The Arts Society Henley

NEARLY 200 members of The Arts Society Henley turned out for the annual meeting on Thursday, November 21, which was followed by two superb talks and a lunch of sandwiches and cakes.

As a backdrop, artworks from the Pathways programme at The Henley College were on display for members to admire. Pathways is dedicated to young people who have severe learning difficulties or disabilities, and the society is proud to support it, as well as the Koestler Trust and Henley Music School.

Guests included Jeremy Thomas, trustee and chairman of The Arts Society national organisation, trustee Michael Shirley and his wife Jill, and our very own John Benjamin, president of The Arts Society Henley and Antiques Roadshow expert. Both Jeremy and John kindly gave speeches before society trustee and chair, Robert Gurney, proceeded with the meeting.

All items on the agenda were passed unanimously and this was quickly followed by a fascinating lecture by Dr Caroline Levisse on the invention of photography and its impact on painting.

Caroline cleverly explained and illustrated how the inventions of Louis Daguerre (the daguerreotype, that produced photographic “positives”) and Henry Fox Talbot (the calotype, that produced photographic “negatives”) quickly affected the work of lesser-known portrait artists, as well as the traditional compositions of paintings.

In practical terms, there was a 50 per cent decrease in painted portraits between 1833 and 1870, especially miniatures, as the world embraced the excitement, speed and price of the new photographs.

There was a confluence of naturalism in painting with photorealism in photography, which Caroline illustrated and plotted through to the conclusion that, if photography is now the means of capturing reality, then art can be an end goal rather than the means.

Caroline’s talk was applauded enthusiastically by her audience, who then enjoyed a lunch of sandwiches, cake and refreshments, provided by the Menza Café.

The Arts Society Henley lecture days are increasingly social events and the lively conversation over lunch clearly reflected the inspiration of the day. Lunch was followed by a talk by John Benjamin, titled “At the sign of the Falcon”, which was hailed by many as his best lecture and a real treat.

John recounts the intersection of his own career with the archive and artworks of the silversmith and goldsmith Henry George Murphy (1884-1939). Murphy is notable for many fabulous pieces of jewellery and was selected by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1921 to make miniature crown jewels for Queen Mary’s doll’s house, a lifelike four-story London townhouse, which is now on show in Windsor Castle.

John humorously described a series of fortunate opportunities and several quite random events that presented him with repeated opportunities to appreciate both the life and the art of this jewellery genius.

In one instance, John had appraised some beautiful pieces for Murphy’s daughter, just before they were stolen and potentially lost forever, except that years later a woman walked into his shop and asked him to value “some family relics”, leading to recovery of the artworks and arrest of the culprits.

For more information on The Arts Society Henley and its lectures, special interest days, trips and the recipients of its support, follow The Arts Society Henley on Facebook or visit henley
.theartssociety.org

Nigel “Gin” Balchin