London History & Culture: Experience London/Britain/Europe!

Vermeer and the Dutch Golden Age - Art Program Hosted by Robert Kelleman

You’re invited to join us for an art history livestream featuring Johannes Vermeer (The Girl with the Pearl Earring) and the Dutch Golden Age.
While our program will focus on Vermeer, we’ll also explore several of artists and the overall history and culture of the Dutch Golden Age.
This is a 2-part series on Dutch art, with a separate program featuring Rembrandt van Rijn.
During and after the program you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the art with your fellow participants via Zoom.

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Johannes Vermeer (October 1632 – 15 December 1675) was a Dutch painter who specialized in domestic interior scenes of middle-class life. He is considered one of the greatest painters of the Dutch Golden Age. During his lifetime, he was a moderately successful provincial genre painter, recognized in Delft and The Hague. He produced relatively few paintings, primarily earning his living as an art dealer. He was not wealthy; at his death, his wife was left in debt.
Vermeer worked slowly and with great care, and frequently used very expensive pigments. He is particularly renowned for making masterful use of light in his work. "Almost all his paintings", Hans Koningsberger wrote, "are apparently set in two smallish rooms in his house in Delft; they show the same furniture and decorations in various arrangements and they often portray the same people, mostly women."
The modest celebrity he enjoyed during his life gave way to obscurity after his death. He was barely mentioned in Arnold Houbraken's major source book on 17th-century Dutch painting (Grand Theatre of Dutch Painters and Women Artists, published 1718) and, as a result, was omitted from subsequent surveys of Dutch art for nearly two centuries. In the 19th century, Vermeer was rediscovered by Gustav Friedrich Waagen and Théophile Thoré-Bürger, who published an essay attributing 66 works to him, although only 34 paintings are universally attributed to him today. Since that time, Vermeer's reputation has grown enormously.

The Dutch Golden Age was a period in the history of the Netherlands which roughly lasted from 1588, when the Dutch Republic was established, to 1672, when the Rampjaar occurred. During this period, Dutch trade, scientific developments, art and overseas colonisation was among the most prominent in Europe. The first half of the period spanned from the beginning of the Eighty Years' War until its conclusion in 1648, with the second half lasting until the outbreak of the Franco-Dutch War. During the period, Dutch colonialists, many of them affiliated with the East India Company and West India Company, established trading posts and colonies in the Americas, Southern Africa and Asia, protected by the powerful Dutch States Navy. The Dutch also dominated the triangular trade and Atlantic slave trade during this period.
Dutch culture flourished during this period as well. However, by the end of the 17th century, conflicts with neighbouring powers as well as declining economic influence led to the end of this period. The process by which the Dutch Republic became one of the foremost maritime and economic powers of the world during the era has been referred to as the "Dutch Miracle" by historian K. W. Swart. The term "Dutch Golden Age" has been controversial in the 21st century due to the extensive Dutch involvement in slavery and colonialism during the period, and it has been deprecated by several museums in the Netherlands, including the Amsterdam Museum.

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In Search of Mozart - Music & Film History Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Let’s meetup and celebrate Mozart’s 270th birthday (January 27, 1756) with a two-part music history program.

Part 1 will be a full screening of the excellent documentary In Search of Mozart, 2006.
Part 2 will be a full screening of the iconic film Amadeus, 1984, with Tom Hulce in the title role.

The two films will be shown separately, at different times, but with the same Zoom link, join us for either or both.
During and after the program you’re invited to discuss the films with your fellow music lovers via Zoom.

In Search of Mozart - Documentary
An unmissable biography narrated by Juliet Stevenson and featuring interviews and performances with over 70 of the greatest exponents of Mozart’s music. A valuable addition to any music lovers education.
Produced in association with the world’s leading orchestras, opera houses and musicians. Told through a 25,000 mile journey along every route Mozart followed; IN SEARCH OF MOZART is a detective story that travels to the heart of old Europe… and the heart of genius itself.
The most comprehensive and illuminating film about Mozart that you are likely to see... A remarkable achievement... Strikingly original... The result is gloriously entertaining as well as revelatory. One reason for that is Grabsky's camerawork. I know far too little about cinematic techniques to explain how he does it - but somehow, by focusing so closely on face and fingers, he manages to convey the intensity of the musical experience more grippingly than anything I have seen on film or television... --The Times
No more important, or beautifully filmed documentary about Mozart's life and music has emerged than Phil Grabsky's 'In Search of Mozart' ... What emerges is a far more accurate, complete and endearingly human portrait of Mozart than any documentary has ever painted. If all you know of him are the glossy lies disseminated by Amadeus, don't miss In Search of Mozart. It's a must see for tyros and cognoscenti alike... --Chicago Tribune

# Amadeus - Music & Film History Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Let’s meetup and celebrate Mozart’s 270th birthday (January 27, 1756) with a two-part music history program.

Part 1 will be a full screening of the excellent documentary In Search of Mozart, 2006.
Part 2 will be a full screening of the iconic film Amadeus, 1984, with Tom Hulce in the title role.

The two films will be shown separately, at different times, but with the same Zoom link, join us for either or both.
During and after the program you’re invited to discuss the films with your fellow music lovers via Zoom.

In Search of Mozart - Documentary
An unmissable biography narrated by Juliet Stevenson and featuring interviews and performances with over 70 of the greatest exponents of Mozart’s music. A valuable addition to any music lovers education.
Produced in association with the world’s leading orchestras, opera houses and musicians. Told through a 25,000 mile journey along every route Mozart followed; IN SEARCH OF MOZART is a detective story that travels to the heart of old Europe… and the heart of genius itself.
The most comprehensive and illuminating film about Mozart that you are likely to see... A remarkable achievement... Strikingly original... The result is gloriously entertaining as well as revelatory. One reason for that is Grabsky's camerawork. I know far too little about cinematic techniques to explain how he does it - but somehow, by focusing so closely on face and fingers, he manages to convey the intensity of the musical experience more grippingly than anything I have seen on film or television... --The Times
No more important, or beautifully filmed documentary about Mozart's life and music has emerged than Phil Grabsky's 'In Search of Mozart' ... What emerges is a far more accurate, complete and endearingly human portrait of Mozart than any documentary has ever painted. If all you know of him are the glossy lies disseminated by Amadeus, don't miss In Search of Mozart. It's a must see for tyros and cognoscenti alike... --Chicago Tribune

The Louvre, Paris - French Highlights - Art History Livestream Hosted by Robert Kelleman

Bonjour!

For French Independence Day (Bastille Day - July 14), we invite you to join us for an online/virtual tour of the Louvre in Paris, France, considered by many to be the world's greatest art museum.

This will be a two-part art history program
Part 1 - Saturday, July 11 - French Highlights, with emphasis on works from 1643 (Louis XIV) through 1815 (Napoleon Bonaparte).

Part 2 - Saturday, July 18 - International (Non-French) Highlights, including Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa.

During and after both programs you’ll have the opportunity to discuss the topics with your fellow art lovers via Zoom.

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