global society we must surely ensure that the values and aims we all share remain as an important focus at the forefront of our laws and culture.
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