Kept behind curtains, the story of the nude

ADFAS Narrabri arts group will be bringing renowned London art historian Leslie Primo to Narrabri on Monday, May 15.

Mr Primo specialises in early to late medieval and Renaissance studies, including Italian Renaissance drawing and art and architecture in Europe through to the impressionist’s era.

He previously worked at The National Gallery, London, for 18 years, and now lectures for the Arts Society, UK and teaches a variety of art history courses in London at Imperial College, the Bishopsgate Institute, and City Lit art education college in Central London.

This illustrated talk, held in Cinema 1 at the Crossing Theatre, will look at the continuing fascination with representation of the body in sculpture and in painting across the ages, with sculpture from the 4th century BC, painting from the Renaissance, through to the modern age with paintings from the Impressionists.

This span of time will encompass iconic works by Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Bernini, Degas, Renoir and Velazquez, to name but a few.

The nude is still seen in our modern age, and indeed has been seen for quite some time, as the pinnacle of creative artistic perfection, but throughout the course of art history the notion of the perfect body and gender has been constantly reshaped and redefined.

Moreover this lecture will look at the reasons that lay behind the commissioning of such images.

What were their purposes, and who were the patrons behind these images?

We will look at hidden riddles, signs and symbols hidden within seemingly enigmatic and flawless images of perfection.

As this lecture charts the ever changing attitude towards the nude as a subject, we will also look at the treatment of nudes by collectors and museums in the 19th century.

The scene will be set to chart the many and varied approaches to this subject that has become synonymous with the very idea of art itself, finally asking ourselves, ‘if this is art’, how did it become so, and why?

Lectures take place in Cinema 1, The Crossing Theatre. Arrival and greet from 6.30pm ready for a 7pm start.

Lecture time is approximately 1 hour followed by drinks and canapés in the Crossing Theatre café.

All welcome to book online or pay at the door.