ADFAS Newcastle LectureChristopher Bradley (NADFAS); ABYSSINIA - 3000 YEARS OF ETHIOPIAN ART AND HISTORY

19th March 2018 at 6:30pmHunter Theatre

Hunter School of the Performing ArtsLambton Rd, Broadmeadow

Notice BoardBring a Guest: RSVP John Hendriks (0418236730)

Christopher Bradleyis a NADFAS lecturer who began his career as a civil engi-neer and now specialises in the history and art of the Islam-

ic world. He is the writer and photog-rapher of a dozen travel guidebooks of the Middle East and North Africa. A lifelong interest has been art deco buildings and decoration from around the world.

Many of his photographs are repre-sented by leading worldwide photo-

graphic libraries including the Royal Geographical Society, of which he is also a Fellow. As a television documentary film-maker he has worked as cameraman and producer for National Geographic, BBC and Channel 4. He still leads a number of adventure tours each year and is a keen cyclist in his spare time.

Also how their son Menelik founded the Solomonic dynasty at the capital Axum, of which Haile Selassie was the last ruling

emperor.

The 'Hidden Land' of Ethiopia retains many of its ancient tradi-tions, such as gold and silver work, with crowns and reli-gious regalia often kept in small treasuries near to the 30,000 churches. Frescoes and murals bring even the smallest high-

land church to brilliant life, and there are an estimated 3,000 varieties of Oriental Orthodox crosses, paraded each year at 'Timkat', Ethiopian Epiphany. Traditional art forms found in manuscripts and church murals, have developed into a body of more recent artwork. In such a dramatic landscape, the most spectacular structures are the incredible rock-cut churches of Lalibela, the fabled castles of Gondar, and then there is the Ark of the Covenant….Abyssinia: 3000 years of Ethiopian Art and History

In a series of vibrantly colourful images the 'Kebra Nagast' holy book tells us of the union of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon.

“ART WASHES AWAY FROM THE SOUL THEDUST OF EVERYDAY LIFE.” Pablo Picasso

2018 PROGRAMME For full details, visit adfasnewcastle.org.au oremail secretary@adfasnewcastle.org.au

BRING THE ARTS TO LIFEADFAS, an association of societies dedicated

to the appreciation of art

Monday 18th June 2018 Monday 24th September 2018Monday 19th March 2018

Monday 30th July 2018

Monday 27th August 2018

Monday 29th October 2018

ALEXEY MAKHROV (NADFAS): RUSSIAN ORIENTALISM IN THE 19TH CENTURYVasilii Vereshchagin (1842-1904) was “embedded” with the Russian army during a military campaign in Central Asia in the late 1860s. His pictures embody a modern vision of war which anticipated modern photojournalism. The lecture analyses the role of Vereshchagin’s pictures in the political context of the rivalry of Britain and Russia in Central Asia. The possibilities and limitations of the artist-correspondent as an “eyewitness” to war are critically examined.

LINDA SMITH (NADFAS): KICKING AND SCREAMING; A BRIEF STORY OF POST-WAR BRITISH ARTThis lecture explains British art after 1945, when Francis Bacon caused ‘total consternation’ with his work being part of a phenomenon called the ‘Geometry of Fear’. Despite public shocks and upsets, painters like Bacon and Freud were quietly getting on with their painting, and one of the great stories of post-war British art is the continuing strength and vigour of that tradition

JOHN ERICSON (NADFAS): INN INSIGNIA: THE ARTWORK AND STORIES BEHIND PECULIAR PUB NAMESPubs and their signs are a fundamental part of British history and cultural heritage. In this colourful and entertaining lecture John shows some of the most interesting and distinctive signs before exploring the fascinating stories behind the origin of some of their peculiar names. Who could fail to be intrigued by ‘The Bucket of Blood’, the ‘Cow and Snuffers’ or even the ‘Eager Poet’ – and who on earth was ‘Blind Jack’?

MARTIN ELLIS (NADFAS): A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES: ENGLISH SILVER IN THE 20TH AND 21ST CENTURIESWe follow the changes of fortune in English silversmithing since 1900. From the emergence of English Arts & Crafts metalworking as the most influential force in European avant-garde design at the turn of the century, through the ravages of war, austerity and industrial decline to the recent re-emergence of silversmithing as one of the most exciting and dynamic forms of contemporary British design.

Monday 19th November 2018

MATTHEW LAING (AUST): COLUMBUS INDIANAIndiana has an architectural legacy of some 60 buildings listed as national landmarks of modernist American architecture. Nearly all of Columbus’ public edifices and community spaces designed by world-leading architects, due to the vision and passion of J. Irwin Miller’s, philosophy that good architecture could shape public life for the better. This lecture brings to life an unspoiled gem and the visionaries who brought the modernist vision to full bloom in Midwest America.

CHRISTOPHER BRADLEY (NADFAS): ABYSSINIA - 3000 YEARS OF ETHIOPIAN ART AND HISTORYVibrantly colourful images from the ‘Kebra Nagast’ holy book tells us of the union of the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon, and how their son, Menelik founded the Solomonic dynasty of which Haile Selassie was the last ruling emperor. Traditional art forms found in manuscripts and church murals have developed into a body of more recent artwork. The most spectacular structures are the incredible rock-cut churches of Lalibela.

RON RAMSEY (AUST): CONSTANTIN BRANCUSI AND THE GARDEN OF DREAMSThroughout his life Brancusi returned to a small number of subjects and worked and reworked to perfect them. This lecture will examine a series of works and explore their exotic past. The lecture focuses upon the power of place; where they were produced, where they were intended to go and where they ended up. This story is a potential film script including tales of hard work, endurance, poverty, love, enormous wealth, sadness and creativity.

ANNE SEBBA (NADFAS): WILLIAM BANKES, THE EXILED COLLECTOR AND THE MAN BEHIND THE CREATION OF THE ENGLISH COUNTRY HOUSEWilliam Bankes was a 19th century collector of Egyptian artefacts and Spanish paintings intended for his ancestral home, Kingston Lacy. Following a moment of madness he fled to Italy yet continued to collect for a house he no long lived in nor owned. The house has been restored by The National Trust. Can William himself be restored in this talk?

Monday 28th May 2018

Monday 16th April 2018

BARRY MAITLAND (NEWCASTLE): THE SECRET LIVES OF ARCHITECTS - SCANDALS AND CRIMESWithout giving away the plot of the lecture, we might guess that it will feature famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright, his openly close relationship with Mamah Borthwick and the terrible fate that befell her. Retired Emeritus Professor of Architecture, Barry Maitland has an international reputation as an author of crime fiction. He also draws and paints.