The Art of Science at the National Gallery
A lecture by Aaron Hunter presented by The Arts Society Ealing
An experiment on a bird in an Air Pump by Joseph Wright of Derby 1768
July 17, 2024
The next lecture to be hosting by The Arts Society Ealing will be given by Aaron Hunter on the subject of “The Art of Science at the National Gallery: The 200th Anniversary of the Gallery”.
He will explain how The National Gallery gives us the opportunity to discover the science behind fine art and how scientific innovation has changed the way art is created. He will examine the development of perspective in the early Renaissance, and the evolution of different paint types. He will look at the way Leonardo da Vinci brought scientific knowledge into art, and relate how trade brought new copper minerals to Europe that would change the composition of paintings such as Titian’s.
The industrial revolution meant that science and innovation became the subject of art, with industrial scenes by Turner and Joseph Wright of Derby, and the life-like re-creation of horse anatomy of George Stubbs. Finally, the 20th century brings modern chemistry that takes painting out of the studio and into the open air where we can see the impact of Impressionism.
Aaron Hunter is a professional scientist and researcher with the University of Cambridge and a London Blue Badge Guide, a Green Badge Guide for the City of London and Oxford, and a City of Bath Mayor's Guide. He is a palaeontologist, and has published research on the origin of marine animals 480 million years ago. He worked first as a research fellow in France, Germany and Japan, and then as a Senior Lecturer in Malaysia and Western Australia. He has a passion for archaeology, history, architecture and the history of art, and gives lectures that encompass these subjects, looking at the interface between the arts and sciences.
This talk is at 7:30pm on Monday 22 July at St Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing W5 1QG.
Visitors are welcome to attend at £8 per lecture (£3 for students); payment can be made in cash or by card on the evening.
The following month the society is holding a special interest morning with two lectures.
The first will celebrate the Centenary of the Paris Expo. Held in 1925, 16 million visitors witnessed the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts, which played a fundamental role in the new style that we know as Art Deco.
The second lecture will discuss Art Deco being the most glamorous and popular style of the 20th century. Prevalent during the 1920s and 1930s, you can learn about the development of the Art Deco style through objets d’art and architectural buildings in the UK and beyond.
The talks will be given by Pamela Campbell-Johnson who lectures at the Royal Academy and has worked for Bonhams, the Art Loss Register and the National Trust.
The event takes place on Wedneday 14 August at St Barnabas Church Hall, Pitshanger Lane, Ealing W5 1QG. Arrive at 10am for 10:30am start and proceedings end at 1:15pm.
Tickets cost £25 per head which includes two 1-hour lectures, tea/coffee & bis.cuits. For further information and tickets contact Susan Parsons at: spsecretarytase@gmail.com
The Arts Society Ealing belongs to the large umbrella organisation, The Arts Society, previously known as the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS), which was founded in 1968. The local Society has a membership of around 140.
The Arts Society Ealing holds 10 lectures a year and more information can be found by visiting its web site.
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