Summer 2014 Activities Program

Wednesday   9 April  7.30pm
Summer Exhibition (opens 2 April)
Paradise Regained:  Spencer and the Aftermath of the First World War
A limited ticket walk through the exhibition with archivist Ann Danks
£5.00

Monday        19 May  7.30pm
Paradise Regained:  Presentation by Chrissy Rosenthal
A closer look at the inspiration for the Exhibition.
£5.00

Tuesday       24 June  7.30pm
Spencer Goes to War:   Art Historian and Gallery Trustee Carolyn Leder.
In a series of masterpieces, Spencer produced some of the most original responses to the two great conflicts of the twentieth century.    The talk will include rarely seen historical photographs and will compare the work of some of Spencer’s contemporaries at home and in Germany.
£5.00                              

Monday       4 August  2.00pm
Sydney Spencer MC and the Cookham War Memorial
Village Walk to the War Memorial:    Remembering those commemorated and in particular Sydney,
Stanley’s brother.  Meet at Gallery (please book as party numbers limited)
FREE                                    

Outside the Gallery:
Saturday 23 August  7.00pm            
Spencer at St Nicholas’ Church Hedsor
An evening presentation about Spencer’s work.  Enjoy a glass of wine, a stunning view and hopefully a beautiful sunset.                                        
£10.00

All tickets from 

Maura Carr 01628 530181

or from the Gallery

Stanley Spencer Gallery, High Street, Cookham SL6 9SJ, UK

Stanley Spencer and Distortion

Professor Nigel Rapport 

On Mon 17th February Nigel Rapport (Professor of Anthropology, St Andrews University) gave a fascinating talk to a packed Gallery based upon his research into the subject of distortion in Stanley Spencer's art.  

He shared insights on a number of Spencer's more contentious figure paintings including the strange contorted couples featured in The Beatitudes of Love  series.  He pointed out how Spencer himself was aggrieved by critisism of these paintings and at pains to dispel any suggestion that were satirical in content.  Spencer wrote 'Whatever may be thought of me, the truth is evident in my pictures that everyone of these people are the beloved of my imaginings' (TAM 166).  

Stanley Spencer, Beatitudes VI; Consciousness,1937

Professor Rapport is planning a book on the subject and spent several days studying the Gallery archives to add to his research.