Available talks by Simon Evers
Turner and Constable - their lives and rivalry
My illustrated talk looks at the lives as well as the work of both these famous artists, who were born a year apart 250 years ago. I also talk about the rivalry between the two artists.
An Introduction to British Art from 1500 to 1800
I look at the life and times of the principal artists in these years, showing how subjects changed from portraits of the royal court by Holbein and others to satire and ordinary people as painted by Hogarth and on to the foundation of the Royal Academy by Reynolds.
An ABC of Victorian Painters (and a postscript)
This talk covers three Victorian painters – one very well known at the time, a second who changed views with his paintings and a third who is really unknown today. The postscript is about a little known discovery which however completely changed the whole business of painting in oils.
Thomas Gainsborough & Joshua Reynolds
I cover the lives and times of the two best known painters of the 18th century, their relationship and their most famous works.
Victorian ‘Problem’ Pictures
A short-lived but fascinating genre – ‘problem’ paintings showed either a deliberately ambiguous depiction of a key moment in a narrative or a portrayal of an unresolved dilemma. They were extremely popular in their time.