Talks Page
Stephen is an accredited lecturer of The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS), and has given talks to many other organisations including: U3A, Probus, WEA and the National Trust. He is proud to have undertaken an extensive lecture tour of Australia in 2016 and welcomes enquiries from any organisation concerned with promotion of culture and the arts.
The talks outlined below can be for either 45 minute or 60 minute duration, and can be modified to allow time for questions if desired. These are Powerpoint presentations for which all equipment can be supplied. Click on a title for further information:
Prinny and the Excesses of Regency Period Style
Burlington House in London’s Piccadilly has been the home of The Royal Academy of Arts since 1868. Although the Academy was already 100 years old when it took up residence, it is not commonly known that the building has a long and fascinating history of its own.
This talk focuses on the origins of Burlington House, from construction in the 1660's for a courtier to King Charles ll; re-fashioning as a Palladian mansion for Richard Boyle, 3rd Earl of Burlington; its association with architects and artists such as William Kent and Sebastiano Ricci; further re-development by the Cavendish family during the Regency period, and its ultimate role as the home of the United Kingdom's leading 'Society for promoting the Arts of Design'.
The talk also examines the reasons behind the founding of the Royal Academy, it's own early history and its olympian era during the time of eminent Victorian artists such as Leighton, Millais and Frith. This subject has proved very popular and has a particular resonance as the Academy celebrated its 250th anniversary, and opened its spectacular new extension in 2018.
The Return of the Kings (1660-1760)
This talk considers fashionable living in the time of Charles II, through the Baroque splendour of the later Stuart court to the Palladian grandeur and frivolous Rococo of the early Hanoverian kings. Illustrated with examples of historic buildings and objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum, it sets period style in context, charting the evolution from one style to another and identifying key characteristics, influences and personalities.
A Fascination with the Antique(1760-1840)
Continuing the story from Part I, this talk focuses on the two great movements of the late 18th and early 19th century - Neo Classicism and the Regency. Inspired by the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, the rebirth of classicism was to replace Rococo as the new fashion, but with an emphasis on taste and academic understanding. This was the dazzling age of innovators such as Robert Adam and Josiah Wedgwood.
The talk also touches on rival movements such as the Gothic revival of Horace Walpole, before concluding with the Regency, itself informed by classicism, but a period characterised by its excesses, variety and exoticism. Illustrated with examples of historic buildings and objects from the Victoria & Albert Museum, the talk sets period style in context, charting the evolution from one style to another and identifying key characteristics, influences and personalities.
In the middle of the eighteenth century three young men who were to become legends in the world of architecture were studying in Rome. Drawn by a desire to study the ancient world, their timing was impeccable as they witnessed the early stirrings of a new movement in classical style that was to sweep Europe. Inspired by the discoveries of Pompeii and Herculaneum, Neo-Classicism was to become the dominant force in architectural style for the next forty years.
Each of these young men were to follow their own paths into the Pantheon of great British architects, Robert Adam by the brilliance of his highly original designs; James Stuart for his depictions of the ruins of Athens and Sir William Chambers as architect to the king and leading figure at the newly founded Royal Academy.
This talk explores their early adventures and charts their rise to fame, highlighting key elements of their styles and giving examples of their work, both in terms of their skills as interior designers and also their great accomplishments in the world of architecture.
This talk is effectively a sequel to the two part 'Restoration to Regency' and explores developments in architecture, interior decoration and furnishing during the Victorian era. Opening with the scholarly Gothic Revival of AWN Pugin and his brilliant follower William Burges, and concluding with the art nouveau of designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh, the talk features other leading personalities such as Ruskin, de Morgan, Morris and Whistler to illustrate the great variety and creativity of the Victorian era.
This talk concerns the leading Victorian artist William Powell Frith, painter of celebrated panoramas of modern life. These large canvasses, crowded with figures and incidents and portraying people from all walks of life, were a sensation in their day and his work 'Derby Day' remains popular today.
As a young artist he became an acquaintance of Charles Dickens and his early successes included work for the author depicting characters from his novels. Very much a traditionalist, he was always at odds with new movements in art. This was somewhat in contrast with his complex personal life in which he fathered many children and openly lived with his mistress whilst maintaining two families.
The talk culminates with an examination of what is perhaps the artists most fascinating work A Private View at the Royal Academy, 1881 - a satirical work targeting fashion and high society in Victorian London.
Talks Page