BECKENHAM & BROMLEY NATIONAL TRUST CENTRE

The subject for the monthly meeting on July 10 was "The Post Impressionists" a talk given by art historian and lecturer Anthony Slinn. Mr Slinn's enthusiasm for his subject gave some very interesting and thought provoking ideas on how painting evolved prior to and after the turn of the last century.

Van Gogh, Degas, Toulpuse-Lautrec, Picasso, Gaugin and Paul Cezanne were the main art-ists who were prepared to experiment with style and technique. Pre impressionists used little in the way of bright colours, nearly all their work being in sombre browns and dark ochres. The impressionist period concentrated mainly on land and seascapes. Stronger and brighter colours were brought in and then more factual subjects which was regarded as Post impres-sionism.

Van Gogh (stylised paintings, sunflowers and scenes of Provence), Degas (theatre and bal-let), Toulouse-Lautrec (Paris night-life), Picasso (his rose and blue periods), Gaugin (his self portraits and scenes of his life in Tahiti) were all major contributors to the ongoing develop-ments. But for Mr Slinn's money Paul Cezanne who he described as the world's greatest painter was the key to the whole of the Post Impressionist movement.

Cezanne highly regarded and much copied by his fellow artists led to even further styles such as cubism. Mr Slinn'' talk was given with great passion and accompanied by some excel-lent slides.

The next meeting will be held in the Great Hall in the Civic Centre at 8pm on August 14 when Ralph Todd will talk on "An Antarctic Adventure". Further information on the centre is available on 020 8650 9041. Or visit the website: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/assocs/beckenhambromley

July 17, 2002 16:30