Two shiny new Short & Sweet courses!
Even when Robert’s on holiday, he simply can’t resist pointing at things…
Regular readers may recall that when we announced the coming term’s programme, we mentioned that we were planning two more Short & Sweet courses. Well here they are!
First up, in light of the enthusiastic response to The Royal Painters (i.e. our recent homage to imminent regal pageantry), we offer unto you a new selection of gorgeous royal images which were forged at times of intense social and political disruption.
Grandeur and Obedience: Royal portraits, 1660-1820
Whether you feel that Charles III’s coronation is a delightfully welcome balm for the national soul or an obscenely tone-deaf attempt at self-aggrandizement against a backdrop of seemingly irreconcilable social, cultural, and economic tensions (or any point in between - we’re a broad church at Wrightington Towers, non?!), there’s no denying that how a monarch is depicted to their realm is both revealing and fascinating.
NB This course assumes no prior knowledge, and you do not need to have done The Royal Painters to enjoy it.
Should, however, you be kicking yourself for not having signed up to our celebration of Tudor and Stuart royal imagery, don’t forget that you can register and watch it via catch-up recording until the end of May. Please click here for details of the course.
Secondly, something which has been on many Denizens’ wish-lists (and, indeed, ours) for some time, namely:
Despite the fact that the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood per se was very short-lived, its work and influence have become instantly recognizable. That doesn’t, however, equate to being universally admired - as reviews to various recent exhibitions attest.
Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, the Pre-Raphaelites’ story offers an intriguing window into mid-C19 British culture, which should be an enjoyable romp for two Saturday mornings’ entertainment.
Additionally, I need to make an important housekeeping notice with regard to The Mandate of Heaven at Guppy’s, currently scheduled for 29 April.
Unfortunately, there are not yet sufficient registrations for us to run it without making a financial loss.
But we remain optimistic! It’s not too late to register for this, and we very much hope that we’ll still be able to run it. As stressed on the course page, you’re more than welcome to decide at the last minute that you’d like to join Robert and just turn up, but do please check with us before travelling, to ensure that it is indeed going ahead.
We know that some of you are disappointed that Robert doesn’t get into bricks-and-mortar venues as regularly as he used to, but please rest assured. We’ll continue to schedule “In Real Life” courses for those of you who are unable or reluctant to join us online for as long as there is sufficient demand to make them financially possible!
NB Should we end up having to cancel this course due to lack of interest, we shall issue refunds to those who have booked.
Liu Guandao, Kublai Khan Hunting (detail), 1280
Taipei, National Palace Museum
Here from: https://theme.npm.edu.tw/khan/Article.aspx?sNo=03009149&lang=2#p3
In other news, for those of you who are eager to have a Summer Fix of Wright History, voila (right) a cheeky clue for what Robert’s working on. This one has also been much requested for some time, so we hope you’ll approve!
We’re still finalizing whether it’ll be best as a 5- or 6-weeker, which will have a bearing on when we schedule it. Watch this space for full details in due course.
Finally, there’s still time to book on the imminent term’s courses. If you’d like to see what we have available for April and beyond, please see here.