The Athenaeum sponsors an ongoing series of popular evening lectures
in arts appreciation, including topics in classical music and jazz,
visual art, art history, and architecture.
Join us for three warm summer nights on the patio of the Athenaeum in La Jolla for classic films and wines! Wine expert Barbara Baxter will introduce the wines that each relate to the movies on screen!
August 7: Watch the classic 1946 Hitchcock movie Notorious in which Ingrid Bergman must try to catch a spy in an Argentinean wine cellar. Sip some choice Argentinean wines while enjoying the movie outdoors.
August 14: Join Anthony Quinn as “Zorba, the Greek” in the 1964 film of the same name, as he enjoys Greek wine—a lot of it—and women! Barbara Baxter will introduce a white and red Mediterranean wine with this movie!
August 21: The 2006 film A Good Year takes place on a vineyard in the Provence, France! Just like the stars of the movie, Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard, you can enjoy a glass of French wine of that region, while you revel in the beauty of the French countryside!
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The Palladian Society was formed several years ago by a group of women dedicated to the study of decorative arts. These objects can include works in wood, ceramics, metals, glass, textiles and crafts such as furniture and jewelry making, enameling, and landscaping. The word Palladian possesses several definitions: “of, relating to or characteristic of Athena; characterized by wisdom or study; characteristic of the Renaissance architectural style of Andrea Palladio.” Fittingly the Athenaeum has taken the Palladian Society under its auspices and presents the 2008/09Lecture Series on Decorative Arts. Lectures take place at the Athenaeum, La Jolla, 1008 Wall Street.
The astronomical rise of the vogue for tulips in Holland during the 1630s is the focus of this lecture, which tells the story of horticultural whimsy gone awry. A three-year period of trading tulips on the Dutch stock exchange made single bulbs worth cartloads of riches and provoked a market crash that pushed Holland to the brink of bankruptcy. The history of the tulip will be examined in this light, as well as in terms of its role as an icon for understanding the aesthetic, social, and cultural contexts of Golden Age Holland.
Middle Eastern or “Islamic” Art has five sources or pillars whose significance help build a unique culture from Southern Spain to Indonesia. Architectural structures, calligraphy, decorative fusions, scientific inspirations and biblical references will ground the presentation and tie it to the history of the West. Western perceptions and assumptions regarding Islam and its milieu are also addressed as nationalistic anxieties. Contemporary artists from the region whose art relate to or echo the roots of “Islamic” art will be woven into the presentation. Many of the images used are original photographs taken by Doris Bittar in her travels to the Europe, the Arab World and Iran. Bittar has interviewed master calligraphers in their studios, contemporary artists and prominent historians to reveal the process of cultural fusions and its hybrid results. “The Five Pillars of Islamic Art” presents a compelling vision of interconnections grounded in shared human accomplishments and aspirations.
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Lidia and Alexander Rossner will present a selection of video interviews with artists and the curator of the 10th International Istanbul Biennial for Contemporary Art, which took place in Turkey, September-November 2007.
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Art historian James Grebl, Ph.D., presents a series of four lectures surveying the artistic creations of the Medieval world from the roots of the Byzantine era to the threshold of the Italian Renaissance. Beautifully illustrated with images of the key monuments and artifacts, the lectures explore the forms and functions of artworks that express the religious and political dimensions of their times.
Giotto
The world that emerged from the ruins of the Roman Empire in the fourth century was largely shaped by rise of Christianity in both the eastern Mediterranean and Europe. The first lecture begins by examining Byzantine art, with its glimmering mosaics and sacred icons, then looks at the unique blend of Celtic and Christian elements displayed in the intricately patterned metalwork and illuminated manuscripts produced in western Europe. The revival of the classical tradition under Charlemagne and the development of powerful new architectural forms in the Ottonian Empire conclude the survey of the Early Medieval period.
The second lecture traces the evolution of the Romanesque form of architecture, with its massive walls and heavy stone vaults, displayed in the monumental churches lining the pilgrimage routes of western Europe. The sumptuous gold and jewel-studded reliquaries and sacred vessels that were crafted to adorn these churches are examined along with the luxuriously illustrated and encased bibles and lectionaries of the clergy and nobility. This phase ends with a glimpse of the transition from the Romanesque to a stunning new style of architecture, the Gothic, which began in Normandy and Paris in the twelfth century.
The rapid spread of the new Gothic style of architecture and ornament is the topic of the third lecture in the series. As cathedral builders competed in a “race to the skies,” erecting ever-taller structures that soared above the towns they graced, they also strove to penetrate the walls with more and more windows filled with gorgeous stained glass that flooded the church interiors with radiant, jewel-colored light. Sculpture and metalwork were invested with a new graceful quality that reflected the elegant, courtly tastes of the nobility.
The final lecture examines the new rebirth of naturalism and classical idealization in the fourteenth century that laid the foundations for the coming of the Renaissance in the fifteenth century. The pioneering work of Giotto and other Florentine painters and sculptors departed from medieval practice by looking to nature for inspiration, but this modern style was not favored by all. The lecture concludes by considering the survival of the Gothic tradition as an International style that coexisted with the newer Renaissance style for more than a century.
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Nationally known book artist Julie Chen will speak about her work both as a maker of limited edition artists’ books and as a teacher of book art. She will discuss her observations on the connections between the artists’ books and real life through the development of the creative process.
Julie Chen is an internationally known book artist and book arts instructor. She has been producing limited edition artist's books under the Flying Fish Press imprint for the past 20 years. Her work is known for its innovative use of non-traditional structure, and high level of craftsmanship, and can be found in library and museum collections around the world such as the library at the Museum of Modern Art, NY, and the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. She completed her undergraduate work at University of California, Berkeley in studio art in 1984, and received a graduate degree in book arts from Mills college in 1989. She teaches in the book arts program at Mills College during the school year and teaches intensive book arts workshops at institutions around the country during the summer.
On November 21 Chicago book artist Karen Hanmer will present Book Arts Road Trip, a Survey of Contemporary Book Arts. The Book Arts field includes a broad range of work, traditional leather bindings, all forms of printmaking and mark making from the most ancient to the most current technology, sculptural works that are sometimes only a vague reference to the book form, and even installation and performance. Hanmer will show images of a broad variety of work, and give insights into the thoughts of the artists through their own words. She will show a small selection of her own work at the end. The evening will conclude with an opportunity to handle a selection of the work presented in the lecture.
