Sailing the seven seas
Voyages into the unknown took artists to the four corners of the world and helped trigger the Western love of both the exotic and a myth of paradise.
Explorers like Captain Cook recorded the treasures they found – the artists that accompanied them on the voyages of discovery painted the scenes with a romantic eye.
On Thursday February 7, lecturer Leslie Primo will present ‘The Cult of the South Pacific; from Cook to Gaugin’ as guest speaker of the Marina Alta Arts Society.
He will investigate the enduring western obsession with the invention of the ‘noble savage’ that made the exotic so fashionable.
It starts with the discovery of the island of Tahiti in 1767 and charts the impact through painting the island and its people on the English and Europeans; and its enduring influence into the 19th and 20th Centuries.
Leslie, who studied art history at London University and has an MA in Renaissance Studies from Birkbeck University College, is also a visiting lecturer at Reading University. He also lectures at the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery and teaches at a number of educational institutes.
He will examine the romanticised work of such artists as William Hodges; Benjamin West; John Webber; John Cleverley; as wells as Paul Gaugin which helped perpetuate the myth in European minds of an enduring paradise.
The society is staging its annual general meeting on February 7 at Salon Canor, Teulada, and all members are welcome. Doors open at 09.45 for a prompt 10.15 start.
Leslie’s presentation follows at 11.00 – a lecture that has been presented in faraway places including New Zealand and Australia; afterwards refreshments will be available with the opportunity to chat with the guest speaker.
For more information about the society and its 2019 programme, visit the website www.marinaaltaarts.com.